A new type of product requires a new type of team

Paul is the Managing Director of Koba and has overall responsibility for the success of the business. Prior to co-founding Koba, Paul started and led CBRE Hana, growing it to a team of 32 before its integration with Industrious.

During his tenure Hana opened 5 locations in London & Manchester and was an early adopter of Partnership Agreements, completing deals with Barings, Legal & General & Nuveen.

Paul started his career at Savills and subsequently held leadership positions with AmEx and Standard Chartered.

James joined the Koba team at the start of 2023 and is responsible for overseeing business planning, project financial modelling, our accounting and tax compliance requirements and HR.

A chartered accountant, James has over 10 years experience working in real estate and infrastructure finance, including listed REITs and private equity.

Tom is a former Head of Delivery for CBRE’s Hana flex workspace, and has also delivered major projects on behalf of the BBC and more recently, Dyson.

Tom leads on the delivery of all Koba’s sites, with responsibility for capex, budget reporting, contractor management, design and delivery. He works closely with Rob and our delivery partner Cast on our commitments to sustainability.

Emily joined Koba in December 2024, and is responsible for the Koba brand and all marketing activities, including broker comms, direct lead-generation, and social media.

A business graduate from Nottingham Trent University, Emily is supporting the launch of Koba’s first location @ 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester – with more UK locations to follow in 2025.

Ed joined Koba in 2025 to deliver continued sales growth and expansion across the UK.

Prior to this, he worked in senior positions at CBRE, Hana, and The Instant Group, delivering YoY sales growth & strategic direction for both clients and landlords.

Ed started his career at the lifestyle brand Gant, and held retail marketing roles at Landsec and JLL.