the big
interview
The eclectic entrepreneur In pursuing a colourful career that has taken him halfway across the world and seen him work in several industries, Andrew Ross has built up a wealth of invaluable experience that’s helping him in his current role. After co-founding a number of real estate investment businesses in Australia and Europe, spanning healthcare, residential development, and student accommodation, he sold these businesses and branched out into the co-working industry. Together with hotel industry veteran Tom Foster, Andrew opened a co-working space in the UK and became a master franchisor for Venture X, which provides high-quality, flexible shared office space and a boutique concierge-style service to a wide range of business professionals. Being a master franchisor not only gives Andrew and Tom the opportunity to open future franchises on their own, it also gives them the right to sell new Venture X franchises throughout the UK, a strategy that allows them to scale their operations quickly with sacrificing quality. Andrew says: “After selling the real estate businesses I was searching for my next challenge. There was a major shift towards co-working at
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the time and I knew it would provide opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs. Tom and I secured a deal with US-based United Franchise Group, which owns Venture X, and our journey began.” Since assuming the role in early 2019, they’ve been extremely busy and the borough of Hounslow has been a key target for them. They’ve invested in Chiswick Park, taking 13,998 sq ft of space at the flagship West London location as part of a wider plan to expand Venture X’s presence across Europe. Now, in a historic move, Andrew and Tom are preparing to bring co-working to Westfield London for the first time ever, with all of 20,000 sq ft of Venture X White City to open later this year. White City is a creative, technology and
In future years, we want to grow Venture X’s presence throughout the UK. Globally, our brand aims to be the largest pure franchise operator of flexible workspace in the world.
