IN CONVERSATION WITH:
CEO, ALEC WATT_
AT HOME WITH A.LONDON June 2020
We caught up with the man himself, Alec Watt, C.E.O of A.LONDON, to discuss his diverse journey to becoming a successful C.E.O of a multi-international award-winning interior design studio, A.LONDON.
Could you explain your journey to becoming a CEO?
At school, I had the fancy idea that I was good at Art and so I went to Art college, when I arrived I soon realised there were a lot more talented people than me, so after a term, I left and became a bit of a nuisance hanging round the family house whilst I got over the fact that I wasn’t going to be a famous artist. The pressure for me to go and do “something” then started to mount.
At the time there was something called a youth training scheme paying the princely sum of £17.50 a week so I started as an office junior and was put in a smelly, hot office print room with a small dirty window that wouldn’t open, but I was running around for ambitious, competitive and fun people with smart suits, company cars and hectic social lives - I loved it.
Fast forward some years to being made a Managing Director with the responsibility of hundreds of people in Estate Agency branches and for a while Retail Banking and Financial Services that at the time was an FTSE 100 company. The only way this could have been done was down to a really strong band of people that came with me on that journey all of whom have since gone on to create their own very successful businesses.
I learnt a lot during that time working in a corporate environment experiencing takeovers and acquisitions, IPO’s, failed MBO’s, property markets highs and lows as well as numerous styles of management, some things I have taken with me and some I was very glad to leave behind.
With Accouter Group of Companies (AGC) we wanted to create something different, something that would support a group of companies which had their own identity, people, and autonomy to be a great stand-alone business in their own right. A.LONDON is a great example of how this has worked really well.
“Something that needs to be addressed in the Luxury Design and Real Estate sector is the lack of diversity. We have set up a task force internally to look at how we can make positive changes, working together with others in the industry to start to put in place meaningful steps to make a real difference.”
– Alec Watt
CEO
What is the story of A.LONDON, how did it all begin?
In the Luxury market back in 2012 if you wanted a professionalised interior design service offering bespoke high-end product that could be provided in weeks rather than months the choice was pretty much non-existent.
The team worked very hard at creating a unique supply chain of mainly British artisans, craftsmen and manufacturers that are able to deliver this for A.LONDON clients.
This along with a group of very talented designers that cared more about the what was best for the client and property rather than having a “house look” meant that A.LONDON has been recognised internationally with multiple International Property Awards for the projects and developments they work on.
How does A.LONDON successfully adapt to such an evolving industry?
Something that needs to be addressed in the Luxury Design and Real Estate sector is the lack of diversity. We have set up a task force internally to look at how we can make positive changes, working together with others in the industry to start to put in place meaningful steps to make a real difference.
How do you start your working day?
Pre-Lockdown it would be up at 5.45am to get to the local gym or maybe on the train to Pyscle in Fitzrovia. During summer we have some great road bike countryside where I live which is a great start to the day.
Work starts as soon as you pick up your mobile phone, (which is left downstairs at night) we use Slack, WhatsApp and Monday to stay connected and avoiding the use of email where we can. Communication is something we work hard at trying to get right but there is always room for improvement.
Since Covid-19 the big positive is just how well we have been able to continue to work remotely, as well as the day-to-day we have introduced our own AGC workouts in Zoomland, yoga sessions, cookery classes, cocktails, quiz nights and even IGTV guest DJ sessions for our AGC Charity supporting the NHS.
It’s also great to see the community that we work in really come together. We’ve enjoyed some great collaborations, swapped ideas shared challenges and produced some topical social media content with leading people in the industry. I even learnt how to make sourdough, it took a patient 3 days!
What drives you to do what you do?
We have a neon light at AGC towers that say Anything is Possible – for me, it’s an ethos that enables you to achieve some brilliant things. A few years ago, I got into the habit of writing a list of things I want to achieve at the beginning of each year and then work out how they can be done. One year the list included the aim to create AGC with Stella and what started as a conversation in a pub in Notting Hill happened.
We always wanted to have the best and brightest talent working with us and creating an environment where you can be the best you can be. We’ve made some mistakes along the way with this and had some setbacks but we are very lucky to have a group of people now that have, who I’m sure will achieve some exceptional things for the company, the people we work with and themselves. It’s very rewarding to be a part of it.
What does the future hold for A.LONDON?
Being part of AGC has helped A.LONDON become a stand-alone, multi-million-pound design practice working with some leading players in luxury as well as high profile individuals. The opportunity to continue to grow globally has already started and this along with a collaboration with Bazaar that will for the first time give consumers access to those products only previously available to interior designers will be a game-changer.
With such a talented team and the leadership of Lottie Simonson they have a future where anything really is possible.
We offer a range of tailor-made services so don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated team for any enquires you may have.