From Parliament to Proptech: A Leadership Journey Redefining Real Estate Innovation

In an industry hungry for clarity and speed, Maciej Markowski offers a masterclass in quiet disruption.

Maciej Markoksi - CEO, SquarePlan

The Persistent Intern Who Would Become a CEO

When you think of a tech founder, your mind might leap to someone with a computer science degree, hoodie, and garage origin story. Maciej Markowski, CEO of SquarePlan, doesn’t quite fit that mould. His path began not in Silicon Valley but in Polish politics.

At just 19, Maciej found himself working for the chairman of the Economic Commission in the Parliament of Poland during a period of significant legal reform.

"I basically pestered a politician until he gave me an unpaid internship," he says, laughing.

It was the start of an unconventional but revealing journey, one that would shape his approach to business, leadership, and ultimately technology.

One day, he receives a colossal task to review and synthesise hundreds of stakeholder responses, which was mistakenly assigned to him instead of a PhD-holding colleague who shared his first name. Rather than flinch, Maciej skipped six days of university, worked through the nights, and delivered the report. Impressed with his work, the chairman gave Maciej greater responsibility, a nod to his competence and subsequent confidence.

His persistence in 'getting through the door' and making himself useful once inside served as the building blocks of raw potential, of which he harvested throughout his career, all the way to the top.

From Newsroom to Property Narratives

He soon transitioned from politics to media, taking on the role of managing editor and Vice President of Office Magazine, Poland’s leading publication on office design and workplace culture.

It was here that Maciej first began to bridge the world of storytelling with the built environment, developing a sharp eye for how space influences behaviour, identity, and business performance.

The Strategist’s Decade

That perspective naturally led to workplace consultancy. He joined DEGW, the firm that practically invented the discipline of workplace strategy, and later brought his expertise to CBRE, JLL, and Cushman & Wakefield. Across each, he delivered strategy for clients rethinking how their people use space, especially during moments of growth, transformation, or consolidation.

Scaling and Exiting: The spaceOS Chapter

From here, it was a brave leap into entrepreneurship. In 2018, Maciej co-founded SpaceOS, a tenant engagement platform that allowed landlords and occupiers to better manage and activate their buildings. The business scaled internationally, and in May 2023, it was acquired by Equiem. When asked what key skills enabled him to build and sell his business successfully, he notes:

"When you're building something, you have to sell and learn at the same time."

Speed, Clarity, Confidence: SquarePlan's Edge

With his latest venture, SquarePlan, Maciej is tackling one of commercial real estate's most frustrating bottlenecks: the slow, often unclear process of commercial leasing, with the never-ending manual process of space planning changes and endless reworking of fit-out estimations.

"We show clients what’s possible in 24 hours instead of 4 weeks. That speed changes everything"

Landlords using SquarePlan now make leasing decisions in hours, rather than weeks, shortening deal cycles, reducing voids, and enhancing tenant confidence.

Quiet Leadership in a Loud Industry

But for Maciej, the tech is just the delivery system. His real insight lies in how you build teams, shape culture, and lead with intention. He's soft-spoken, reflective, and more of a listener than a talker — a leadership style he views as a strength, not a weakness.

He highlights the misconception of introversion and extroversion, clarifying that it’s about how you regain your energy, for example, extroverts typically do so around people, whereas introverts prefer alone time. He explains that you can have personable and outgoing introverts, contrary to popular belief.

“If you’re introverted, I think it’s good, because you listen and you learn much more when you listen.” Adding “if there’s a room of 20 people and the source of all the ideas is you, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table”.

Final Word: Rewriting the Rules

Maciej’s journey doesn’t just challenge our assumptions about leadership; it reframes what innovation looks like in real estate. It’s not always loud. It’s not always linear. And it’s rarely born in the usual places.

In a sector that often favours precedent over possibility, leaders like Maciej remind us that the future isn’t found by following the rules; it’s built by those willing to rewrite them.