Flexibility is of paramount importance to businesses because the Philippine economy will remain volatile for the next 2-3 years, making it difficult to plan ahead, warned Regus PLC CEO Mark Dixon in an interview with the Manila Bulletin.

While this is a time of uncertainty, “I would also say that this is a time of great opportunity for business,” he hastened to add.

“You mustn’t spend all your time looking at what could go wrong.

You also need to look for things that can go right. The whole world is looking for new products and new ideas at the moment. Everyone in business knows they need to become more efficient than ever before, so they’re looking for help to do that.”

Regus, the world’s largest provider of workplace solutions, operates over 1,000 business centers across 450 cities in 75 countries. At present, more than half of the Fortune 500, along with thousands of small- and medium-sized companies, are outsourcing some part of their office requirements to Regus. Its offices, business support services, meeting, conference and training facilities and public videoconference rooms serve over 200,000 clients daily.

At the beginning of the global recession, Regus launched products to help companies become more flexible and efficient.

“We launched our virtual office product and the Businessworld membership program. With Businessworld, customers receive a smart card that gives them walk-in access to business lounges and internet cafes at Regus centres all over the world. Both Businessworld and virtual offices allow people to use our offices at very low cost and with great flexibility, and both proved really popular.”

Incredibly, “Over the past year of recession, we launched more new products than we launched in the entire decade before that,” Dixon pointed out. “You have to innovate in the current climate.”

For the Philippines, “We feel there will be significant growth generally. This growth will be driven by the fact you have very good-quality people here with good levels of education, and a good work ethic. You also have a vibrant start-up culture.”

“The main potential problem, as I see it, is getting the infrastructure right - phone and IT networks, for example.
Obviously, the infrastructure is developing and there is increasing access to IT, wireless technology, but there is still work to be done,” the CEO cautioned.

“But generally, we are very optimistic about the economic and business outlook in the Philippines. We believe there will be continuing growth. Based on that optimism, we have ambitious plans for our own business here.”

Regus has continually invested in the Philippines and in the Asia Pacific region even throughout the recession, he underscored.

“Over the next three years, we’ll increase our investment. In the Philippines, for example, we plan to create a national network, reaching around 50 centers over a five-year period.”

Recent Regus investment in the region includes opening a new office in Indonesia and expanding its operations in Singapore.

“We’re about to open a centre in Cambodia as well. Overall, though, the biggest growth in the region will come from Japan and China.”

Last year, Asia Pacific including the Philippines accounted for roughly 18% of Regus global investment and roughly 12% of global revenue. “I emphasize “roughly”, though, because we’re in a closed period right now until we make our annual results announcement. So I cannot give you specific figures for Asia Pacific or any other region, but generally, I’d say the Asia Pacific region performed well for us in 2009.”

In 2008, Regus PLC netted £114.9 million earnings on £1.077 Billion revenues and employed 5,442 people. The company is listed in the London Stock Exchange and is headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.