Celebrating 20 years of Absolute at Optimum Padel Leeds

Celebrating 20 years of Absolute at Optimum Padel, Leeds. Left to right: Mark Humphrey, Director and Co-Founder; Helen Brown and Phil Brown, founders of Absolute Commercial Interiors; Damien McKenna, Director and Co-Founder; and Thomas Hare, Fit Out Director.

On Thursday 8 October, the Absolute Commercial Interiors team spent the day at Optimum Padel in Leeds celebrating a milestone: 20 years of Absolute.

We were delighted to be joined by Phil and Helen Brown, who founded Absolute Commercial Interiors in 2006. Phil and Helen built the business from the ground up before retiring and passing the Absolute brand to TECL in 2024. Having them with us to mark 20 years made the day especially meaningful.

Colleagues and clients joined us on court and off it. Many of them have been part of the Absolute story for years, and we’re grateful to every client who has trusted us with their workplace, bar or restaurant over the past two decades.

Recognising 10 years of service

The day was also a chance to thank the people who make Absolute what it is. We presented long-serving team members with engraved Christopher Ward watches to mark more than 10 years with the business.

Among them was our Fit Out Director, Thomas Hare, who has represented the Absolute brand for more than a decade. Thomas and colleagues like him are the reason clients come back to us project after project, and we’re privileged to have such a strong team.

“Proud to see the Absolute traditions continue”

Phil gave an emotional speech, saying how proud he and Helen are to see the traditions they started continue, and to watch the Absolute brand go from strength to strength.

That means a great deal to all of us. Twenty years and more than 350 projects on, Absolute is still built on what Phil and Helen started with: putting clients first, a team that cares about the details, and spaces people love to work and spend time in.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Optimum Padel, and to every client, partner and team member who has been part of the journey so far. Here’s to the next 20 years.