Q&A: Five minutes with Andy McBain, senior vice-president of the British Council for Offices

How did you join the property industry?

I started my career in cabinet-making and bespoke joinery, which brought me into contact with architects, engineers, interior designers, surveyors, project managers and, of course, the customers/clients. I moved into mass production and carried over the skills from production management to property project management but continued my learning and development across workplace and retail design.

What does your job entail?

I’m leading the design of the 2026 British Council for Offices (BCO) Conference agenda, which we’re hosting in Edinburgh and Glasgow on 17-18 June. Over the past 18 months, it has given me the opportunity to collaborate with a wide mix of property professionals, from experienced industry leaders to emerging talent.

At NatWest, I head the future of workspace and design team. We design work settings that support a wide variety of business needs across all franchises, functions and geographies. The team also manages the digital tools that colleagues use to book desks, meeting rooms, car parking and other facilities, along with our change management specialists who work directly with colleagues to shape their hybrid workplace requirements.

What do you like most about the industry?

The people and the continual evolution of customer requirements in the office and workplace sector. The growing demand for exceptional service directly drives change across design, specification and delivery.

And what do you dislike most about it?

All too often, it is undoubtedly too slow and too traditional.

What is your favourite building?

Edinburgh Castle. It sits loud and proud in my home city and has dominated the city and its evolution over centuries. It has also changed use over the years from a fortress to a living museum. There are very few buildings that so completely shape a city’s skyline, history and evolution and yet still serve a real purpose today. My dad was in the army and, as a wee boy, going to visit him at work in the castle was always pretty cool.

If you had not gone into property, what would you be doing?

I could quite easily manage and lead a gardening company. It’s got creativity, design, customer service, fun and teamwork. Every day is different with lots of experiments, and if you get a problem, you just blame the weather and go again tomorrow.

What would you change about the industry?

The BCO is doing a lot of work to highlight the great things the office and workplace sector is doing across the UK. The BCO already provides a strong platform for sharing this insight and bringing the sector together. If I could change one thing, it would be to build on that momentum by encouraging even broader cross-industry collaboration, so that the collective messages are amplified even further.

What challenges have you overcome?

Keeping up with technology and how it makes many of our everyday tasks a little simpler. Every day’s a school day.

What are you most proud of in your career?

The Towards Experience Utopia report the BCO produced last year brought together valuable collective insight on recent progress and on how we can continue improving experiences for occupiers. It’s a piece of work I am genuinely proud to have contributed to.

What advice would you give someone starting a career in the property industry?

Understand how everything and anything is made: the design process, who does what, when, how and with whom they collaborate. It’s a team game.