Innovation as Culture | Ep8: Clive Lucking, Studio Alliance

Innovation as Culture | Ep8: Clive Lucking, Studio Alliance

In this episode of The Good, The Bad & The PropTech, Freddie sits down with Clive Lucking, CEO of Studio Alliance, to talk about why innovation works best as a shared culture rather than a job title. Drawing on a long and varied career in design and build, Clive offers an outside-in view on how AI is reshaping the way buildings get designed, and why real progress depends on owners, occupiers and operators moving together rather than staying in their own lanes. Now leading an alliance of businesses across Europe, Clive knows first-hand what it takes for separate companies to work as one rather than compete in isolation. He argues that real estate needs that same instinct when it comes to technology, where progress often stalls between generations, not just between departments. Pairing younger technical thinking with decades of hard-won experience, in his view, is where change really happens. If you've ever wondered what it takes to get an entire industry pulling in the same direction instead of everyone chasing their own version of progress, this episode is worth your time. If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, or any topics discussed within, drop us a comment! We'd love to hear from you.   ► Subscribe and share! ► Find us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustekgroup/] ► Watch full video here: https://youtu.be/ifAZ058WWeE [https://youtu.be/ifAZ058WWeE]

Old Bones, New Behaviour | Ep7: Kilian Kleine, Kinrise

In this episode of The Good, The Bad & The PropTech, Freddie sits down with Kilian Kleine, Investment Director at Kinrise, to talk about what it takes to breathe life back into heritage buildings. Kinrise has spent over a decade doing something most investors avoid: buying buildings nobody else wants and betting they can bring them back. They have repurposed 14 “unloved” buildings across six UK cities, underwritten through four lenses - human, social, environmental, and financial - with the sole aim of returning these buildings to their deserved former glory. Kilian talks through what that looks like in practice, and what actually drives progress. Real innovation, he argues, only happens when a landlord is willing to back something before anyone else believes in it. He's just as candid about the reverse: some of the things and pieces of tech the industry treats as essential are really just a distractions, chasing accreditation instead of asking what a building genuinely does for the people using it. That same scepticism extends to AI - despite sitting closer to Proptech than most investors, Kilian questions how much of the industry's rush toward it is solving real problems versus creating new ones. If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to change a building's behaviour, not just its bones, or why an industry keeps running on habits it hasn't questioned in years, this episode is worth your time. If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, or any topics discussed within, drop us a comment. We'd love to hear from you!   ► Subscribe and share! ► Find us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustekgroup/] ► Watch full video here: https://youtu.be/YPc1tnbxE6c [https://youtu.be/YPc1tnbxE6c]

Through the Occupier’s Eyes | Ep6: Anthony Murphy, Making Moves

Guesting on this episode of "The Good. The Bad. The PropTech." is Anthony Murphy, co-owner of Making Moves, one of central London’s leading tenant representative businesses. Anthony joins Freddie to explore the current office market, specifically from an occupier perspective. Anthony has spent more than a decade exclusively advising occupiers, and offers a perspective that is often missing from conversations around PropTech, smart buildings and ESG. While the industry frequently focuses on products, platforms and technical specifications, occupiers are asking a much simpler question: how will this improve outcomes for our business and our people? From the AI companies quietly hoovering up huge chunks of London office space, to the growing appetite for lower-grade buildings that can be transformed on the occupier's own terms, Anthony shares what's genuinely shifting in the market right now. The conversation also gets into the gap between ESG tick-boxes and real-world understanding, why cybersecurity is entering the picture too late in the process, and what occupiers actually want from building technology versus what they're being sold. If you're a landlord, an agent, or a PropTech business trying to understand what occupiers truly prioritise, this episode offers a practical perspective from somebody who represents them every day. If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, or any topics discussed within, drop us a comment. We'd love to hear from you!   ► Subscribe and share! ► Find us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustekgroup/] ► Watch full video here [https://youtu.be/8Y6ADqxMyCo]!

From the Basement to the Boardroom | Ep5: Allan Fourie

Joining us for this episode of "The Good. The Bad. The PropTech." is Allan Fourie to explore why, despite years of investment and innovation, so much building technology ends up sitting unused and what it takes to get people actually using it. From the chaos of overlapping systems and AI buzzwords masking outdated algorithms, to the very real barriers facing PropTech companies trying to cross from the US into the UK and European markets, the conversation covers the full landscape of an industry that is simultaneously moving very fast and standing frustratingly still. Having started his career as a qualified electrician, Allan has become one of the industry's most experienced voices on PropTech adoption and building technology strategy. He can offer insights into almost every level of asset management, from the basement to the boardroom. Having lived the reality of buildings before the era of smart technology, he brings an authority to the questions the industry is still struggling to answer: why does so much building tech get deployed and never used, who should really be driving the adoption agenda, and why does fragmented data sit at the root of almost every challenge commercial real estate faces today? If you're interested in the real state of PropTech adoption, the untapped value hidden inside building data, or what it will genuinely take for smart buildings to live up to their name, this episode offers a straight-talking perspective from someone who has seen the industry from both ends. If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, or any topics discussed within, drop us a comment! We'd love to hear from you.   ► Subscribe and share! ► Find us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustekgroup/] ► Watch full video here [https://youtu.be/MZImmWiEPeA]!

The Brain Behind ‘Smart’ Buildings | Ep4: William Hulls, Demand Logic

In this episode of "The Good. The Bad. The PropTech.", Freddie sits down with William Hulls, CRO of Demand Logic, to explore the variety of obstacles standing in the way of true building optimisation. From BMS systems — the brains behind modern buildings — hidden away in dusty basements, to maintenance teams struggling with communication, workloads, and growing expectations, the conversation uncovers the layers of complexity behind so-called 'smart' buildings. Freddie and Will also discuss the uncertainty surrounding AI, and how every building presents its own unique operational challenges. As each issue arises, Will explains how Demand Logic tackles them using real-time building data. By cutting through the noise, the platform helps turn complex engineering information into clear, actionable insights for everyone involved in managing and operating a building, driving performance optimisation and greater occupant comfort. If you’re interested in the reality of smart buildings, the day-to-day challenges of facilities and asset management, or the future of real estate intelligence, this episode offers an honest look at the untapped value hidden inside building data and the increasing importance of operational intelligence across commercial real estate. If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, or any topics discussed within, drop us a comment! We'd love to hear from you. ► Subscribe and share! ► Find us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/trustekgroup/] ► Watch full video here [https://youtu.be/tMvw5l7Bk6Q]!