// Social Icons // Caden Icons

The service you want with the outcome you need.

Caden has a big agency mindset with a small business touch. Our clients can expect a level of strategic preparation and innovation for the leasing of their properties that goes beyond the usual — our courage to ignore ‘the wisdom of the crowd’ when our own data and foresight is contrary elevates our clients from participants to winners in a fiercely competitive market.

About Us
Our Team
David Prosser
Lewis Harper
Angus Smith
Hao Chen
Sam Ryan
Charlie Hall
Oscar Kneipp
Lisa Gatt
Ben Callinan
Ben Harrison

Who are Caden?

Caden is the largest specialised, and Brisbane’s first independent, office leasing business servicing the Brisbane CBD. We have five (5) dedicated office leasing agents ready to assist you.

How long has Caden been in business?

Caden was founded in early 2014 and our agents have negotiated over 600 leases during this time.

What services do Caden provide?

We are 100% specialised and focus exclusively on office leasing within the Brisbane CBD.

What types of businesses does Caden find office space for?

We find space for businesses of every size. Whether you’re a growing start-up, an established business or a global brand, we will find the perfect office space to match your requirements. To provide some examples, we have negotiated leases for AGL, Anglo Coal, CoverMore Insurance, ARTC (Federal Government), Regus, Citadel Group, NES Fircroft, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and many, many more.

What geographic locations do our agents service?

Our agents focus exclusively on the Brisbane CBD precinct — although we have a partnership with a leading, inner-fringe leasing business that services all surrounding areas and, thus, we can service all businesses looking for office space outside of the City.

How do I instruct Caden to begin an office space search for my business?

There are a few different ways to do this. You can either call or email one of our leasing agents and discuss your requirements with them. Alternately, you can conduct a search for space on our website and book an inspection online. There are a variety of useful tools on our website (the Office Space Calculator for example) to assist you throughout the various stages of your search. Inspections of tenancies can be arranged at short notice.

Will I need to engage any other service providers?

During your search you may wish to speak with one of the fit out companies, if you require a new fit out, or if you wish to make amendments to an existing fit out. Generally, landlords will coordinate fit out works on behalf of tenants, but you may be required to provide design input to ensure your requirements are met. We will connect you with the landlord’s preferred fit out contractor/s. It is also recommended that you engage a property lawyer to assist in negotiating your lease.

Will Caden provide blanket market coverage?

We can provide absolute blanket coverage of the market. We have information and access to all tenancies for lease across the city, so if it is your preference to direct your search through one firm, we can certainly facilitate that.

Does Caden provide any ongoing services once I have moved into my new space?

Once you have taken occupation of your new space the landlord’s nominated property manager will service all of your needs. Caden can assist should you need to sublease your tenancy, otherwise you won’t need our services again until the next expiry.

Do I have to engage Caden on an exclusive basis?

It is completely at the discretion of the tenant whether they wish to use Caden on an exclusive basis. Some tenants prefer to direct their search through a single agent or agency, while others prefer to speak to a variety. We are prepared to work with tenants in whatever capacity they feel most comfortable.

How can I ensure that Caden will keep my requirements confidential?

Some prospective tenants prefer to keep their requirements confidential, particularly if they are also in negotiations with their current landlord. We can run inspections of other buildings confidentially, without disclosing the identity of the tenant. Please let us know upfront if this is a requirement.

How are Caden reimbursed?

Building owners pay fees to leasing agents for all new leases that transact within their properties. The only occasion where we may be reimbursed directly by a tenant is if we have assisted in their lease renewal, but often our fees in this instance will be funded through the incentive pool contained within the lease.

Our Team

David Prosser

Director

Lewis Harper

Director

Angus Smith

Executive - Office Leasing

Hao Chen

Head of Research and Analysis

Sam Ryan

Research Analyst

Charlie Hall

Executive - Office Leasing

Oscar Kneipp

Executive - Office Leasing

Lisa Gatt

Head of Operations and Client Services

Ben Callinan

Marketing - Digital and Content

David Prosser

Director

In early 2014, whilst on 4 months gardening leave, I committed to learning as much as I could about how to start, operate and eventually grow a specialist office leasing agency.

There was a gap in the market. The owners of B-grade buildings were serviced by less experienced leasing agents. As agents gained industry experience there was an expectation from within some respective businesses that they quickly move on from leasing secondary buildings to A and Premium stock, in order to gain market recognition and improve their profile. Ultimately, that’s where the bigger fees were.

The owners of B-grade buildings, therefore, had a limited pool of experienced leasing agents to work with. With 14 years experience (at the time) I could become the most experienced agent within that sector of the market.

I wrote down everything I had learnt during my career at the global agencies, such as my core skills and experience in office leasing, managing staff, being managed by others, how the respective teams functioned and how the clients responded to the service they were given. Every experience I’d had, both good and bad, was a valuable one. The major agencies had taught me a great deal and I was thankful for my time at each (Savills, DTZ — now Cushman & Wakefield — and CBRE).

I started Caden Office Leasing in July 2014. Over the last 7 years we have become an established office leasing business with 11 staff and over 300,000m² of buildings under our remit within the CBD. We have negotiated in excess of 300 new leases.

In 2020, Lewis Harper became an equal shareholder of the business. He has been with me from the early days, riding the many ups and downs. The business would not be where it is without him. Together we have a plan for the next chapter. We will continue push the boundaries in all areas of the leasing process. We aim to make it easier for Landlords to lease their office buildings and easier for Tenants to find the right space to suit their businesses — we’ll continue searching for better ways to make that happen.

Lewis Harper

Director

After finishing at one of Queensland’s elite high schools I did what was expected and went straight into a university degree. This lasted a year before I took the perspective that I’d be churned out of the machine in the exact same position as everyone else in the course and likely my age group. I also noticed that many of the wealthiest people around the world and most successful people I personally knew were able to get by without a university degree.

I relieved myself of the university commitment and took to working just about full-time in a car park where I would while away the hours reading all manner of books and educating myself on a range of topics. After some introspection and a few conversations with industry figures I decided that Commercial Real Estate was a great place for me to apply some natural talents but also extend myself in a person-to-person capacity.

Through a mutual connection I got David’s email address and sent him an email telling him I was willing to work for free and was keen to have a crack. He replied (in true fashion) at 9pm that night and 5 years later I co-owned the business with him.

Since that time Caden has become the premier office leasing business of the B-Grade and low A-Grade office markets in Brisbane. Our track record speaks for itself and we are certain that 100% of our clients will be advocates for us without hesitation.

Our plan for the future remains simple, something that we wish to retain as we grow. We are not trying to be all things to all people and prefer to stick to what we’re good at.

Angus Smith

Executive - Office Leasing

Growing up in a family entrenched in residential real estate I was always keen on property and wanted to become involved myself from a young age. Something about the success based income structures and the direct correlation between effort and outcomes made simplistic sense to me, and is something I have sought to return to in later years.

Upon graduating High School I dove into tertiary education, commencing a degree in Property Economics at QUT minoring in property valuation and marketing. I juggled this workload with a new role facilitating sales for Australia’s largest storage provider. Frankly, university wasn’t quite my speed, but I knew that seeing it through would add ‘back of house’ substance to what I would consider a strength of mine, my ability to chat.

Completing my degree at the commencement of 2019, I felt confident in the theoretical knowledge I had gained however lacked practical experience in the field, something I wasn’t receiving in my role at the time. I began to put the feelers out and get in touch with some people within the industry and was soon put in contact with David and Lewis through a mutual connection. Two cups of coffee and a phone call later, I accepted the position I hold today. 

Beginning my leasing career amidst a Pandemic has been difficult, though I appreciate that learning the ropes while times are tough will better establish my skills and tenacity to deal than if I were to walk into the rosiest market of all time, ultimately setting me up to capitalise on conditions when the market cycles back.

Hao Chen

Head of Research and Analysis

My property career commenced in 2015 working under an established real estate banner in Brisbane’s northern suburbs. Throughout this period, it provided me with the foundations associated with commercial real estate, allowing me to further progress my career in 2017 where I held an analyst role in a major global corporation.

I specialised in the office leasing sector, providing in-depth analysis on market conditions, trends and deal metrics specific to institutional office assets. Utilising my analytical skillset, I was also responsible for distributing reports to key clientele, detailing statistics and market intelligence focussed on the Brisbane CBD and Fringe leasing markets.

I further advanced within the company, working as an Analyst within the Capital Transaction division. I was responsible for facilitating and the management of accurate and timely analysis of institutional grade office portfolios including research, documentation, transaction data assessment and a high level of financial modelling-based analysis. During this tenure, I had an active involvement in the campaign of Brisbane’s Gold Tower, 10 Eagle Street, acquired by Marquette for $285mil.

Joining Caden in May 2021, I am responsible for the direction of Caden’s research capability, ensuring our research platform provides the highest level of support and service to our clients. Being exposed to key data flow on a daily basis and working collaboratively within a specialised CBD leasing team, I am able to utilise this to deliver high level insights and research output.

Phone

0411 121 751

Connect

Sam Ryan

Research Analyst

Graduating from Villanova College in 2017, I jumped straight into tertiary education enrolling into Property Economics minoring in Marketing and Global Business at QUT. After a year and a half, I decided that I needed a break from my studies and took a couple of semesters off to work and travel. Now finishing off the remainder of the course, it has provided me with the theoretical knowledge to be able to apply it to my work now as an Analyst at Caden Office Leasing.

Through a mutual connection, I met with Lewis and David for coffee and speaking with both, I knew it would pave a great way into the industry. I instantly liked the culture they have created and the way they are wanting to grow the business. Despite having minimal experience in the property industry, working closely with the research, and leasing teams for the past few months has exponentially propelled my knowledge more than I could’ve imagine.

I’m eager to continue to learn and grow within the business under the tutelage of David, Lewis, Hao and the rest of the Caden team.

Phone

0455 117 405

Connect

Charlie Hall

Executive - Office Leasing

Oscar Kneipp

Executive - Office Leasing

Lisa Gatt

Head of Operations and Client Services

Phone

0418 534 294

Connect

Ben Callinan

Marketing - Digital and Content

With over 5 years of industry experience in design, branding, digital marketing and multimedia production, my career began in Ireland, where I studied design and visual communications. I had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients across different industries. In early 2023, I made the move to Australia and joined the Caden team.

Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about creating visually compelling materials that tell stories and resonate with audiences. Now, my focus is on the property industry, where I’m determined to push the boundaries of property marketing. I thrive on delivering innovative solutions and pushing the envelope to meet the unique needs of our clients at Caden. My creative approach and dedication ensure that we stay at the forefront of marketing in the property sector, and I’m excited to contribute my fresh perspective to our team’s capabilities.

Join us

Careers at Caden

We’re always looking for people who want to be successful in property. Our team is young, constantly improving, and competing hard in an industry of established institutions. If the big machine isn’t for you, contact David or Lewis to chat.

Have a Question?