Furniture is in Kahn Morkaya’s blood. He grew up in his father’s furniture business, learning the ropes and falling in love with the industry. 20 years later, he started his own furniture store, inspired and guided by his father. When he decided that he no longer wanted to be his own boss, King Living was his next step. 

After managing the Flagship Showroom at Moore Park for 4.5 years, Kahn stepped away to build his experience more broadly. But the pull back to King Living was strong and when an opportunity came up on the B2B side of the business, he jumped at the chance. 

“I love networking and was really drawn to working with our B2B customers,” he explains. “I could see myself in the Trade & Commercial Manager role so it was a great fit.” 

Kahn shares his experience of shifting careers at King Living along with his plans for redeveloping the trade program and growing stronger partnerships with our B2B customers. 

Kahn is pictured presenting to design industry partners.

From retail to trade 

With so many years working on the retail showroom side of the business, Kahn believes this helped him to understand what commercial and trade partners are looking for. 

“I think a lot of businesses look at their trade partners as just another customer,” he asserts. “But I look at them as partners and want to understand their needs. By working in the Showroom and assisting trade clients over many years, I’ve come to understand what our trade partners want from King Living. Now I can work with our teams to implement some great changes, as we consider them as not only customers, but integral business partners.” 

In his role as Trade & Commercial Manager, Kahn has two distinct sets of customers. The first is trade partners, including residential interior designers and architects. The second is the commercial partners, which encompasses a broad group of people. 

“King Living products are so well known as residential products,” he says. “But because they’re made so well to be durable and long lasting, they also serve a commercial purpose perfectly. Our commercial customers are commercial designers and architects but also hotels, cinemas, hospitality venues, aged care, health care and education. It’s my team’s job to educate our customers about the incredible benefits of King Living products.” 

Kahn pictured demonstrating Jasper Sofa functionality to design industry partners.

Strengthening trade partnerships  

Through his early days in the new role, Kahn’s focus has been on building relationships with King Living’s trade partners. 

“Our trade partners work with so many of their own clients and bring us regular business,” he explains. “Their loyalty is really important to us, which is why we want to ensure we give them the best benefits to reward that loyalty.” 

In response to this need, Kahn is leading a redevelopment of the trade program in the form of a tiered loyalty structure with higher discount benefits. The new program was implemented Australia wide in January 2024, with plans for a global rollout in the future. This will be supplemented by a focus on making the buying experience more seamless for trade partners. 

“We’re in the process of developing online portals for our trade customers to launch this year,” he adds. “We’ve also introduced dedicated Trade Consultants into every Showroom, which is something we haven’t ever done before. This will give our trade partners a dedicated point of contact who they can liaise with for all their questions and orders.” 

This hands-on, relationship-based approach will support trade partners through every step of the process to keep them up-to-date with product launches and other relevant news and information. 

Kahn pictured with Richmond Showroom Manager Rita Markou at the King Living Support Office in Sydney.

Endless opportunities  

Of his time at King Living, Kahn is thankful for the opportunities he’s had to drive his career in a new direction. He was supported with his move out of self-employment and then with his shift to the B2B side of the business. 

“The King Living team are always happy to assist with making things happen if you see yourself in a different part of the business,” he says. “Over the years, I was incredibly fortunate to have not only an exceptional mentor during my time at King Living while in the showroom but also the chance to collaborate with various individuals within the company. This allowed me to gain a wealth of experience across multiple facets of the business, ultimately enabling my growth into the role I currently hold.” 

Interested in learning more? Explore the King Living Trade Program.

Discover more King Living career stories: 

• Mathew Milne: A global retail career with King Living
• Zara Fong: A day in the life of a King Living junior designer
• Adam Cremona: Career progression in retail and customer care at King Living
• Jamin Daniels: Redefining the King Living customer experience
• Leanne Evans: 12 years and counting in a rewarding career at King Living
• Ili Ibrahim: Leading and learning at King Living