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Kingsman Executive Office Suites founder and managing director Matt Mackenzie tells Emily Moore how changing workplace cultures are driving a demand for serviced offices
“CUIDICH N RIGH” went the cry, as Colin of Kintail threw himself forward, aiming his spear at the stag which was charging towards King Alexander III.
It was a heroic act, earning the first chieftain of the Mackenzie clan both the monarch’s gratitude and the title of the “king’s man”, while fellow family members were quickly appointed royal backgrounds.
It was also, some seven centuries after the event, one of the inspirations for the name of a business founded in 2018 by one of Colin’s descendants.
“There were three factors which determined the company’s name,” explained Kingsman Executive Office Suites founder and managing director Matt Mackenzie. “My ancestor’s story is one, our first location at de Carteret House – George de Carteret being known for his services to King Charles II – is another and my actor brother Thomas’s role in the film Kingsman is the third.”
But while Jersey-born Matt – who is joined in the family-run business by his wife, Tatianny, and children, Sapphire and Matthew-Ross – has quickly grown the enterprise into a three-location firm, his professional life started far away from the corporate environment.
“I grew up around horses,” he said, “and when I was 16, I left the Island to work in an eventing yard in Henley-on-Thames. During that time, I gained my accredited instructor certificate and taught people how to ride horses.”
It was not long, however, before Matt changed careers, working initially for a venture capital company before returning to the Island and entering the world of serviced offices, before branching out on his own six years ago.
“I saw an opportunity to improve the services that were on offer by creating something that was more Island-centric,” he said of his decision to establish Kingsman. “Jersey doesn’t have as many new businesses coming in as a lot of the global players, such as London and New York, do. Therefore, the question was how to make a successful long-term business from providing serviced office space.”
The answer, he decided, lay in the word “service”.
“It is all about looking after clients and building long-term relationships,” he said. “When I founded Kingsman, my children were still at school and it was important to me that when I picked them up from school, I was able to look fellow parents in the eye, knowing that I was offering something worthwhile to Islanders and business owners.”
And it is an approach which seems to have worked, with Osprey House and No. 1 Grenville Street soon joining the Kingsman portfolio, giving the business around 40,000 square feet of office space, housing more than 200 businesses which, between them, employ in the region of 1,000 people.
“Occupancy levels in our buildings are high,” said Matt, “with some clients having been with me for the 15 or so years that I have worked in this industry. We have ‘hotelified’ the office space sector, offering fully serviced and furnished office solutions which, crucially for businesses, offer flexibility, cost savings and a sense of community.
“We work with businesses of all shapes and sizes and across all sectors. If you are launching or scaling a business, you may not want to sign a long-term lease, with all the accompanying legal implications, on an office. Not only that but such a move also comes with the cost and hassle of installing furniture, internet, setting up agreements with utility firms, finding cleaners, reception staff and a host of other people and services.
“Instead, with a serviced office, you get a ready-to-move-into plug-and-play solution, which offers you the flexibility to take on more space as your business grows. You have access to fully fitted-out boardrooms, complete with internet, 75-inch televisions, video-conferencing equipment and, just as importantly, a team who will greet you and your clients, serve you refreshments and ensure that the equipment is set up, ready for you to use.”
And it is not only companies using Kingsman office space which can take advantage of these facilities.
“Meeting room hire is a big part of our business, as a lot of organisations and charities need occasional access to these spaces,” said Matt.
“Our rooms are popular with training companies, government departments, charities and firms who recognise the benefit of not paying rent for a board room that would only be used occasionally.”
The demand both for ad-hoc use of meeting rooms and longer-term serviced office space has, says Matt, increased in line with changing working practices since the pandemic.
“At the beginning of 2020, we had one building – De Carteret House – which was full, and we were confident that the business model was working and that it was time to find our second premises,” said Matt. “Then Covid hit and there was no movement until the middle of 2021. But then we were inundated with people who wanted to exercise the break clause in their lease, or whose lease was coming to end, and they were keen to explore different options.”
This sudden surge in demand for a “new approach to office space” did not, says Matt, come as a surprise.
“As lockdown continued, I became increasingly convinced that serviced offices represented the future because I believed that flexibility would become increasingly important for businesses,” he explained. “We therefore decided to go out and find more space which we did firstly with Osprey House and then, just over a year ago, with No. 1 Grenville Street.
“The demand for space is growing and clients are reacting positively to the opportunity to use any of our locations, all of which are connected and feature the same technology, enabling you to walk in and work from anywhere. We even have the same type of coffee machine in each location.”
That focus on technology is, says Matt, essential for business continuity.
“Not only are all our buildings connected with one another but each one has two independent fibre broadband connections coming into it, so if anything goes wrong with one connection, the other one ensures that people can continue to work as normal, something which is tremendously important for the business community.”
Community is also a key feature of Kings-man, with Matt and the team committed to offering regular networking opportunities for clients.
“You have to remember that 85% of businesses registered in the Island employ fewer than five people,” he said. “As well as often struggling to find a suitably sized office, sole traders and small teams often have limited opportunities to mix with other people. At Kingsman, however, we ‘create’ an environment where there is a real community, and people regularly come together for our Friday coffee mornings, end-of-month drinks and the overall opportunity to meet other human beings in a professional environment.”
This opportunity to network also, says Matt, appeals to people who may work from home for part of the week, as well as to people who have recently relocated to the Island.
“It’s not only small businesses who are seeing the benefits of working with Kings-man,” he said. “We work with a lot of large corporates and multi-nationals as well. One of our clients employs more than 100 staff locally, all of whom are located with us. Our offer of a prime address with state-of-the-art facilities is a key reason that so many businesses are moving in this direction to satisfy their ever-changing real-estate needs.”
But it is not only businesses, says Matt, which are looking for flexibility.
“Most companies now recognise that if they want to attract top talent, they need to provide a flexible approach, and we see a number of people who come into the office two or three days a week and work from home the rest of the time,” he explained. “This contributes to an increased demand for serviced offices, as companies don’t want to take on large buildings which will not be fully occupied.
“Our offices also reflect the post-Covid change in the way people approach not just where they work but the nature of the workspace, which is often now designed to foster greater collaboration. We offer both collaborative spaces for people who want that high-energy environment, and also quiet zones for those who need to put their head down and concentrate on a particular project.”
Of course, it is not only where people work that has changed since Covid but also the speed at which businesses have adopted technology.
Supporting that transformation is Kingsman’s sister company, Smart Call.
“As the name suggests, Smart Call provides a telephone-call answering service, which is used by around 120 businesses ranging from law firms and estate agents to dental practices and chiropractors,” said Matt. “This system enables our reception team to answer the phone, with the technology advising them which company’s phone is ringing and bringing up any additional information, such as diaries, enabling us to take messages and book appointments for clients, leaving them free to focus on their area of expertise.”
This, he adds, is just one of the outsourced services which the company offers.
“We also offer PA services and IT managed services,” he said, “all of which are designed to help businesses lower their costs and increase their productivity in keeping with the demands of today’s busy workplace environment.”
As 2025 approaches, Matt and Kingsman remain focused on growth, innovation and community. With demand for flexible office solutions continuing to rise, Matt says that Kingsman is committed to ensuring that businesses in Jersey have access to state-of-the-art, adaptable workspaces.
“We’re committed to staying ahead of the curve,” Matt said. “By combining cutting-edge technology, a customer-first approach and a strong sense of community, we’re not just providing office space, we’re creating environments where businesses can thrive. From its historical inspirations to its modern-day adaptability, Kingsman reflects the enduring legacy of the Mackenzie clan: bold, innovative and steadfast in service.”
