After enjoying a boom over the past few years in Korea, The Executive Centre, a Hong Kong-based shared office operator, is seeking an even bigger presence here.

Over the next five years, TEC will be looking for new opportunities across Korea.

The plans come on the heels of the success TEC has enjoyed in Korea. TEC Korea’s sales are expected to reach 10 billion won ($8.81 million) this year, making it the fourth largest after Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.

As a leading shared office company in Asia with more than 17,000 clients worldwide, TEC first entered Korea in 2000.

About 400 clients, including Samsung, Apple, Facebook and Google, are using its services such as working spaces and business support without going through the hassle of renting or opening a new office.

Alicia Song, head of TEC Korea

Alicia Song, head of TEC Korea, was modest about the success of TEC Korea, attributing it to her staff.

“We try to make sure that our clients get consistent service and that TEC offices become a place they can call home, or headquarters. Our staff takes pains to make sure of this,” Song said in a recent interview with The Investor.

But looking back, it wasn’t without growing pains that TEC Korea reached where it is today.

“When I first joined TEC back in 2011, people considered shared offices as an incubating space where clients stay only for a short period of time. This perception was partly because most of the clients were the local units of foreign companies, and there were doubts regarding their commitment,” Song said.

But lately, those perceptions have been changing, and it’s becoming a win-win situation for both the clients and the markets, according to the Canadian-Korean CEO who took office in 2014. “As demand grows for shared offices, so rises the awareness and appreciation about their proficiency.”

Foreign companies used to make up more than 90 percent of the clientele until four years ago. Now, the proportion of Korean companies has hit up to 30 percent.

“It’s a great way for Korean companies to get the kind of leg-up and network they need to go global because we operate more than 100 centers in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Australia and India,” explained Song. “Becoming a client in Korea means they can access the services and networks of our global offices.”

Song’s future plans for TEC were all about branding and having that premium something that makes people come back for more.

“When people say coffee, they think of Starbucks. I want to make people think of TEC when it comes to shared offices,” she said. 

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)