French bank BNP Paribas has opened a new office in Chesterbrook and plans to augment its current staff of 100 with 300 additional hires over the next three years, writes Natalie Kostelni for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The company intends for the new space to serve as a model for its future offices around the world. BNP spent $18 million to design and build out the structure around a concept it is calling the “office as a destination” — a workplace that makes employees want to spend time there.

BNP signed the lease on the 59,000-square-foot space at 735 Chesterbrook Boulevard in July 2020, when employees were working remotely. Now, the company is allowing them to use a hybrid model and work both from home and onsite.

“The new ways of working, particularly post-COVID, is to make the workplace attractive,” said Jean-Yves Fillion, Americas CEO for BNP. “It’s part of a reset and is a real opportunity. You have to capitalize on what this situation is creating, and you have to have the courage to do it.”

Read more about BNP Paribas in the Philadelphia Business Journal.