Meet Nick Maxwell of Eclat in Camberwell Junction

Former AFL defender Nick Maxwell is tackling a fresh challenge – taking the workplace from bland to stylish; tired to trailblazing.

He is CEO of Eclat, a unique, members-only workspace in Camberwell Junction – one he describes as “a culture, a lifestyle and a curated economy of brilliant people”.

Eclat is a collection of bespoke offices, hospitality spaces, consulting rooms and more designed with functionality and luxury in mind.

“Our aim was to create a high-end working space for a variety of uses and people. The feel is top-class hotel, rather than average workplace,” Mr Maxwell said.

Creating a community

The 45th captain of Collingwood Football Club has brought 20 years of sporting achievements and learnings to this innovative and exciting project.

Following his playing career, Mr Maxwell was Head of Football Operations and Performance at the club and had a leadership and culture role in AFLW and netball.

He later embarked on a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and all of that has led him to Eclat, a business he is passionate about.

“We want to not only provide sophisticated places to work or meet or entertain, but we want to create a community,” Mr Maxwell said.

“Our members don’t feel that they have rented a room, they feel they belong to something. For example, every Thursday evening we have a members’ event with food, drinks and a great guest speaker.”

And the speakers, like Eclat, are first-class.

Recently they’ve featured Fight MND Research Director Dr Bec Sheehan, criminal psychologist Dr Lucy Maxwell, and a cryptocurrency talk by Apollo Crypto.

Memberships to suit different needs

Eclat works hard to give members a bespoke experience, while also ensuring they are part of a welcoming and connected culture.

“There are a variety of layers of membership,” Mr Maxwell said.

“We love to talk with people to figure out how we can meet their needs at Eclat. We are a great fit, for example, for executives who don’t need a permanent office but live in the area and may need a consulting room, or meeting space, or a social entertaining space.

“We are a great fit for someone building a business but isn’t quite at the needing an office stage yet, or maybe a consultant who wants to get out of the home office but doesn’t need to rent a long-term space.

“There are a lot of variables here.”

While Mr Maxwell’s team building and communications skills are a perfect skill base for this growing and exciting venture, he has not been going it alone.

Former Collingwood Football Club board member Paul Tuddenham is a director, and co-founder Jesse Hayes – interior designer at Forme Design – is creative director.

“This has been about nine years in the making. We are a great team, each with our own skills and we’ve worked hard and well together to get Eclat off the ground.”

A workplace of the future

Eclat members don’t only get a plush workspace but access to a gym, eatery, bar, storage, event facilities, event design and much more.

This is the workplace of the future, crafted to mix a cultural and social lifestyle with the economic endeavours of members.

Mr Maxwell said anyone who feels Eclat can meet their needs only has to get in touch.

“From there we discuss needs, organise a tour, and outline the options available,” he said.

“We are a relationships-based business.”

For the team, Camberwell Junction seemed like the ideal place for this bold new workplace offering.

“It is a great area with a large mix of people within Camberwell and the surrounding suburbs,” Mr Maxwell said.

Eclat, he explained, means to be brilliant. An appropriate name for a forward-thinking business taking the concept of a workplace to futuristic new heights.

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