WeWork has announced the promotion of Balder Tol, General Manager for Australia, to also  oversee the workspace provider's Southeast Asia operations. Tol's full designation is now General Manager, Australia and Southeast Asia. He will continue to be based in Sydney and oversee WeWork SEA comprising Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, in addition to Australia. He will report to Samit Chopra, Managing Director, International (Strategy and Operations), who is based in Singapore.

Tol was WeWork’s first Australian hire in 2016 and has most recently been involved in leading the return to office and economic recovery strategy for companies in Australia. Prior to joining WeWork, he was General Manager of Tank Stream Labs and a founding team member of Airbnb Australia.

Chopra said of Tol's promotion: “Balder is an inspiring and engaging leader, well liked by his team, members and the industry and is a proven strategic partner to WeWork’s stakeholders. Given the dynamic and diverse nature of SEA, Balder is undoubtedly the best person to lead the region. I am confident and excited to see how he advances SEA and Australia, at a time when our value proposition is stronger than ever.”

WeWork has seen roughly 10 percent growth in its SEA enterprise segment over the last year and predicts greater takeup of its services as businesses across the region reopen. However, the various extensions and reinstatements of lockdowns in countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia have made the return to work uncertain.