Balder Tol, new general manager of WeWork Australia and Southeast Asia. — Photo courtesy of WeWork

Shared workspace provider WeWork has named Balder Tol its general manager for Australia and Southeast Asia.

The company’s first Australian hire in 2016, Tol has grown Australia’s membership to over 12,000 members across various cities.

In his new role, he will continue to be based in Sydney but also oversee WeWork SEA, which includes Singapore, the Philippines, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Before joining WeWork, he was general manager of Tank Stream Labs and a founding team member of Airbnb Australia.

He has a master’s degree in management from the University of Sydney.

Prior to COVID-19, Southeast Asia was expected to grow at a yearly average of 5.2 per cent, becoming the company’s fourth largest single market in the world by 2030.

However, after the COVID-induced slump, the region’s economy is expected to resume growth this year.

According to global market research firm GlobalData, the six largest regional nations, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, are expected to grow at 4-9 per cent this year.

More than half of WeWork’s members in the region are large enterprises ranging from Fortune 500 companies to regional and local heavyweights. – VNS

Balder Tol, new general manager of WeWork Australia and Southeast Asia.— VNS