​Driven in part by the continued growth of the firm across the region, which has seen expansion into the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the last three years, the new building – which is being developed within Smart Village in Cairo – will have a 4000sq/m footprint and the capacity to hold approximately 900 of the group’s staff. “This is an ambitious project, not least because we were looking for a design that not only breaks the mould of business premises in the region but that would also represent a physical incarnation of our company values.” explained Shayne Elliot, Head of New Business Development at EFG Hermes. “We have partnered with Gensler as a global leader and a trusted partner, and they have presented us with a compelling design that embodies our core values of transparency, dynamism and the drive to be pioneers and leaders in our field.” The building, which is due to be completed by Q2 2009, will allow EFG Hermes to continue its growth in the context of sound infrastructure and innovative technologies, many of which are firsts in Egypt, enabling employees to work globally across virtual teams and in the most productive and efficient way. With an emphasis on sustainability, the premises will be built using environmentally friendly materials, and its amenities will support EFG Hermes’ aim of maintaining a healthy staff work/life balance by creating superior working and after-hours conditions. “What we are building is an office of the future for a company that strives to remain ahead of the curve,” explained Hisham Youssef, Designer at Gensler and lead architect on the project. “We have based our design not only on outlines from EFG Hermes’ senior management, but also on feedback from an employee survey on how staff at large perceive the firm. In this way we are moving towards developing a working environment entirely conducive to the ambitions and culture of the firm.”