Building Better Partnerships: A Conversation with Ben Eastwood
Having recently joined Fellowes as Business Development Manager for the Contract Interiors division, Ben Eastwood is focused on building new relationships across the commercial interiors community and helping grow the company’s presence within the sector.
With a career centred on partnership building, client development and workplace solutions, Ben brings a practical and people-focused perspective to the industry. We caught up with him to learn more about his background, his approach to working with clients and the opportunities he sees emerging within today’s evolving workplace.
1. Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Fellowes and the areas of the business you are most involved in?
I’m Ben. I grew up in North Yorkshire (so it’s great to be working for a company with an HQ in God’s own county!). I lived in Newcastle for 10 years, where I met my partner Michelle, before moving to London a couple of years ago, where we now live.
My role at Fellowes is Business Development Manager for the Contract Interiors division. Essentially, I’m focused on building new relationships within the market, including distributors, dealers and specifiers.
2. Looking back at your career so far, what experience has most shaped your approach to working in the commercial interiors sector?
My career so far has been very much focused on fostering relationships with end users, nurturing brand-new prospective clients from initial introductions right through to true partnerships.
One achievement I’m particularly proud of was at Southerns Broadstock, where I developed a new relationship with a Russell Group university in the South West, progressing it from first contact into an exclusive five-year furniture supply agreement and, ultimately, a major capital project.
3. How do you work with clients to understand their needs, support their projects, and build strong long-term relationships?
I think it comes down to taking an open-minded but consultative approach; listening to a client’s current situation and challenges, understanding what they are trying to achieve, and then recommending solutions that are specific to their needs.
From there, it’s about delivering on promises in a conscientious and timely manner, building trust through consistency and reliability.
4. What do you enjoy most about working in the workplace and commercial sector, and what keeps the industry interesting for you?
It’s a vibrant industry where you get to work with people from all walks of life, from imaginative European designers to skilled, hands-on contractors. You meet some great characters along the way.
The variety is what keeps it interesting. Every project, client and workplace has its own challenges and opportunities, which means there’s always something new to learn.
5. What opportunities do you see within the workplace and how are commercial interior designers and suppliers beginning to amplify these for the benefit of the employee and business?
For me, one of the biggest opportunities in today’s workplace is creating spaces that genuinely work around the people using them. The way we all work has changed massively, so there’s now a real focus on flexibility, wellbeing and making sure technology works seamlessly in the background.
From a Fellowes perspective, power plays a huge role in that. We’re seeing increasing demand for simple, well-designed in-desk, on-desk and under-desk power solutions that allow people to stay connected and productive wherever they’re working. When power is properly integrated into furniture, it not only keeps spaces looking tidy but also supports hot-desking and flexible working without compromising the overall design.
Designers are also involving power much earlier in the design process, which makes a significant difference. When it’s considered from the outset rather than added at the end, it reduces installation challenges and creates spaces that can adapt more easily over time.
Ultimately, the real opportunity lies in collaboration. When designers, suppliers and manufacturers work closely together from day one, the result is a workspace that is practical, future-ready and, most importantly, designed around the people using it.
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