The Freedom Works Group

About us

Freedom Works Group was founded in 2016 with the objective of delivering good quality and value for money workspace, with a focus on creating opportunities for collaboration, support and growth.

A bootstrapped start up now delivers over 175,000 sqft of employment space across the South with a real focus on support and creating collaboration to over 5,500 freelancers and businesses over 12 locations; covering towns and cities across the South (Southampton, Chichester, Worthing, Brighton & Hove, Hastings, Crawley, Horsham and Leatherhead).

Our ethos and focus across group is to work with landlords and local authorities to make best use of space and deliver a hive of economic support and activity within each of our sites, with a focus on enuring each site works commercially, whilst still delivering value for money for our members.

Who We Are

We have organically grown the business over the last few years with a focus on ensuring we have the right team and board in place to deliver on our commitment to supporting the local economy with decent employment space, with a focus on collaboration and growth.

Our Senior Leadership team run the business, with the support of an experienced and engaged board of directors.

Senior Leadership Team

CEO & Founder

Jon Trigg

Jon set Freedom Works up in 2016 after exiting his tech business of 12 years. Passionate about business, his local community and the lack of decent employment space and organic support for start ups and environment to scale up Jon founded Freedom Works with his own money. An experienced Managing Director with a focus on service, commercial viability and ‘doing the right thing’.
Group Operations Director

Charis Wells

Charis joined Freedom Works in 2018 having managed an independent retail chain. Having worked in Freedom Works as the Community Manager of site number 2, she quickly became instrumental in the foundations of setting the processes and systems to scale the business up. Her role and focus in the company is to create our ‘cookie cutter approach’ at delivering a faff free environment for our customers.
Group Head of People Operations

Sally Chapman

Sally bolstered the leadership team in 2022 as the group moved into several spaces. She joined with 15 years+ experience of managing large teams and P&L responsibilities across regions. Her approach is all about providing the team with the tools to manage their spaces, with a focus on service and the commercial viability of delivering our services. Sally works closely with our Area Managers and business support team and partner Barclays Eagle Labs, to ensure our members feel we are more than a roof over their heads.
General Manager of PLATF9RM

Emily Pickering

Emily joined the group in December 2024 with a clear remit of helping build upon the growth of PLATF9RM post the brand being added to the group in January 2024. Emily comes from a design and events background with over 15 years of people management and leadership experience, with a commercial focus on improving P&L’s. Emily will be focusing on adding to the commercial opportunities with PLATF9RM and growth of the brand into more metropolitan locations.
Group Head of Sales

Fran Fone

An integral part of the Freedom Works journey, Fran joined the team in 2019 as a Community Manager, then quickly moved to Sales where she elevated up through the ranks to become Group Head of Sales in 2023. Fran is responsible for a direct sales team and the overall commercial channels across both operating brands, Freedom Works and PLATF9RM with a focus on solutions based sales approach for office occupiers be they single desks to corporate managed space for large teams.
Group Head of Finance

Katie Sharp

Katie joined the business in 2019 managing the finances for a single entity (Freedom Works) with 4 sites. Since then Katie has helped grow the financial management of the business into Group with a focus on automation of systems, team ethos amongst the finance team who work with a ‘group centric’ approach; implementing systems which work across group.
Head of Business Support

Kirsty Painter

Kirsty joined the group in January 2025 with a remit to help grow and build upon the successful business support initiatives the group had delivered for West Sussex County Council and Adur & Worthing Councils. With a background ranging from TV producer to teacher, her skillset of organisation and passion for delivering compelling content initiated practical and meaningful support on behalf of East Sussex and Brighton & Hove councils, meaning that Freedom Works has supported across all Tier 1 authorities in Sussex.

The Board

CEO & Founder

Jon Trigg

An experienced managing director who has set up and bootstrapped two businesses, Jon set Freedom Works up in 2016 after exiting his tech business of 12 years. Passionate about business, his local community and the lack of decent employment space and organic support for start ups and environment to scale up Jon founded Freedom Works with his own money. An experienced Managing Director with a focus on service, commercial viability and ‘doing the right thing’.

An experienced board member having sat on boards previously at Chichester Chamber of Commerce and now at Manor Royal BID alongside his commitments to The Freedom Works Group.

Board member

Rosemary French

After a career in retail and manufacturing Rosemary moved into business support and economic development as the CEO of Business Link Surrey and then the Gatwick Diamond Initiative.

In 2020 she began a non-executive board directorship career with Freedom Works, a co working flex office space operator; Business South; President of Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce; Knowle Country Park; an Ambassador for Surrey Hills Enterprises; and a volunteer business mentor. She received an OBE in 2014 for services to women in business; awarded Sussex Businesswoman of the Year 2017; the Gatwick Diamond Award for Outstanding Achievement 2022; and the Dynamic Magazine Businesswoman Lifetime Achievement Award 2022.

In 2023, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Brighton.

Board member

Damon Russell

Co-founded Telecom Expresss, which was sold to AMV BBDO, part of the Omnicom Group. Have over 35 years experience in the telecommunications and media industry, strong strategic and commercial understanding and significant experience in alliances, ventures, partnerships and key client relationships.

Held advisory roles for a number of private companies in the digital media, sport and educational sectors. Currently Director of Viveri Group a leading provider of digital engagement services to major UK media groups and charities. And the major shareholder of Engagecraft, a digital fan engagement developer working with International sports federations and global media partners.

Between 2013 and 2022 Damon served as a Non Exec Director of Workspace Group Plc, a leading provider of flexible commercial business premises and home to some of London’s brightest businesses in over 60 locations. Whilst at Workspace a member of key committees - remuneration and audit.

Board member

David Bowcock

David's background is in commercial property with a strong focus on facilities and asset management. Prior to co-founding Sixpenny Group, he held a key role overseeing a £1.5 billion property portfolio, catering to 100 major international clients and ensuring consistent service delivery across a diverse estate.

At Sixpenny Group, he applies this operational expertise to project delivery, governance and partner selection, helping ensure developments are practical to operate, resilient in use and scalable as the business grows.