WeWork

How It Started

In May 2019, I joined WeWork as Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) Manager for Australia and New Zealand — stepping from consultancy into the owner's seat.

After years supporting contractors and developers, I was drawn to WeWork’s unique model: a global, $1B vertically integrated model, tech-led property company that controlled everything from concept through to operations. What excited me most was the opportunity to not just advise, but to implement — to shape systems from the inside, and lead digital execution across real projects at scale.

This role offered me full control to implement Digital Engineering (DE) and BIM workflows over WeWork’s ANZ office fitout portfolio — a hypergrowth environment where clarity, structure, and pace had to work in sync. Over 10 months, I embedded data-driven systems that transformed how WeWork delivered connected spaces across ANZ.

Role

Virtual Design & Construction Manager, Australia & New Zealand

My Contributions

• Project Briefs & BIM Strategy: Defined project-specific digital delivery strategies and BIM requirements

• National Portfolio Delivery: Managed VDC workflows across 10+ fitouts including:

  • Sydney: 1 Sussex St, 320 Pitt St, 66 King St

  • Melbourne: 222 Exhibition St, 114 William St

  • Brisbane: 25 King St, 123 Eagle St, 260 Queen St

  • Perth: 152 St Georges Tce, 45 Francis St

• Regional and Global Alignment: Regionalised global BIM standards for ANZ and supported APAC delivery through workflow optimisation, templated fit-out strategies, and process improvements.

• Data-Driven Insights: Introduced BIM data BI dashboards for ANZ, supporting project budgeting and forecasting through quantity take-offs and design coordination verification on-site.

• BIM Workflow Implementation: Led BIM workflows and tools, including QA/QC on models, CDE/BIM 360 management, and as-built data for operations and maintenance.

What It Is

WeWork’s ANZ operations were a powerhouse of vertically integrated delivery, designing, building, and managing office spaces across major Australian cities. Each fitout was fast-paced, high-spec, and executed through repeatable systems designed to scale.

As part of WeWork’s broader APAC portfolio of hundreds of locations, my role focused on embedding tech-led, data-driven systems to deliver these spaces at speed and scale. From digital strategy to BIM execution, I helped create a delivery model where design, construction, and operations were aligned — and data moved with purpose.

Key Wins

• End-to-End Digital Strategy: Delivered integrated VDC workflows from design through to operations

• National Project Footprint: Regionalised global BIM standards and templated fit-out strategies, ensuring consistency across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

• BIM-to-Business Insights: Used models and BI dashboards to generate budgeting insights and improve forecasting accuracy

• CDE Maturity: Ensured structured, secure model sharing and information flow across stakeholders

• Enabled Faster Fitouts: Provided teams with repeatable, scalable digital tools to meet aggressive timelines

• Team Enablement: Equipped ANZ teams with tools, briefs, and dashboards, enabling confident execution in a hypergrowth environment.

Vision & Strategy

At WeWork, I saw what happens when a business puts digital at the centre of delivery.

I was thrilled to drive WeWork’s tech-led, startup-inspired approach to project delivery, shaping ANZ fitouts like 1 Sussex Street and 222 Exhibition Street. 

Inspired by WeWork’s $1B vertically integrated model, I focused on immediate clarity—standardised BIM tools, lean decision-making, and tight integration across design, construction, and operations. By implementing data-driven workflows and BI dashboards, I ensured rapid, predictable outcomes for 10+ fitouts, proving DE’s value under hypergrowth pressure. 

This experience—building systems that serve people, not processes—shaped my user-centric approach at Mirvac, TfNSW, and Circlo, where I continue to champion practical, scalable DE solutions.

[Chart showing roadmap: BIM workflow adoption, 10+ ANZ fitouts, tech-led delivery]

Lessons Learned

WeWork’s hypergrowth environment taught me to thrive on clarity, structure, and pace. Tight timelines and high-pressure delivery across ANZ locations like Sydney and Melbourne demanded agile BIM workflows and precise coordination. 

Regional variations—different building codes, contractor practices, and market needs—required balancing global standards with local adaptability. Aligning design, construction, and operations teams was critical but challenging in a fast-moving startup culture. By simplifying processes and prioritising team feedback, we built systems that empowered people, not controlled them. 

These lessons, rooted in my earlier consultancy work, became the foundation for my DE leadership at Mirvac, TfNSW, and Circlo