Upflex CEO Christophe Garnier reflects on the year past and the year ahead — and on staying true to our purpose in 2023.
Upflex was created with a purpose. We exist to help businesses, including some of the world’s largest companies, become more sustainable. But to us, sustainability isn’t just about slowing climate change; it also means taking care of people and giving back to communities. These values fuel the work we do every day.
Looking back, 2022 has been a year full of challenges, of hard lessons, and of iterations and optimizations. But thanks to these learnings, we were able to help employers around the world cut real estate costs and implement sustainable space solutions for hybrid work. This year, we have seen our client base grow by nearly 400%. We’ve expanded our global workspace network from 6,000 to 10,000 spaces, and from 80 to over 120 countries. We’ve built out our incredible team to accommodate this growth, welcoming new team members across 16 countries. Our accomplishments have been recognized in a number of ways, including Upflex being named a finalist in proptech’s prestigious CRETech Real Estate Tech Awards. (Read more about our 2022 milestones here.)
To us, all of this growth, uptake and momentum is proof that workplace flexibility is the future. And in 2023, we will be doubling down. We know this new year will bring its own unique challenges. Even with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, we will still face ongoing public health concerns; an unjust and destructive war in Europe; economic uncertainty and an ongoing supply chain crisis; the urgency of reducing carbon emissions.
We feel very lucky that we can actually be helpful in addressing some of these challenges. In the year ahead, as we see employers brace for a potential recession, we’ll be helping them expand their flexible offerings while cutting real estate costs — so they don’t have to cut their talent. As we continue to learn and optimize our business model as a company, we will also continue to constantly expand and deepen the ways in which we can help the world of work create more efficient, more sustainable workspace strategies that are better not just for business, but for people, and for the planet.
Today’s companies — leaders, teams — must have a purpose greater than professional success, greater than business goals. And at Upflex, we feel a duty to our purpose as strong as we ever have, and we take this responsibility very seriously. We’ll continue to fix our sights on inspiring new workplace dynamics, so companies can make changes that matter for the future.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.
A joyous New Year to you and yours,
Christophe Garnier
CEO, Upflex
