Adapting offices for the future of work: A case study with Avnet

Dr Matthew Davis (Leeds University Business School) is joined by Professor Simon Rees (School of Civil Engineering) and Duncan Hurd (Avnet) to discuss how Avnet has adapted its Premier Farnell office and distribution facilities in Leeds during the pandemic and in response to new ways of working. As an international organisation, Duncan talks about the need to consider different cultural requirements as well as the requirements of functional teams and the preferences of employees when adapting office spaces. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in February 2022. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.    

About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR, particularly to address sustainability and modern slavery.  

Simon Rees is Professor of Building Energy Systems at the University of Leeds. His research interests are in the field of Building Engineering Physics and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These interests can be summarised as sustainable building design, energy simulation and dynamic thermal modelling methods, room heat transfer, thermal networks and geothermal systems. 

Duncan Hurd is Senior Director, Global Real Estate & Indirect Procurement at Avnet. He has over 20 years’ experience working in large, complex, blue-chip organizations in public and private sectors across Procurement, Supply Chain and Property sectors. Avnet is a global leader of electronic components and services, guiding makers and manufacturers from design to delivery.