This month we had the pleasure of having Nottingham University student, Emily Bewes, complete her work experience with us. Emily is currently completing her undergraduate degree in History of Art, and she wanted to find out more about what it is like to work in interior design. We sat down with Emily to discuss her […]
Ashley Hovells, a trusted advisor and sounding board within COEL has been part of the team for over 10 years. Ashley is incredibly passionate about sports, therefore, it should come as no surprise that COEL’s incredibly popular Charity Golf Day was his idea. This initiative has raised thousands of pounds for COEL’s nominated charity The […]
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The client The founders of one of the most exciting global innovators in the BioTech space, BenchSci, built, tested, and validated an AI solution to the antibody reproducibility crisis. With support from Google’s AI fund, Gradient Ventures, they raised over $10m to develop the technology and grow the business. Fast forward to today and, using […]
Since joining COEL in 2004, Alistair has been driving growth, spearheading innovation and inspiring the dynamic team. Here, he discusses recent changes to COEL, reveals his vision for the future and tells us a little about his life outside COEL HQ How does Alistair’s story begin? Born into a farming family in Suffolk, Alistair grew […]
This week has seen our team celebrate our apprentices as part of National Apprenticeship Week. What is an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship offers paid on-the-job training, where the employee can gain valuable experience and mentoring from other trained professionals. Apprenticeships include: Paid employment with holiday leave Hands-on-experience in the chosen professional sector 20% off the job […]
Once the home to a standard 9 to 5 working day, the ‘office’ looks very different at the dawn of 2023. As we at COEL predicted, there have been seismic changes in the way we work post-pandemic, including the rise of collaborative working spaces and sophisticated technology to aid hybrid working. But what’s on the […]
A short history of COEL COEL has grown immensely over the years, into a dependable team of specialised experts and a portfolio of some exceptional projects to be proud of but, this is a far cry from where is started with one man and an ambitious dream. Neil Cook, founder of COEL, grew up with […]
Arriving from South Africa at the start of the pandemic may not have felt like the most fortuitous of times for Stephen Muraour and his family to arrive in the UK from South Africa, but, his arrival at COEL has proved to be very fortunate and he has quickly become an indispensable asset. His value […]
At COEL, we believe in bringing our people together to celebrate our successes. If there is one thing that a global pandemic and remote working has taught us, it is the value of getting all of our teams into one room, for a face-to-face catch up. Our company reports are the perfect opportunity to do […]
Leading office and laboratory fit out company, COEL, is celebrating after achieving three internationally-recognised standards. The innovative Cambridge business, which has been designing amazing spaces for more than 30 years, received a trio of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) endorsements. These accreditations, which provide a framework for best practice, recognise excellence in COEL’s Quality Management […]
The pandemic created one of the most significant periods of change the workplace had experienced for generations. Established working patterns were disrupted almost overnight, and businesses were forced to reconsider not only where people worked, but what they needed from the office when they were there. It was against this backdrop that COEL CEO Alistair […]
At COEL, we are always looking for ways to be more sustainable, to reduce waste and to support our local community. We are therefore delighted to announce our partnership with Sew Positive – the Cambridge sewing and repair charity – to reuse and upcycle surplus fabric samples and reduce waste. Sew Positive introduces local people to […]
The four organisations identified through the research showed that no single blueprint existed for adapting the workplace. Each faced different operational, cultural and employee challenges and developed its own response. At the Bradfield Centre, maintaining the collaborative energy of a co-working environment was particularly important. The team adapted layouts and introduced greater flexibility while continuing […]
The much anticipated annual list compiled by Grant Thornton of Top 100 Companies in Cambridgeshire for 2021 has been revealed. News that COEL (Cambridge Office Environments Ltd) has once more shot into the listing at number 89, was met with delight by all the team. COEL is a leading design and fit out company for […]
For many years The Phoenix Trust has been COEL’s chosen charity. The Phoenix Trust, a local Cambridge charity, provides meaningful work experience and development of social and life skills to the most vulnerable in our society. Asides from fundraising and volunteering at this great social venture, the COEL team also seek where possible to engage […]
These individual perspectives formed part of a much wider conversation about the changing relationship between people, work and the physical workplace. As the Way We Work research developed, more than 1,000 participants from over 300 businesses contributed their experiences. The resulting research considered not simply where people wanted to work, but the social, psychological and […]
The response to the Way We Work research offered a fascinating snapshot of what the workplace meant to people across Cambridge as established working patterns were being reconsidered. Hundreds of people representing more than 150 organisations took part, with the research considering the social, psychological and physical aspects of the workplace. While individual experiences varied […]
A healthy, happy workforce is more productive, more engaged, and more invested in company goals. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace wellbeing was moving from a ‘nice to have’ to an important consideration for businesses looking to attract, support and retain talented people. The pandemic accelerated that change dramatically. Periods of isolation, home working, furlough […]
With many offices being reconfigured in the wake of the pandemic, how do we dispose of redundant furniture in an ethical way? CMS Cambridge, the furniture division of local design and fit out firm offers a sustainable service for clients that care about their green credentials. Ever wondered what happened to that old computer desk […]
COEL is very excited to be collaborating with Kelly Drewery, business psychologist at Talent Glue in conducting research into the Way we Work. The pandemic has brought a host of rapid changes to the way we all work; some changes have been positive and some have left us with a yearning for something more. […]
After a very testing year COEL was delighted to be announced as Gold Winner and win Business of the Year (company with more than 50 employees) award at the Cambridge Independent SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards. Barnaby Clark, Group Sales and Marketing Director said: “This award is an enormous testament to the high-quality work we do, […]
With more than 13 years’ experience in management of commercial estate and property Daniel Fordham has joined COEL as their Head of Property Services. He has an excellent level of skill and experience having previously worked for both Bidwells and more recently Cushman & Wakefield. The Property Services department works on everything from maintenance works […]
The future workplace competition entries displayed an exceptional level of talent in artistic, graphic, written, and logistic skill. So many thanks to give but, we must start with all the brilliant 7-18 year olds who sent their entries in. We were bowled over by the skill set and the clever ideas. We were very pleased […]
Please meet our stellar panel of judges for the future workplace competition. A few weeks ago, Cambridge Independent invited 7-18 year olds to design their vision of a future workplace with the chance to win great prizes for themselves and their schools. We are very excited to tell you about the amazing panel of judges we […]
