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Putting public value at the heart of cultural excellence: Exploring a transformational journey of workplace strategy at the BBC
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
2
(4),
279-299
(2013)
Abstract
The arrival of a new Director General and Chairman of the BBC Trust in 2004, together with the eighth BBC Charter, which came into operation from 1st January, 2007, heralded a new era for the BBC and prompted a fresh approach to the property portfolio. The Charter, which runs for ten years, contained a number of new commitments that aimed to redefine the Corporation's role as a public service provider. BBC Workplace is playing a pivotal role in supporting the BBC's efforts to deliver public value. This paper outlines the transformational journey taken by BBC Property/BBC Workplace to develop an intelligent real estate strategy that empowers the Corporation to deliver high-quality, original content, drive innovation, support challenging new technologies and engage a global audience. Today, the BBC's real estate portfolio comprises 207 properties and 571,000m2 of space across the UK. Over the last decade, the BBC Property/BBC Workplace teams have focused on an intense programme of portfolio optimisation to deliver the Corporation's vision of ‘public value’, while ensuring flexibility and innovation to attract and retain the best creative talent. This paper will explore lessons learned from four milestone projects in the BBC Property/BBC Workplace journey towards a new, more intelligent, real estate strategy.
Keywords: public value; property management; workplace strategy; portfolio optimisation; flexibility; technology; talent; audience; cost; public services; place making; regeneration
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Chris Kane joined the BBC in January 2004 as Head of Corporate Real Estate. Under his leadership the Property department has been restructured and relaunched as BBC Workplace. Following the recent sale of the iconic BBC Television Centre building to Stanhope plc, Chris transitioned to CEO, BBC Commercial Projects. In this strategic, new, part-time role, he is responsible for delivering the BBC pre-lets within the development and maximising the value of the sale to the BBC. In his former role as Head of BBC Workplace, Chris was responsible for the development, financing and implementation of the BBC’s £2bn property strategy and for managing the team that provides the right workplace for the most creative organisation in the world. Prior to joining the BBC, Chris was VicePresident of International Corporate Real Estate for the Walt Disney Company, where he managed Disney’s international portfolio. Before moving to Disney, he was a partner in Jones Lang Wootton, where he was integral in launching a new service for clients — Corporate Real Estate Services. Chrishas an MBA from the Henley Management College, as well as a diploma in project management from the College of Estate Management and a BSc (hons) in surveying from Trinity College Dublin. He also holds a master’s in corporate real estate. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and member of CoreNet Global, the Association of Project Managers and the Chartered Management Institute.
