here, work and life are allies

Business Operations Manager

Issy is a dynamic force behind Bloqs, where her role as the Business Operations Manager is all about making things happen and ensuring everyone has the tools to excel. With a diverse background in retail, law enforcement, and the wine industry, she brings a wealth of experiences to her current role.

Issy, renowned for her adventurous spirit, embarked on two year-long journeys exploring Australia after converting a van. She passionately champions the Bloqs model, seeing its potential to empower individuals and embrace the unknown. Her deep appreciation for the Bloqs team and the community shines through, and she's a firm believer in the transformative power of making, design, and the entrepreneurial spirit. 

Technical Manager

Our Technical Manager, Tom, specialises in woodworking, digital machinery, and CAD/CAM software. His journey with Bloqs began as a customer when he was crafting props and building sets for a company. With a background in prop making from university, Tom's enthusiasm for the workshop and its community led him to join Bloqs as a technician.

Tom's true passion lies in teaching and assisting members with their projects, and he revels in working with the workshop's impressive machinery. His favourite aspect of the job? Operating the CNC routers, where he transforms intricate designs into reality.

Front of House Team

Jelena is our exceptional FOH Assistant. Her positive demeanour, attention to detail, and can-do attitude make her a wonderful addition to our close-knit family. With a background in psychology and a wealth of customer service experience, Jelena ensures everyone feels welcome and valued in our vibrant community and she loves the creativity and diversity seen at Bloqs. When she’s not greeting our members, Jelena volunteers at Crisis and enjoys gardening, baking, hiking, and rescuing stray animals. 

Co - founder and Estates Manager

Executive Chef

Our head chef, Marianna, has a background as rich and diverse as her offerings. Hailing from Crete, where her father was a fisherman and her mother ran the family’s seafood restaurant, she later honed her skills as head chef at London’s Moro and co-founded its celebrated sister, Morito.

Marianna's cooking is a magical blend of Cretan traditions and Mediterranean influences, creating a tapestry of flavours. A storyteller at heart, her cookbook "Aegean" weaves tales of island life, offering a transporting love letter to Crete. Marianna's passion led her to Bloqs, where she curates seasonal Mediterranean menus at incredibly affordable prices 

Co-founder and director

Founder, Arnaud, is at the heart of design and creation. With over 25 years of experience, he has crafted unique projects ranging from sculptural design statements in furniture to delivering environmental regeneration solutions. His portfolio includes prestigious clients such as Nike, Google, Selfridges, Twitter, and the V&A.

 Drawing from his extensive career, Arnaud intimately understands the challenges of obtaining access to expensive equipment and scalable maker spaces - and it was this first-hand experience that sowed the seeds of Bloqs. His vision goes beyond providing practical access for makers; it reimagines the very essence of the workspace. Collaborating closely with 5th Studio architects, they transformed our space, flooding it with natural light and creating an open, double-height space with pristine white flooring. The design fosters an atmosphere conducive to creativity, setting it apart from the typical dark and industrial settings he was used to.

 Arnaud's passion for innovation drives him to actively engage with anyone who shares a zeal for inventiveness. You'll often find him on the floor meticulously overseeing his vision, engaging with members, and rolling up his sleeves to contribute to bespoke projects for Bloqs Create.

Front of House Team

Our friendly and fun-loving receptionist Lisa is a Tottenham local and true Spurs fan. Lisa's craft room at home is her sanctuary where she creates personalised handmade gifts for her family and friends on every occasion.

As a receptionist at Bloqs, Lisa gets to connect with the incredible members, building strong relationships while witnessing the inspired creations they bring to life. She takes pride in being a part of the Bloqs community, where “everyone feels like family.”

Kitchen Team

Claudia is an Italian photographer based in London. When she's not behind the camera, you'll find her in Bloqs' open kitchen, whipping up cakes and cookies and mingling with fellow makers. Her favourite thing about Bloqs is the strong sense of community it fosters, as well as the opportunity it provides to see beautiful and impactful projects brought to life. 

Co-founder and Director

Al Parra is a Co-Founder and Director at Bloqs, where his diverse background in restoration poetry, the service industry, and fundraising brings a unique perspective to revolutionising manufacturing. Despite a seemingly atypical journey, Al's primary role is to forge innovative partnerships, cultivate new business ventures, and identify fresh opportunities that align with the brand's mission of driving transformative change.

 Leveraging his multifaceted background and a remarkable gift for interpersonal communication, Al has become an indispensable voice in articulating Bloqs' vision and engaging with a wide spectrum of stakeholders. He plays a pivotal role in shaping Bloqs’ philosophy and its intersection with public culture and society, ensuring the organisation's values are deeply ingrained in its operations. You can almost always find Al engaged in a lively conversation, whether it's with our members, visitors, academics, or legislators.

Building Services Team

Rebecca, affectionately known as Bex, is a true all-rounder at Bloqs, where her versatility shines in a variety of roles. She's the go-to person for keeping non-workshop areas clean, lending a helping hand to building services in the main workshops, and contributing to the diverse projects of Bloqs Create. Her green thumb is evident in the garden, and her artistic touch is evident through her painting projects, including our beautiful yellow studios and the event space.

At Bloqs Bex revels in the endless possibilities and free exchange of knowledge among members, seizing every opportunity to learn something new.  But perhaps most importantly, she relishes in meeting all the "floofy doggos," making it a priority to greet each one immediately. 

Building Services Team

Ben is a talented individual with a passion for drawing and running. At Bloqs, Ben plays a crucial role in keeping the workshop and grounds clean, tidy, and accessible for our members, ensuring they can focus on their creative work. His journey includes studying carpentry at CONEL, where he honed his skills and expertise. Born and raised in the local community of Edmonton, Ben fits perfectly into the Bloqs community and he especially loves the culinary offerings. 

Contracts Manager for Bloqs Create

With over 20 years managing projects Tracey has a rare gift for ensuring that both the creatives and the accountants are happy. She has managed major contracts for many retail brands in the UK and Australia, her work includes store design, retail transformation, format development, and brand communication campaigns.

Production Manager for Bloqs Create

Brendan is a designer, maker, bass scientist, and architectural anarchist with a practical approach to his craft. Hailing from the Fens and raised in the '60s, Brendan hails from a lineage of creativity as the son of an architect and a toolmaker. He has dabbled in furniture making, interior joinery, retail audio, and crafting outdoor structures and event spaces.

At Bloqs, Brendan wears multiple hats as the Production Manager for Bloqs Create, where he brings creative visions to life, and for Bloqs Yard, constructing impressive event spaces. His favourite things about Bloqs are the striking building, the vibrant community, the wealth of expertise and the diversity of work taking place. And of course, the coffee. 

Technical Manager

Rob Fawcett is a truly multi-talented maker with a diverse background. His journey started as a toolmaker in the plastic injection moulding industry, where he quickly rose to head designer, before he turned to studying film and media. Working as a freelance cameraman, editor, photographer and retoucher inspired the creation of his own production company and work on major movies like Star Wars Episode 1 and Goldeneye.

Now, as part of the Bloqs team, Rob brings a wealth of experience in furniture design, mechanical engineering, prototyping, and more. He finds fulfilment in collaborating with fellow makers and sharing his expertise with students.

Technician

Facilities Engineer

Front of House Team

Technician and Designer

Rory is an architecturally trained designer and maker based in London. He graduated from the Bartlett school of architecture in 2020. Prior to becoming a technician at Bloqs he worked on a range of cultural, residential and commercial projects as an architectural assistant for Carmody Groarke. Interested in a broad array of materials, processes and technologies, his work as a technician and designer spans across all of the departments at Bloqs. Rory is currently studying architecture at the Royal College of Art.

Kitchen Team

Patrick Lyons, known as "Paddy" around Bloqs, is an essential member of the Kitchen and Events team, playing a vital role in providing culinary delights to the community. Under the guidance of the talented Marianna, the team continually hones their skills and diversifies their repertoire.

Joining the team in 2019, Patrick has become an integral part of the community. He has thoroughly enjoyed seeing Bloqs' remarkable evolution, witnessing its expansion and relocation to the new site, and its ever-growing impact on both members and the local community.