February 2023
Tunde Olaoye
In-depth considerations lead to sustainable net zero achievements
Hanna Barrett
Support for colleagues is leading to wider benefits for all stakeholders
David Lomax
Unique approach avoids use of concrete structural support in new building
Mark Tyson
Supply chain partnership improves service delivery across LGIM estate
In welcoming everyone to our February issue, I’d like to draw attention to a few of the many highlights within this, in order to further emphasise the expanding body of evidence that shows the potential of our industry to deliver major benefits for clients, business and UK society as a whole.
For those who continue to regard FM merely as a cost, I would urge them to take a few minutes to read about the excellent work being delivered by many colleagues around the UK and realise the opportunities they are providing, not just for themselves but for everyone in our industry.
The first example I’d like to mention is the Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) close collaboration with Bellrock and its entire supply chain, which is not only improving the performance of the company through raising its service delivery for leaseholders, but also includes prompt payment of its service provider partners in an average of 10 days (turn to page 16 of this issue).
Our second case study looks at the recently completed Black & White Building in London’s Shoreditch area, owned by The Office Group (TOG), which provides another excellent example of how the use of innovative construction techniques can significantly reduce carbon emissions while also delivering facilities that are healthier to work in (turn to page 48 of this issue).
Yet more pearls of wisdom are shared by SSE Energy Solutions Tunde Olaoye in his interview about the wide-ranging and long-term partnership efforts between his company and Monmouthshire Borough Council (turn to page 24 of this issue).
While this again focuses on providing reduced carbon emissions and valuable assistance in achieving the council’s net zero carbon ambitions, the common-sense approach adopted shows how savings can be achieved and provides a more manageable means to reduce emissions, which is far more likely to be successful than trying to do too much too quickly.
These three examples show how our industry is continuing to adapt to the requirements of clients, while continuing its support for all other areas, including mental health and wellbeing, apprenticeships and training, social initiatives, improved payment for all staff members and a host of additional initiatives.
This does not mean that all the usual challenges disappear, of course, and many of the above will require more effort to deliver. Nevertheless, the higher levels of support they provide to clients, colleagues, businesses and society in general are entirely worthwhile.
require more effort to deliver. Nevertheless, the higher levels of support they provide to clients, colleagues, businesses and society in general are entirely worthwhile.
For those who continue to regard
FM merely as a cost, I would urge them to take a few minutes to read about the excellent work being delivered by many colleagues around the UK
DENNIS FLOWER MANAGING EDITOR
Liz Benison has enjoyed a varied career to date and is relishing her involvement with ISS and the challenges this will bring in the future
All areas of the FM sector are notably increasing their efforts to improve or enhance their social engagement activities in the desire to raise standards within their companies and assist all those associated with them
In-depth partnership model launched by LGIM sees merging of real estate and FM service delivery for the benefit of leaseholders and supply chain members alike
Following the successful launch of their company’s unique service for the sports sector, managing director Adrian Hunter and founder Andy Steele talk about the future goals for 360 and how its Sport Finance & Mentoring service can transform sporting venues
Tunde Olaoye speaks exclusively to FM Director about the successes enjoyed by Monmouthshire County Council in reducing carbon emissions
Post-pandemic upgrade of offices includes major drive to encourage more people to return to their place of work
Having gathered together a mix of senior FM industry personnel to discuss the sector’s net zero journey, we now share the highlights with FM Director readers
Using its Vital Spaces workplace concept, Sodexo has transformed its head office to make it more attractive and productive for its staff and clients
Further examination of the implications of the Building Safety Legislation is provided by the British Woodworking Federation’s (BWF) Kevin Underwood
As the UK’s leading provider of specialist services to the construction and FM sectors, PTSG is an authoritative voice in many areas concerning the protection of people, property and places
Until January 2023, YorPower, PPSPower and Glenace all operated as successful independent companies in their own right
David Lomax provided FM Director with an exclusive tour of the recently opened Black & White Building in London’s Shoreditch
Industry event enjoyed by employers and both current and former apprentices to combine with National Apprenticeship Week 2023
Hanna Barrett explains how encouraging all staff members to progress their career ambitions has led to improved relationships with industry partners and customers
Movers and Shakers
When speaking to senior personnel within the FM sector, one of the common denominators is that everyone will have found their way into the industry by different routes, with some fascinating examples provided.
The latest of these is that of ISS chief executive officer UK and Ireland Liz Benison, whose early career included working for Jaguar and Ford within the automotive industry. She was an integral member of the team behind the launch of Ford’s highly successful Mondeo model, launched at its Belgian manufacturing plant in 1994.
“This was the first time we managed to get engineers involved in the design of a new model
and the project went very well,” says Ms Benison. The success of the initiative can be seen in the fact that the Mondeo became one of Ford’s best-selling models and has influenced the development of a number of others over the last 30 years.
“My next role was something my parents thought I was absolutely mad to do,” she continues. “I joined a startup consultancy that was aligned with the SAP software package, which was not very well known in 1994. Over the next five years, her employer doubled in size every year and she recalls making profits that “can only be dreamed of” in the current economic climate. “We then sold the business at the top of the market to a much larger organisation and
I ended up working for the CEO of the company that bought us.
“She was an amazing woman and taught me my trade as a general manager. It was all about really driving the bottom line and being in control. It was an absolutely fantastic process.”
Ms Benison’s career in technology lasted for approximately 15 years, during the latter years of which she became increasingly involved with outsourcing. Due to her seniority and numerous successes, interest was expressed by other potential employers, including Serco. “I’d done some work that was very relevant to them and then joined as part of their turnaround team in 2014,” she continues.
“That was for three years and included lots of hard work and working ridiculous hours sometimes, but was also very satisfying and the first time I’d worked with core staff and it was both humbling and very rewarding.”
Having enjoyed the challenges and outcomes achieved in her first role with an outsourcing business, Ms Benison then joined the Arriva Group as managing director of mainland Europe in autumn 2018. This gave her just over one year before the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic and its various impacts and effects around the world.
“I moved out of the UK and worked from Serbia all the way through Europe and up to Sweden, Denmark and The Netherlands. There was lots of travel, of course, and the people at Arriva were absolutely outstanding,” she recalls.
However, as the pandemic spread throughout Europe she states that the impact of the various lockdowns in each country had a dramatic effect on the running of public transport. “We watched the lockdown happen country by country and we had dedicated teams negotiating with the governments of every country.
“We were the first to fit screens in buses in Italy at the start of the pandemic, and two months later everyone was doing it. It was fascinating to watch and we were very useful because we could see how things were developing and could then advise
countries to tell them the virus was likely to hit them in a couple of months, or so and what they could do to prepare.”
Ms Benison continued to receive offers of work and initially turned down the first two from ISS, before agreeing to speak to group chief executive officer Jacob Aarup-Andersen. The meeting took place on Microsoft Teams to comply with the lockdown requirements of that time.
“I was so convinced I wasn’t going to take it any further that I set the call up for 8.30 on a Sunday morning and attended in my gym kit, as I was about to attend an online class. We then ended up speaking for well over two hours and I agreed to take the job,” she says.
Mr Aarup-Andersen is described as “very bright and driven” by Ms Benison, “but he also knows how to leverage the strengths of his team to get the best result”.
“Jacob explained that my role would be in line with my previous work and it was very much a case of coming in to drive the OneISS transformation forward, so that’s what we’ve been doing for the last 18 months,” she says.
With the UK contributing 15% of the ISS global revenues, she explains the importance of the region to the company. In addition to its financial contribution, the UK is regarded as one of the company’s most sophisticated areas of operation and a major provider of new talent.
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Around a third of our revenues are healthcare-related, so we found ourselves having to adapt rapidly at a time when requirements and rules were changing constantly
“A lot of the IP and new talent comes from us and a lot of the key accounts actually started with us. We call the UK operation The Lighthouse and a lot of the great things in the company start here,” she continues.
“Around a third of our revenues are healthcarerelated, so we found ourselves having to adapt rapidly at a time when requirements and rules were changing constantly. When I visit some of the sites now and hear the stories, it’s really humbling and I feel proud of the resilience and dedication our placemakers maintained through one of the very worst times in recent history,” Ms Benison continues. She further states that the ISS team, working with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, is believed to be the first to create an effective COVID-19 protocol for any hospital in the country.
Since its difficulties in 2021, the company has emerged as a more agile organisation that has required Ms Benison to create a new leadership team for the UK operation, including the recruitment and promotion of a senior leadership team of 50 people. This includes all members of the company’s senior team and those at the next level of management.
“The new team has a 50/50 gender balance and that’s the first time in the company’s history this has been achieved. We’re almost reluctant to create any new roles in case it tips the balance,” she adds with a smile, further emphasising the importance of a good sense of humour for senior managers.
With the UK leading the way in improving the gender balance within the company, others have been urged to follow suit.
“We’re also looking at diversity and inclusion across a broad spectrum. Last year, we appointed our first head of diversity, inclusion and belonging for the UK and Ireland and we’ve been setting up employee resource groups to support our D&I agenda across five key areas: gender balance; pride; cultures, race and ethnicity; abilities; generations and age.”
Having remained a profitable business in the face of considerable change, Ms Benison says last year was largely seen as one of consolidation to allow everyone to adjust to the various changes and new people recruited or promoted into more senior roles.
“We’re also speaking to customers and saying that the contracts signed a few years ago now need to change and stating that we’re happy to sit down with them and work things through.”
The renewal of various contracts in 2022 resulted in the company having “a fantastic year” while everyone adjusted to its new set-up. Ms Benison says that these efforts have made a major contribution to the levels of confidence throughout the company, which are expected to contribute to a return to growth for the business this year.
“It’s been a fascinating 18 months and I love all the transformation processes but the thing that keeps you going is all the personal development that this has provided for everyone,” she continues.
We’re also looking at diversity and inclusion across a broad spectrum. Last year, we appointed our first head of diversity, inclusion and belonging for the UK and Ireland
“There have been a few people that have just been given that first step to increase their responsibilities and we’ve been able to watch them grow and shine.”
With the company now in a much stronger position and working towards Mr AarupAndersen’s goal of creating a more globally cohesive operation, Ms Benison explains the ambition within the business to expand. Having launched its strategy at the company’s global conference last year, the main aim of each division is to work towards this.
“We want ISS to be a place to be you and you can become whatever you want to be, which can mean supporting our colleagues in their work but also in their home life, too.
“Globally we can be the first step out of poverty for those joining ISS and that can mean helping all their family,” she continues.
In order to emphasise the seriousness of its commitment, the company has established three signature moves.
The first of these aims is to work with policymakers, customers and suppliers to implement living wages across our industry.
While nearly 70% of UK employees are included at present, she explains that living wage standards differ across countries and that will require a major commitment from ISS to raise awareness and improve rates of pay.
Training and personal development is the main focus of the second signature move, which the company has committed to in many areas already. This will also include the sharing of its Apprenticeship Levy with other businesses this year, either for companies within its supply chain or specialist service providers to clients.
The company has also committed to giving more than 100,000 placemakers or their family members worldwide a recognised qualification by the end of 2025.
The third commitment is to engage with all industry partners to ensure that they share common values wherever possible and work in a sustainable way that aligns with high standards and ethics. Ms Benison states that having established the signature moves and a clear business strategy has “really galvanised” her colleagues.
“We have approximately 350,000 placemakers around the world, so delivering the strategy is quite a challenge.
“We’ve also confirmed we will aim to be the global technology leader in our sector.”
This will align with the company’s intention of being not only the company of belonging, but easy to work for and easy to work with. This will be delivered via significant investment in internal infrastructure and improved data management processes and capability.
Among the many benefits this will provide will be enhanced proof of return on investment for clients, while also allowing ISS to offer expert advice on improving the management of facilities and estates.
Ms Benison states that much of its investment in data is driven by its technology centre in Porto, Portugal, which is engaged in the creation of a dedicated CAFM system that will be further adapted to suit the needs of clients. The app-based options already developed can be used by clients in all settings to provide quick access to options such as the ordering of food items.
“This can be used by people in any environment and is especially aimed at helping those who are often too busy to stop to eat, such as doctors in some health settings, for example,” she continues. “By using the app they can pre-order meals and avoid the queues that often result in people giving up and walking away.”
There is considerable attention on increasing its sustainability support for clients and Ms Benison explains that this has many aspects due to the extensive scope of the topic. She uses energy management to explain a single aspect of this, which aligns with the company’s efforts to improve its technological and data management credentials.
“It’s again about providing insight so we can enhance the picture about how each building is run and using our model to show the potential cost savings on buildings and what the trade-offs are. We also have all our placemakers on site, who can then go round and make sure these actions are being carried out and no one has left the lights on or opened a window unnecessarily, for example.”
Food waste is another area receiving significant attention for the business, she continues, with technology used to weigh and video the waste.
We want ISS to be a place to be you and you can become whatever you want to be, which can mean supporting our colleagues in their work but also in their home life, too
Artificial intelligence (AI) is applied for further analysis and the result is fed back to staff to adjust menus accordingly.
This has already helped to reveal that much of the food waste consisted of carbohydrates, allowing staff to reduce this content within menus. Ms Benison further explains that the initiative is helping more people to consider all elements of sustainability in greater detail.
An example of this is given in the form of one of the ISS placemakers working on the site of a major accountancy company client, who tactfully advised a senior partner they had placed their coffee cup in the wrong bin.
“Our placemaker was then invited to present to the board to explain how they can make a difference to improve recycling and sustainability rates and I received a letter from the board saying this was one of the most influential sessions they had ever had,” she says.
Another sustainability milestone for the company will be 2030, by which time its entire fleet will consist of electric vehicles.
Having completed the majority of the company’s reorganisation ambitions to date, Ms Benison says there are now considerable levels of optimism within the business.
“Of course, we’re aware of the rise in inflation and economic concerns, but we also know that what we offer is unique.”
She further states how much she enjoys working at the company’s Canary Wharf office, which continues to see high levels of attendance by staff. After a conscious and significant investment to improve the interior design, the facility is now used to show existing and potential clients how ISS can support their aims to make their workplaces more attractive to their employees.
Appreciation is expressed for the influence of the Danish culture within the business by Ms Benison, who is able to compare this with her previous employers in different countries.
“There is something lovely about it, when they say they’re in it for the long term they mean it and will allow everyone time to complete their tasks, rather than just getting everything done as quickly as possible.”
The company is the largest Danish employer in the UK and is a member of the Danish-UK Association, which is described as “like finding a family I didn’t know I had” by Ms Benison, who is also appreciative of the genuine business support received from the Danish embassy.
The sophistication of the UK market, combined with the leading role of the ISS UK and Ireland business, has given rise to considerable optimism about the company’s ability to make the most of emerging opportunities to deliver and further extend all areas of operation in the months and years ahead.
We have approximately 350,000 placemakers around the world, so delivering the strategy is quite a challenge
All areas of the FM sector are notably increasing their efforts to improve or enhance their social engagement activities in the desire to raise standards within their companies and assist all those associated with them
Following conversations and feedback from industry contacts it seems as though FM Director magazine has quickly been accepted by our industry, much of which is due to the generous support given by many individuals and businesses to enable us to publish in-depth information on industry issues and topics.
One of the most notable of these is how many businesses – including both FM service providers and clients – are devoting considerable effort to further extend their social engagement activities. With four previous issues of FM Director published since the magazine’s launch last autumn, the topic of social engagement has appeared in each one, which provides further evidence of its importance.
This began with the front cover interview within our first issue and has continued in every publication to date. While this is the first feature dedicated to the subject, we expect it to be included as a central topic in future magazines and also within the various live events planned for later this year.
In addition to the importance of social engagement within the FM sector, it also forms an important element of the many other highly responsible initiatives increasingly seen throughout our industry.
It is very much part of the overarching message that the industry is providing ever higher levels of support for and engagement with all staff members, clients, industry partners, charitable operations, local schools, sports clubs and many others.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects to appreciate when creating social engagement processes and policies is the essential requirement of gaining higher levels of involvement from everyone within the business. This needs all members of the senior management team to ensure that it is cascaded down to each of their colleagues.
Social engagement needs to be a central theme within the company and a major area of concentration within the culture of each organisation. Without this overriding commitment from all staff members, there is a very real danger of it becoming a box-ticking exercise that will fail to achieve many of the objectives intended for inclusion, to the detriment of the company and all potential recipients.
Sodexo region chair UK and Ireland Sean Haley started the FM Director social engagement ball rolling with his front-page interview for the launch of the magazine last September.
One of the many relevant comments included in the feature was his statement that this had to be a central theme from the launch of the business in question.
“We grow through delivering social outcomes, we improve the communities in which we live, work and serve. You can’t just add social value, you need to have established the right culture over many years,” said Mr Haley.
Confirming his company’s long-running focus on this area, he shared the fact that it had published its Social Value Pledge in 2014 and continued to work towards its three-year plan launched in 2021. It was considered equally important to publish the details of the targets successfully achieved and those it had failed to reach.
Social engagement is one of the three central elements within the ESG movement that is rapidly spreading throughout the FM sector. This has also been covered extensively within the first four FM Director publications and continues to be an important theme within a high number of conversations with industry contacts, which means it is set to be included in more features in the future.
Another interview in the first issue of the magazine was conducted with recently-appointed CBRE ESG director Sarah Shaw. Her promotion has emphasised the importance of the topic and highlighted the growing number of initiatives the business has supported.
Examples of these include charity cricket matches, the London to Paris bike ride and numerous other points of engagement with both local and national charities and associated organisations.
The October issue of FM Director featured
Cloudfm founder Jeff Dewing in the front cover interview, during which he shared more highly relevant comments on the importance of embedding high levels of social engagement within businesses. His company had appointed its first head of ESG at the time of his interview, delivering added proof of its commitment.
Additional social engagement comments were provided by cleaning consultant Lynn Webster in her interview in the October issue, including her support of charitable bodies. Her work as chair of the Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA) Women’s Group has seen Ms Webster engaged in the provision of mentoring services for female cleaning industry professionals and also includes the raising of funds for the Safer Places charity.
Perhaps the best example of social engagement practices in the October issue was provided by Living Wage Foundation programme manager Sebastian Bachelier. In addition to explaining how the Real Living Wage (RLW) had helped thousands of people to raise themselves out of poverty, he further illustrated how this was continuing to deliver valuable support for companies assisting their staff and others to cope with high levels of inflation and other financial burdens.
The launch of the RLW Recognised Service Provider Group had seen an increasing number of service providers sign up, with the result that more companies and their clients were working towards aligning themselves with the drive to raise pay levels for staff.
With the publication of the November issue of FM Director, the social engagement baton was carried by Susan Elston in her front cover interview, particularly through her support of improved diversity and inclusion (D&I) processes within the businesses she has worked for.
We grow through delivering social outcomes, we improve the communities in which we live, work and serve
Following her successful FM career she has increased her voluntary work activities, in addition to her appointment as chair of the North Eastern Scotland Colleges (NESCol) organisation.
This has included working as a counsellor for the Childline charity and volunteering for local retirement homes in her local area. The COVID-19 pandemic additionally saw Ms Elston undertaking more voluntary work with her local vaccination centre.
While the examples listed above provide proof positive of the importance of social engagement, our interview with Q3 Services chief executive officer (CEO) Martyn Freeman left no room for doubting its importance. Among the many statements provided, his comment that social responsibility will be the main differentiator for businesses of all sizes has been the most direct endorsement to date of the benefits that this can provide.
“We have a responsibility to look after all our staff and clients,” Mr Freeman said. “Adopting more social values will help us to give back, which could see us donate a percentage of our profits to charity in future.”
While explaining that his company was continuing to explore all the options for increased social engagement, he additionally stated the
importance of ensuring that the best opportunities were followed and that time was taken to ensure this was the case.
An example of this can be seen in that the business has paid its staff the Living Wage for several years and is continuing to consider other means to support all colleagues in dealing with increasing prices and inflation.
A clear illustration of the benefits of responsible management of a cleaning services provider came from Cleanology CEO Dominic Ponniah in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of FM Director magazine. Social awareness has been an integral factor within his company throughout its existence and has been further extended in recent years.
One of the most notable examples of this is the company’s annual fundraising event for the Hygiene Bank, which raised £15,000 last year and is due to be held this autumn with the intention of building on this impressive achievement. While his company is another long-term supporter of the Living Wage Foundation, Mr Ponniah has additionally joined the leadership committee of its RSP group to raise its involvement yet further.
“We’ve all made a commitment to communicate the benefits [of the RLW] to everyone we know and spread the word. I speak to some companies who pay the Real Living Wage but haven’t signed up to it officially.
We have a responsibility to look after all our staff and clients, Adopting more social values will help us to give back, which could see us donate a percentage of our profits to charity in future
“It really is a badge of honour, and your clients will love that you do it. It’s really powerful and will help you find and retain more talent and we’re all telling people they need to sign up,” said Mr Ponniah.
Last month’s publication additionally included a case study of the partnership between London’s Tower 42 and DOC Cleaning and further examples of the increasing importance of social engagement. Close working between the two partners has resulted in paying all staff members the Real Living Wage and includes a much wider focus driven by social values.
These have proved important in attracting members of staff to return to the workplace following the Coronavirus pandemic, which is another important and obvious benefit to all areas of the FM sector.
All the examples above – along with many others published within every area of the FM Business Daily brand – combine to clearly confirm the essential importance of social engagement practices throughout our industry. There is a long list of beneficial outcomes already enjoyed by the businesses providing the best examples of this, which will increase in future as they continue to extend them.
While it is undoubtedly important for every business to operate on a profitable and sustainable basis to ensure its survival, the inclusion of a central
focus on social engagement will add numerous positive supporting processes. It is another factor in the vital message that running companies by financial spreadsheets alone invariably leads to short-term thinking and knee-jerk reactions to the issues that every organisation faces at various stages of its development.
The adoption of social engagement does not make businesses immune to these issues, of course, but if it is applied correctly and combined with adhering to strict moral standards and positive culture, it can make a clear difference between success and failure by ensuring a long-term focus on delivering value within all operations.
It really is a badge of honour, and your clients will love that
do it
Discussion around the concept of closer alignment between the FM and commercial real estate sectors has continued for some time, emphasising the potential benefits for both sides.
While many have regarded this as something they would like to see, but in reality have found it difficult to deliver, the partnership between Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) and Bellrock FM provides an award-winning example of how it can be successfully implemented and managed.
FM Director spoke exclusively to LGIM head of property operations Mark Tyson and Bellrock Group managing director Mike Smart to gain insight into the dramatic
transformation of the client to become a commercial property owner of choice. Working in partnership with Bellrock, it has established a delivery model with its service partners that focuses on four key aims: improving the occupier experience, enhancing occupier health and wellbeing, increasing the social value of assets and boosting the portfolio’s overall sustainability.
One of the first objectives was to change the traditional role of the managing agent in order to achieve the objectives outlined above. Mr Tyson explains: “Under the managing agent model, it’s often the managing agent who is seen as the owner of the building, which doesn’t help promote the brand of the asset holder as an owner of choice.
“At the same time, if a managing agent is running assets worth tens of millions of pounds, decisions may have to go through layers of management before someone at site level is given the go-ahead to carry out improvements. This takes time and can adversely affect the occupier’s experience.”
Considerations for change are often deterred due to the size of the task and the operation concerned, but this was not the case for LGI. Amongst its portfolio of approximately 700 properties are 140 facilities managed in partnership with Bellrock, including 32 multi-let offices with more than 1,000 leaseholders and an annual spend in excess of £30m on managed supply chain services.
Project Mercury was created by Mr Tyson and his team to identify and implement the model that would see FMs and property managers become equal partners. “We’ve seen how FM teams have been underfunded and overlooked in the past, but the aim of Project Mercury was to raise the profile of the FM model and allow it to have an equal say in how things are run throughout the portfolio.”
These efforts led to the creation of the FM Integrator (FMI) model and the official appointment of Bellrock to work alongside managing agents across all areas and manage the LGIM supply chain. This was the first highly effective step in the change process, with Bellrock working as an equal partner to provide data-driven solutions and work towards improving the occupier experience.
“We’ve worked increasingly closely with Mark and LGIM to align Bellrock from both cultural and operational perspectives,” says Mr Smart. “As part of this, the partnership has seen compliancy levels rise to between 94% and 97% and some excellent NPS scores, all of which are shared with everyone and show the power of the data-driven model.”
Bellrock’s management of its client’s supply chain has been fully supported by all managing agents, with the results being enjoyed by all stakeholders. One of the most notable of these has been improved payment times for service providers.
“The managing agents bought into the new way of doing this,” Mr Tyson continues. “Now our payments
are on average around 10 days for our portfolio and suppliers love it, giving us better leverage in the market over time.”
Support for the Mercury Model has been assisted by the staging of workshops around the LGIM estate with building, fund and management teams to explain the concept and the reasons for creating a one-team culture between the company and its service providers. Identities were also created for each of the 140 buildings in the estate to help align the teams.
The new model was implemented in stages within an eight-month period and now operates across funds with an approximate value of £10bn. The focus on improving the occupier experience has additionally incorporated energy management and raised levels of social value throughout the estate.
“Another part of our efforts is that we aim to be the best client for all our service partners,” says Mr Tyson. “This has seen our supply chain increase from 68 to 200 to ensure we have the right contractors working in every building.”
These efforts have been combined with the creation of a reward scheme to recognise the individuals who provide examples of excellence. Annual workshops and roadshows are held to ensure everyone is working at the correct level and in the right direction, including time for networking to ensure all team members are connected and focused on improving levels of partnership working.
We ask our occupier representatives to score their buildings as a place to work out of five, and we are now seeing assets consistently scoring four and five across the board
Increasing levels of interaction with leaseholders has allowed the partners to ask their opinion on their workplaces and thoughts on how these can be improved. Mr Tyson states that this has resulted in both positive and negative feedback, but the prompt actions taken by partners have led to higher levels of trust.
“We ask our occupier representatives to score their buildings as a place to work out of five, and we are now seeing assets consistently scoring four and five across the board,” says Mr Tyson.
Considerable improvements in net promoter scores (NPS) are also proving the effectiveness of the Mercury Model, with several facilities moving from a minus score to well into the positive side. The most notable of these have been the buildings starting from a score of more than -48 to nearly +60, with others recording notable rises and further proving the effectiveness of adopting new models.
Mr Tyson states that one of the company’s balanced funds, which includes more than 70 properties, has seen reletting rates increase in a 12-month period. While this aspect will continue to deliver longterm gains for the business, it should be further appreciated that the efforts of the partners have resulted in savings that will make considerable additional contributions.
An example of this is the result of energy-saving efforts across its portfolio of 140 assets in 2021, which reduced consumption by more than 3.5m KWh, exceeding its target by 69%. These results are continuing and will be further enhanced following the rise in energy prices.
“This model helps FM to move out of the basement and work on a much more equal basis with property managers,” Mr Tyson continues. “The traditional model was focused too much on cost and it’s much better for everyone if we can focus on return on investment, quality and retention of occupiers.”
Mr Smart agrees that the Mercury Model has proved to be highly beneficial and explains that the level of effort involved is entirely worthwhile. “We had several workshop sessions with a third-party consultancy and everyone in the supply chain and have encouraged them to take ownership of the relationship with each other and LGIM,” he says. “The model works best when everyone is accountable.”
They are both additionally keen to explain that it is essential to be honest and open in the sharing of all information. “You still need to have some difficult conversations if something isn’t right and it’s not all plain sailing,” Mr Tyson continues.
“But these are entirely worthwhile to get the right culture established and to do that all conversations and actions have to be based on honesty and open analysis of the facts. That means there’s no massaging of the figures to make them look better than they are and we also incentivise everyone to be honest and get things fixed as soon as possible when they go wrong,” he says.
Another indication of the dynamic nature of the improved culture within LGIM and its service provider partners is the launch of Project Symphony. This places the Bellrock Concerto system at its core, with the intention of further improving on the considerable benefits already seen.
It includes the fitting of more sensors around each facility to monitor aspects such as indoor air quality, in addition to temperature and the condition of plant and equipment, with the intention of improving the effectiveness of communications with leaseholders. This method is also proving highly effective in rectifying issues before occupiers have noticed them and further supporting the levels of trust that continue to grow between all stakeholders.
“We’ve succeeded in making the FM relationship far less passive and we now have to make every effort to add more value,” Mr Tyson continues. “This will only be possible if we do all the basics while also ensuring that we continue to focus on the right values and culture.”
While the figures show that retention of customers has increased as a result of embedding the Mercury Model, combined with improving savings delivered by sustainability and energy management efforts, another positive outcome continues to be enjoyed. Staff attrition rates have fallen by a notable amount, as more people have expressed higher levels of job satisfaction, and this will reduce the cost and disruption of recruiting new team members.
We’ve succeeded in making the FM relationship far less passive and we now have to make every effort to add more value
One of the contributing factors within this is the Hidden Workers Report, commissioned in May of last year by Legal & General, which addresses numerous aspects of inequality within the business environment. It highlights the benefits of improved access to sick pay, healthcare and death in service benefits, along with many other aspects.
Representatives from members of the company and its supply chain are being invited to join steering groups and engage with workshops to ensure that a standardised approach is adopted and applies to all partners. All of the above will be further enhanced through the higher levels of engagement in all areas.
“There’s a lot of power in the FM industry and that’s being realised through the efforts of everyone at LGIM, Bellrock and our supply chain partners. This is increasingly including appreciation of the hopes and dreams of staff members and allowing them to achieve their potential and ambitions,” says Mr Tyson.
His views are again supported by Mr Smart, further emphasising the close working relationship between LGIM and Bellrock: “It’s really rewarding to see all these achievements and outcomes being realised and shows that our industry can continue to increase the way it benefits all of UK society,” he says.
Given that the company has implemented the Mercury Model throughout a large estate and included all members of the extensive LGIM supply chain, from the largest to the smallest, there is no doubt that this can be replicated in all areas of FM and real estate.
Not only has it addressed a large proportion of the negative issues seen for many years – including placing cost as the most important factor in tendering exercises – but it has additionally delivered a high percentage of the desired outcomes, such as achieving savings while raising the levels of customer support and loyalty.
It’s really rewarding to see all these achievements and outcomes being realised and shows that our industry can continue to increase the way it benefits all of UK society
Managing Director Adrian Hunter and Founder Andy Steele talk about the future goals for 360 and how its Sport Finance & Mentoring service can transform sporting venues
It’s been an incredibly successful year for award-winning northern accountancy firm, 360 Chartered Accountants. With an ever-increasing number of clients spreading across Yorkshire and the north, last year saw them launching their brand-new service aimed specifically at the sporting sector.
Managing Director, Adrian Hunter, is a leading player in the UK sport, stadia and leisure sector, with over 20 years’ executive experience with blue chip and large corporate companies. His expertise in the management of sporting venues and the opening of new stadiums in the UK, from the
catering commercial and event management side, is unrivalled. He said:
“The idea for 360 Sport Finance and Mentoring really came in response to a number of approaches from both professional and semi-professional sports clubs who recognised our expertise in this field. We have over 40 years’ combined experience in this sector on the 360 Board and you would be hard-pressed to find this level of skill and knowledge under one roof in the accountancy sector.”
Alongside Adrian is 360 Founder Andy Steele who has helped countless sporting clubs throughout
his distinguished accountancy career with funding applications, business development grants, research and development tax credits, tax advice and capital allowance claims on stadia expenditure and improvements as well as energy efficiencies and reducing carbon footprints.
At the forefront of innovation in the accountancy sector
“There was a gap in the market for our sporting expertise, said Andy and Adrian, and it just made sense to offer this as a separate entity, which is why we set up 360 Sports Finance and Mentoring.
“Yes, we are an accountancy practice and we do all the things that other accountants offer, but this is one of our specialisms. As a business, we are huge supporters of professional and grassroots clubs, as well as being avid sports fans, and we are already working with lots of professional and semiprofessionals clubs in the North of England.
“We are helping stadia and venues with procurement, recruitment, training, catering agreements and pouring rights partnerships, business development through new income streams, finance, commercial agreements as well as non-event day revenue generation.
“In fact, we believe no other accountancy firm has this amount of sporting expertise in their locker.”
The firm’s success has, in the last year, seen them spread their wings from Hull to York and now to Wakefield, where they have just opened a permanent office at the Be Well Support Stadium, the home of Rugby League’s Wakefield Trinity.
Now, in 2023, they are turning their gaze nationwide, looking to help grow even more sporting venues across the UK. Andy Steele continued:
“We’ve worked in the sporting sector for over two decades and have gained a unique insight into what does and doesn’t work. It’s a challenging sector and one that we love. We have been thrilled with the response and we know we are making a difference to our clients in terms of financial growth, generating new and additional income streams, ensuring they maximise their revenue for a successful and sustainable future. We are also producing Management Information and Key Performance Indicators for clients so that they can regularly review performance across their business.”
“We’ve consulted on a number of new projects recently,” continued Adrian, “and we are now keen to talk to more venues and stadia across the UK. We don’t want to limit our service to the North, particularly now when the situation is even more important in terms of generating income for nonmatch days as well as structuring and reviewing the financial make-up of sporting clubs.”
“We often find that stadiums think they’ve got a good deal when it comes to their current catering agreements but it’s always worth reviewing it. In fact, we have found that when we look at existing arrangements we’ve managed to secure better financial returns for our clients – and that all comes from our knowledge and contacts in the food and beverage industry.”
“As a business we’ve got unrivalled expertise in the opening of new venues and stadiums and would welcome the opportunity to discuss any developments that are in the planning stages, from a catering and events perspective. This applies to both new builds and any expansion of existing stadia. The best time to drive your revenue opportunities is up to 12 months prior to the stadium opening.
We can also help with the recruitment of staff, training and the implementation of marketing strategies. We ensure you stay on the right track and we actively work to help develop opportunities collaboratively.
“We know how difficult it is for business owners currently and we are happy to have a no-obligation, informal chat to discuss ways we can potentially help.”
To arrange an informal chat, please email Adrian Hunter at adrianh@360accountants.co.uk or call him on 07969 171843.
Meanwhile, for more information about 360 Chartered Accountants, please visit www.360accountants.co.uk.
We believe no other accountancy firm has this amount of sporting expertise in their locker
Tunde Olaoye speaks exclusively to FM Director about the successes enjoyed by Monmouthshire County Council in reducing carbon emissions
With industry discussion continuing to increase around the topic of energy usage, the current high costs are combining with increased urgency to reduce carbon emissions, resulting in a number of FM providers reporting their highest number of enquiries for renewable energy installations.
One of the driving factors is that return on investment times are being significantly reduced, providing further support for financial investment. An example of the possibilities available is provided by the partnership between Monmouthshire Borough Council and SSE Energy Solutions, which has seen 22 of its buildings enjoy significant reductions in carbon emissions and energy consumption.
A positive step
SSE Smart Energy Systems sector director Tunde Olaoye says that this has enabled the council to take a major step towards achieving the first phase of its net zero carbon emissions across the county.
“Beginning in October 2019 we began to work with Monmouthshire Borough Council to agree the programme of decarbonisation and payback times,” he continues. “It was financed by a mixture of the Salix Finance energy efficiency loan, the council and blended finance and the works included installations and works for schools, offices and community hubs throughout the county.”
The scale of the project quickly becomes clear when he explains his company’s efforts to improve the operation of the Chepstow Leisure Centre.
“Swimming pools are often high consumers of energy and we created a digital twin of the leisure centre to see how its running would be affected by the improvements,” he continues. “We guarantee the savings based on 31 degrees flow temperature and 29 degrees [water temperature], so any deviation will affect that but ultimately it’s the council’s decision.”
He further explains the need to balance the comfort of leisure centre staff and customers with the need to reduce energy costs and the company’s efforts have resulted in significant savings. Its investigations revealed a number of issues that many readers will be familiar with, including the discovery that a combined heat and power (CHP) boiler had been switched off several years before the SSE contract had begun.
Using the digital twin to prove its effectiveness, SSE designed an updated system that included the installation of a new air handling unit (AHU) to ensure improved indoor air quality by including more fresh air and reducing interior condensation levels. “Because the new unit was so much higher, we had to install it outside,” he continues.
The works were in addition to many others on the site but justified by the results of the digital twin, with the extra time required resulting in considerations for some “quick wins” during later stages of the project.
Having received planning permission, a new structure was built on the roof of the leisure centre, including sound attenuation, and the new AHU was installed by using a crane to lift it onto the building. It was then necessary to reconfigure all the ductwork serving the swimming pool, but Mr Olaoye says there have been no complaints about noise and the savings achieved shows these efforts to have been entirely worthwhile.
The swimming pool also previously relied on two atmospheric boilers for heating, which were shown to be performing inefficiently in supplying the base load of around 20kW. “Our solution was to specify a micro CHP with freestanding high-efficiency boilers,” says Mr Olaoye.
He further states that although the CHP unit consumes gas, it provides high levels of efficiency and produces much less carbon than the previous system. Air-source heat pumps were considered, but the cost of these compared with the savings provided by the CHP unit ultimately showed this to be the most effective investment.
“You can compare CHP versus a lowtemperature heat pump, and you could argue that they’re close to each other in terms of performance. CHP will generate a lot of electricity by using gas and you’ll get a good saving but have a slightly higher carbon footprint, while with a lowtemperature heat pump with a COP of around three, you’ve got to think of the electricity you’re still paying for and you’ll need to have the right electrical capacity within a very well-designed system,” he explains.
“I think there’s still a place for some micro CHPs, but if people think ‘I have to get to net zero by 2030 and need to get rid of all CHPs’, they’ll miss out on some major savings, especially in something like a leisure centre while gas is something like 7p KWh versus electricity, which is around 30p.”
Mr Olaoye further states that the savings delivered by a correctly designed CHP system can then be used to upgrade pools or invested in renewal energy options in the future.
“I think many people would be better off preparing to invest in heat pumps or similar in another 10 years, in many cases, rather than saying ‘I want to hit net zero now’,” he continues.
“In the meantime, you can invest in upgrading the building, improving flow temperatures and all the things that reduce energy use, and then look to invest in an air-source heat pump when you’ve got the system set up properly and have also balanced the books.”
I think many people would be better off preparing to invest in heat pumps or similar in another 10 years, in many cases, rather than saying ‘I want to hit net zero now’
Adopting this method will additionally avoid the issue of installing heat pumps before the building or its systems are properly prepared, which can prove costly from both energy usage and carbon footprint perspectives.
He further explains that although the leisure centre continues to use gas boilers, these are now high-efficiency condensing models that use matrix burners with a “very good turndown ratio” and are a significant improvement on the previous models.
“There is a time and place to move to heat pumps but I would urge people to err on the side of caution and perhaps consider bivalent systems, where you match very high-efficiency boilers for the peak demand with the use of heat pumps for the base load.”
This method will avoid having to specify heat pumps or CHP units that are larger and more costly, which may then also require electrical and other upgrades and further reduce any savings.
3D tools
For the Chepstow Leisure Centre, Mr Olaoye states that the use of 3D modelling proved essential to ensure that everything would fit into the “very tight space” available within the existing plant room, saving further expense by avoiding additional works.
“It was also used to determine work schedules and avoid major disruptions in service.
“It was a complex process but by using 3D modelling and BIM, we were able to understand how we do that and developed prefabricated components that we could change over quickly.
“We also then looked at low flow showers from a company called Kelder, which have a small microprocessor inside that pumps air that mixes with water,” he says.
Standard showers will typically use between 6l and 8l of water per minute, compared with the 4l per minute used by the new models. This reduces hot water usage without detracting from the user experience, says Mr Olaoye.
The extensive list of works for the Chepstow school and leisure centre represents a small percentage of the overall project, with many more hurdles overcome, particularly with achieving planning permission on several of the 22 sites. However, the positive and helpful attitude of the client proved to be another significant factor in achieving the best outcomes.
An example of the above is the fitting of solar PV panels on carports at some sites, which were subject to the SuDS Standards of stormwater management. This is a particularly important issue for Wales, with many areas designated as being at risk of flooding.
“We had around two to three months of working with the SuDS consultant and the local authority to look at how we managed the run-off of storm water,” Mr Olaoye explains. The solution agreed upon involved the building of large planters alongside the car ports to take the water from the gutters and slow the flow down to reduce the impact on drainage systems.
“You don’t have SuDS in England but it shows how important it is to consider all the angles when you start to upgrade buildings and systems,” he continues.
The council has big ambitions to reduce carbon emissions in all areas, so we’re looking at increasing the use of ground solar
“Also with the carports, it’s important to do mock-ups and even visit the sites with a tape measure to show everyone how high they’ll be and make sure there’s enough clearance or that they’ll be used by the right type of vehicles.”
Having successfully completed phase one of the upgrade of the 22 council facilities, the company is now engaged with and considering additional works that will be necessary in future, with the completion of phase four signalling the final stage. One of the areas of focus will include the installation of more LED lighting, which will combine with the PV solar panels on 10 buildings to deliver savings of approximately £90,000 per year over the next eight years.
Due to the high level of complexity of various aspects of phase one, the installation of LED lighting is considered to be a “quick win” that provides savings and will be much easier to install than the upgrades at Chepstow Leisure Centre, for example.
“We’re also looking at the BMS systems using the smart buildings functionality in our company with our energy management centre in Glasgow. So when we upgrade buildings, we put a new BMS in, optimise the set point and connect it to the energy management centre and provide a high-level view to allow the local authority to look at their different sites and really understand the capability of their BMS.
“They can connect with any device and we’re continuing to look at how we can work with the client and improve that remote delivery aspect,” says Mr Olaoye.
Future phases of the project will also include the upgrade of the fabric of the buildings, reducing the need for heating and cooling in the drive to achieve the client’s carbon reduction ambitions. Once these are complete, further considerations will be given to the installation of renewable energy systems.
“We’re aiming to identify the next 10 buildings to work on and we’re continuing to work with the council to discuss additional aspects such as electric vehicle charging hubs,” he continues.
Further discussions are additionally continuing to assist the council with the decarbonisation of all its estate, which will cover all the aspects described earlier and include considerations for further improvement of existing systems. An example of this includes the analysis of existing solar PV systems, which will consider whether these can be further extended.
“The council has big ambitions to reduce carbon emissions in all areas, so we’re looking at increasing the use of ground solar. The council has a lot of land and wants to use it to generate power wherever it can.
“In the best outcome, you can achieve a double benefit by generating income and savings through these renewable systems that can then be reinvested to decarbonise more buildings.” Mr Olaoye expects the results of the various ongoing surveys to be available in the next few months. These results will then be used to progress considerations for the next phases of the decarbonisation project.
Funding for future works will continue to be a mix of Salix Finance loans, combined with revenue from the borough council and topped up by the SSE Net Zero Assimilation Plan where necessary, which is a £25bn fund designed for use over the next 10 years to deliver a variety of low and zero carbon initiatives.
“The fund means we can support local authorities in different regions and bring investment to build new heat networks, energy generation and efficiency schemes, etc, and because we have our balance sheet funding, we don’t need to have more private investment. Combined with our technical expertise this means we can deliver the whole package,” he says.
We’re aiming to identify the next 10 buildings to work on and we’re continuing to work with the council to discuss additional aspects such as electric vehicle charging hubs
Post-pandemic upgrade of offi ces includes major drive to encourage more people to return to their place of work
There has been a seemingly endless stream of comment and coverage discussing the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, which is unsurprising given the fact that it has been described as the most profound global event of its type.
One of the many areas it has affected is that of the workplace, with the initial UK lockdown seeing the majority of offices experiencing significantly reduced numbers of workers in attendance, and some closing down completely. Initial reactions included predictions of the death of the office and these were supported by the companies that stated they could no longer see any reason for leasing commercial premises.
Perhaps one of the most notable changes in direction could be seen a few months later, however, as many businesses reported the difficulties they were experiencing through lack of collaboration between colleagues and clients due to the majority of staff working from home. Although companies and individuals had quickly embraced the use of online communication channels – including Skype, Microsoft Teams and Zoom – to replace in-person meetings, the absence of informal and unplanned communication became a notable issue.
With companies increasingly noting the impact of reduced collaboration on their activities, the initial wave of office refurbishments during the first year of the pandemic saw the reduction of formal desk space and an increase in breakout areas in many cases. Those already engaged in the planning of office refurbishment prior to the emergence of the virus adjusted their designs to meet the new requirements where possible.
Others reported that they had brought their plans forward to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the lockdowns and empty or much quieter buildings, which were also adjusted to encourage more collaborative interaction between colleagues and customers. One of the best examples of these projects was completed by Lloyds of London, which implemented its planned office refurbishment much earlier than it originally intended.
Existing plans were quickly and effectively adapted to meet the demands of the company’s staff and traders during the first lockdown resulting from the pandemic. When conditions began to ease and staff returned to their office, they were greeted by dramatic changes to their working environment.
The building had been transformed to include a number of modern, attractive and comfortable areas designed to encourage everyone to engage with collaborative working practices. The changes included a selection of adaptable spaces that incorporate both open meeting areas and enclosed booths that reduce exterior noise and provide more privacy.
An additional enhancement to the modern design has been provided by upgrading the lighting with LED luminaires that complement the various new interior effects while considerably reducing energy requirements.
All pedestals have been removed from desking and each person now has a locker in which to keep personal items, allowing everyone to be more flexible in their working arrangements.
The building had been transformed to include a number of modern, attractive and comfortable areas designed to encourage everyone to engage with collaborative working practices
Additional effort was also devoted to assisting all workers to adapt to their new working environment through the provision of a selection of online change management courses.
With the virus continuing to wax and wane, resulting in more lockdowns and subsequent relaxation of social distancing rules, additional contributing factors have continued to influence workplace interior design.
The introduction of agile working practices by businesses operating in all areas has seen high numbers of these continuing to be adjusted, with the aim of making them more effective for both the company and its employees. Widely varying staff attitudes have additionally been recorded by employers when discussing thoughts on returning to the workplace, with some stating their eagerness to attend and others preferring to remain working remotely.
This can be seen to have resulted in the workplace being made into a more relaxed environment, with the aim of encouraging higher numbers of employees to use their office more frequently. Among the various changes resulting from this trend has been the introduction of upholstered furniture, accessories and soft lighting.
There are, of course, numerous additional areas of influence that have continued to emerge, including the more recent issues with recruitment of staff, combined with the rise in inflation and cost of living that continue to have implications for workplace attendance. An example of this has been the consideration for employees to reduce their domestic utility bills by attending their office, allowing them to turn off home appliances.
Further to all the various points above, another influential factor when redesigning office space is the increased level of consideration for sustainability. Perhaps the most notable effect of this has been the sourcing of materials and equipment.
The best examples of raising the levels of workplace sustainability are evident in offices that include furniture, fittings, accessories and equipment sourced from the most appropriate and relevant suppliers.
These items will typically include environmentally friendly components, such as wood and fabrics made from natural materials, while also being sourced from local suppliers where possible to reduce the carbon emissions involved in moving them around.
There are further implications to consider in all the above, of course, which is often the case when discussing areas of relevance to the FM sector. One of the most important of these to our industry is that refurbishment shines a spotlight on the value that FMs and their service provider partners are delivering and further extending upon in many instances.
When comparing the role of FMs and service providers 10 years ago with the best examples of today, which will typically include an intelligent client that works in close partnership with the main providers of contracted services, the difference is obvious. While this does not mean that shortterm thinking and parent/child relationships have disappeared completely, it nevertheless emphasises the progress being made and the higher levels of appreciation of best practice FM delivery.
Further evidence of how the workplace is being made more attractive to leaseholders and their employees can be seen in this issue of FM Director Our case study report on the Black & White Building includes all the topics outlined above (turn to page 48 of this issue).
Although not technically a refurbishment, the reconstruction of the facility adds a significant level of interest that will make it of much greater note to those considering the options for their own sites or those of their clients.
The extensive use of timber throughout the building, including the replacement of concrete for structural support above ground level, not only improves its sustainability credentials by a significant amount, but also adds to its appeal as a workplace with a unique atmosphere and appearance.
One of the most important of these to our industry is that refurbishment shines a spotlight on the value that FMs and their service provider partners are delivering
Its interior design provides further areas of interest for anyone considering the upgrade or refurbishment of workplaces and offices. Most of the tables and seats in breakout areas were sourced with sustainability as a main requirement, using local businesses wherever possible.
Both the architect and interior design companies are located within the Shoreditch area of London and several of the suppliers of the furniture and accessories are additionally based nearby. Upholstered sofas and cushions are all covered in fabric with high levels of sustainability.
Another case study in this issue provides additional alignment with the topics featured above, while also highlighting the trend for service providers to become more involved with the upgrading and redesign of workplaces. The redesign of the Sodexo London head office in One Southampton Row followed the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic (turn to page 40 of this issue).
In addition to providing the company with a more adaptable space that sees its main reception area used for live events of varying sizes, it occupies less than 50% of the floor area and is saving the company a considerable amount on its leasing costs. This aligns with another trend following the pandemic of companies reducing the size of their office, as businesses continue their efforts to remain profitable.
One more topic deserving of coverage within the
subject of the refurbishment of workplaces and is the application of technology. While the use of the latest options is relevant to all areas of the FM sector, it is of particular relevance for this feature.
There is an almost bewildering choice of solutions available, and these range from the provision of automated reception, concierge and catering services to the monitoring of occupancy levels and sharing of electronic information. It is now entirely feasible for those visiting a facility for the first time to be greeted, directed to the area or the people they are meeting, allowed to choose their catering requirements and easily connect to the in-house system or network necessary for their electronic device to assist with their presentation.
The last three years have seen unprecedented levels of change for businesses and the FM industry in particular, with both negative and positive outcomes. Motivational speakers will no doubt state that everyone has a choice of how they view and adapt to change, with the aim of encouraging higher numbers of people to adjust to new and emerging conditions by adopting more upbeat attitudes.
Those provided with the opportunity of employment within recently refurbished workplaces have considerably more opportunities to embrace their working environments with improved levels of enthusiasm, which provides employers with the opportunity to reap the benefits of higher levels of productivity, improved attendance and increased loyalty as a result.
Those provided with the opportunity of employment within recently refurbished workplaces have considerably more opportunities to embrace their working environments
Having gathered together a mix of senior FM industry personnel to discuss the sector’s net zero journey, we now share the highlights with FM Director readers
Having gathered together a mix of senior FM industry personnel to discuss the sector’s net zero journey, we now share the highlights with FM Director readers
One of the ongoing ‘hot topics’ within the FM industry is that of achieving net zero carbon emissions, which is being driven by a growing number of client organisations and the larger service provider businesses.
Among the many aspects of this debate is how FM service providers and their clients can support each other in their aims around net zero, which may vary from the desire to understand the carbon footprint of their organisation, to reducing emissions and energy usage.
Due to the complexity of the topic and its various connotations, the FM net zero journey was chosen as the focus of discussions for the first roundtable event organised by FM Business Daily. Held at the impressive KI Europe showroom and office in New Fetter Lane, London, the event included a mix of senior representatives from large and SME-size hard service providers, consultants and client-side FMs.
Prior to the debate, the delegates enjoyed an impressive buffet lunch provided by Sodexo catering provider Fooditude, which received numerous compliments for the quality and taste of the freshly prepared meals. The more informal buffet-style lunch was also appreciated by delegates for allowing everyone to mix freely and get to know each other before beginning the discussion.
Everyone then prepared for the main purpose of attending, which took place in the KI Clubhouse, a new product about to be launched by the company and providing a fascinating early experience of the meeting room concept.
The debate quickly revealed the difference in attitude and approach to the net zero topic. While the larger service providers represented on the day were more aware and advanced in mapping out both their carbon footprints and working towards the net zero emissions target, SME businesses were less likely to have achieved this.
There were also wide-ranging divisions from those representing the client side of the industry, although this was not due to the size of the businesses in question. The differences in understanding and approach revealed by the opening remarks of delegates led to a general agreement that an overarching process should be provided by the government, with the aim of assisting a more coordinated effort from businesses.
Concern was expressed over the lack of involvement and support from the government, which was attributed to it being distracted by the Coronavirus pandemic and the various political upheavals and change of leaders last year. Bearing in mind the 2050 deadline for the UK to achieve its legally binding target to reach net zero carbon status, the urgency for making more notable progress is increasing, with just over 25 years left to make the significant changes required.
Suggestions to assist the government to improve its efforts to support businesses included increasing its levels of collaboration with industry bodies and associations, the majority of which were able to provide exemplary levels of expertise.
Another point of discussion included the advice from delegates to avoid relying on the method of offsetting carbon emissions by investing in relevant projects, such as tree planting, or purchasing carbon credits.
With all service providers present on the day involved in the operation of fleets of cars and vans for engineers to attend sites, questions were asked about how it would be possible to achieve net zero for these companies.
There has been additional comment from industry experts advising against relying on purchasing carbon credits, as the price of these can historically be seen to rise dramatically as demand increases. This is likely to be the case as the 2050 deadline approaches and organisations seek to offset their outstanding emissions.
Deep Mahida Wates FM Claire Curran Linaker Jack Prady Thermatic Nick Platt Salisbury Group Gerry Goonan D Hammond Michael Elliott Over-C Harry Leeson Newtons Group Chaired by FM Business Daily managing editor Dennis Flower Simon Mussett Sodexo Geoff Grateley FM Consultant Simon Jones Ambisense Darren Steer Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Alan Gilbert Middle Temple Law Society Stephen Kennedy Rugby Football UnionFor those starting out on the journey to reduce their emissions, the best-agreed method was to avoid trying to achieve too much
The use of entirely electric vehicles was considered impractical for those travelling long distances on a regular basis, due mainly to the lack of sufficient charging facilities.
It was therefore stated that only marginal gains would be achieved through investing in electric vehicle fleets.
With several delegates reporting that they found identifying their Scope 1 and 2 emissions difficult, there was general agreement on the need for considerably more information to be provided to enable them to understand Scope 3.
The creation of frameworks was deemed to be urgently required to provide a much more understandable means of reducing carbon emissions, both from an individual company perspective and for all members of the supply chain.
Another recommendation from delegates touched on the need for closer collaboration between all members of the supply chain to agree on the actions required to reduce carbon emissions.
Among the various benefits outlined was the assistance this would provide to smaller businesses that did not have the same resources available as larger organisations, particularly in the area of net zero and the actions required.
For those starting out on the journey to reduce their emissions, the best-agreed method was to avoid trying to achieve too much. It was advised that the most effective route was to take small steps initially and focus on the easiest areas.
Further to this, it should be noted that the most successful projects were those that had been delivered on a localised basis, typically because they were easier to manage.
It was additionally suggested that the majority of successful sustainability actions followed a similar profile and had been completed by local businesses, with the aim of assisting others in their immediate community.
While engaging with clients and supply chain members, each business should ensure that all colleagues were included in messages and the sharing of information, it was stated. With the advantages including improved sustainability and environmental credentials for those reducing their carbon emissions, raising awareness of these positives can encourage everyone in the business to increase their efforts to support all the processes employed.
Due to the high levels of complexity surrounding the net zero journey, it was decided that organisations should not expect to achieve the completion of their actions without significant levels of effort and investment.
The discussion then turned to the potential of legislation to drive higher levels of compliance and reduction of carbon emissions.
With no financial penalties currently in existence for large organisations failing to comply with reducing their emissions, smaller companies should be aware of the risks that they may be exposed to by investing too much resource into this area.
On a more positive note, there is significant potential for service providers to advise and influence their clients, which could then lead to additional benefits - such as increasing the scope of contracts and the gaining of new business - when applied correctly.
This led to debate about the higher levels of appreciation from clients and real estate investors in the value of buildings and how to protect this. Significant increases in WELL Building Standard accreditations had been recorded in recent years, it was stated, and it is highly likely that this will continue and combine with carbon emissions, becoming one of the most important factors in building management in future.
The ability of service providers to assist in the building and maintenance of facilities with low carbon emissions was seen as another means to raise business activity levels.
The growing focus on embodied carbon, combined with the fact that the majority of the UK’s commercial buildings will need to be refurbished before 2050, means that those able to provide the necessary support services are likely to see rising levels of demand.
Concern
was expressed over the lack of involvement and support from the government
Case study articles within FM Director have supported these views, with the examples of the two libraries in the December/January issue being the most recent of these. Both have recorded significant levels of energy usage and carbon emissions reductions through refurbishment initiatives, particularly in the case of Swiss Cottage Library., The National Library of Scotland, meanwhile, provides an excellent example of how the use of technology – and particularly that of artificial intelligence (AI) – can be applied and deliver considerable gains in these areas.
Another fascinating area of debate by the delegates produced further advice for companies seeking to reduce their carbon emissions and increase their environmental credentials.
It was suggested that the businesses that had either employed or were rapidly approaching the size where they would recruit a chief financial officer should also appoint a sustainability manager or director.
It was additionally suggested that employing a sustainability director would have the same impact and benefits for a business as appointing a chief financial officer. Any company personnel involved in improving or delivering the sustainability of the business should have significant involvement in its net zero journey on a central basis.
Further discussion was devoted to one of the highly notable recent developments within the FM sector– namely, the increased use of technology and recognition of the importance of creating and analysing accurate data. Delegates agreed that this will be another essential factor in identifying the areas where most attention is required to reduce carbon emissions.
Another area of agreement was that of the number of facilities with inadequate energy management processes embedded, leading to considerable levels of waste and high levels of carbon emissions. The application of effective technology combined with the expertise of FM service providers and intelligent clients would result in dramatically reduced energy usage and emissions, it was stated.
Further discussion was devoted to the claims made by some large businesses, with insufficient levels of proof and supporting evidence, that the outcomes claimed had been delivered. Delegates agreed that ‘greenwashing’ should be avoided at all costs, as this could have a significant negative impact and result in the reverse of the intended outcome being achieved.
Additional topics of discussion were covered throughout the event, and all attendees stated their appreciation for being invited.
FM Business Daily has received a number of enquiries for the staging of more live events in the future and those wishing to discuss sponsorship are invited to contact managing director Cheryl Ellerington cheryl@fmbusinessdaily.com
Employing a sustainability director would have the same impact and benefits for a business as appointing a chief financial officer
Among the many results of the Coronavirus pandemic experienced by the FM industry has been the notable drive for FMs to change their workplaces to meet the needs of their clients and colleagues. With many companies continuing to adjust their flexible working strategies, offices have become far more adaptable and productive as a result.
This trend has proved to be another example of the opportunities that arise as companies adapt their businesses accordingly. Within the growth of flexible working, another significant driver has been the issues experienced by many businesses in recruiting staff following record levels of employment seen around the UK.
Companies are now increasingly appreciating the benefits of providing an attractive, flexible and modern workspace for their staff in order to keep them engaged, productive and more likely to remain with the
business for longer. Having seen these issues begin to develop within the first UK Covid-19 lockdown, Sodexo launched its Vital Spaces concept in 2020.
The company showed the courage of its conviction in applying this to the redesign of its head office at One Southampton Row (OSR) in central London. Its staff have been provided with a modern, attractive and adaptable workspace and the company reports it is now seeing occupancy levels increase as a result of its efforts.
Sodexo’s head of workplace, corporate services, Harpreet Cheema (pictured above, third from left) explains the project that he was involved in as the pandemic continued to disrupt the FM sector in 2020. One of the first things to appreciate is that the company’s OSR head office facility is now significantly smaller than it was in 2019, but has proved to be more popular with employees.
Using its Vital Spaces workplace concept, Sodexo has transformed its head office to make it more attractive and productive for its staff and clients
When technology is used effectively and combined with analysis it can then show how the space is being used
Although the footprint might now be smaller, through its clever and innovative use of the space, Sodexo has maintained the same number of desks and spaces for colleagues to use.
“We looked at our office occupancy levels at the start of the project, including whether this office was the best for us or whether we should move to another location,” says Mr Cheema. “We used to occupy the entire floor and the one below, but now just have this space.”
While those familiar with the previous OSR facility may notice the reduction, the redesign of the office provides the impression of a well-lit and spacious facility on entry.
First impressions are important, of course, and visitors to the office are also given an early introduction to the high level of investment in technology that has been a major part of the redesign project.
Members of staff can scan their company ID, while those attending on-site meetings receive a QR code to present on arrival, which then alerts the person or people being visited and sends details of the facility, such as Wi-Fi login and location of restrooms, along with details of fire alarms and health and safety advice.
Those waiting for their meeting host to join them have a choice of sofas, comfortable booths, high tables and stools or informal seating areas in which to sit. Mr Cheema further explains that all furniture is designed to allow the area to be easily adapted to host events of different types.
Vital Spaces is Sodexo’s ecosystem of connected workplace and employee-focused services. Designed to create agile spaces, enhance employee engagement and wellbeing, and optimise productivity, all enabled by user-centric technology.
Sodexo’s Corporate Services business delivers workplace services, facilities management and food services to some of the world’s most recognisable brands. Its teams have expertise operating across a range of different environments in the corporate sector, including headquarters, regional offices, data centres, manufacturing centres and research and development hubs, in sectors as diverse as professional services, financial services, pharmaceuticals, media and technology.
“Everything is on wheels, which makes it very quick and easy to move and we’ve found that it’s a great space to hold meetings for up to 120 people,” he continues. “We also looked at the desk space and what was and wasn’t needed, including individual offices.”
Research with staff members showed that in addition to hot desking and secure lockers, meeting rooms of various sizes were needed, with the intention of allowing the most appropriate areas to be reserved. “That’s another aspect that’s worked well and you don’t see one or two people sitting in large meeting rooms now,” he says.
“We’ve also made a considerable investment in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and this is providing us with the data to show how the space is used and whether we need to make adjustments.” He points out sensors located in the ceiling and under desks that provide the occupancy-level data used by the company to support decisions when changes are required.
Sodexo chief executive officer for corporate services UK and Ireland, Julie Ennis continues the conversation by explaining the value of the data gleaned from the company’s investment in IoT.
“The generation of targeted data is so important for the workplace because we all work in different ways, so we need to make sure the space supports everyone in the best way.
“When technology is used effectively and combined with analysis it can then show how the space is being used, and the sensors are also used to monitor the level of air quality and room temperature and can also provide the data to prove the need for change,” she says.
The effective use of technology is also clearly evident in the process of booking meeting rooms and accessing monitors, Mr Cheema continues. “Regardless of the device being used, there’s a single login required to access everything. This can apply to people using a phone, tablet or laptop, it doesn’t matter, it’s the same login and there’s no need for all the different types of cables and it removes all the potential difficulties that we used to see before.”
Sodexo has established an impressive reputation for its catering services and these are also easily accessible within OSR, although there is no on-site kitchen or food preparation areas. Staff members and clients requiring these services can place orders by using the appropriate portal, which are then processed by one of the company’s delivered -in food services partners, Fooditude or The Good Eating Company and delivered at the required time.
“Reducing food waste is a big thing for us and delivering from a central facility means that we’re able to control this without compromising on service or quality. The absence of a kitchen at OSR means we save more space, too,” says Ms Ennis.
Sodexo has committed to reducing its food waste by 50% by 2025 as part of its Social Impact Pledge and states that this is well ahead of the United Nation’s goal of halving this on a global level by 2030.
Having invested in its OSR facility and seen occupancy levels rise as a result, the company is understandably keen to share its experiences with existing and potential customers. “We’ve put a great deal of effort to apply our Vital Spaces concept to OSR and it’s now proving to be an effective sales tool for showing clients how this works,” she continues. “Of course, not everything they see here will match their requirements, but one of the many great things about it is that it’s extremely flexible and can be easily adapted to suit each company and help them to enjoy the benefits.”
With industry discussion continuing to consider the best means of establishing the correct flexible working methods, combined with how to ensure that returns on real estate investments are delivered, Sodexo is finding that its Vital Spaces concept is proving helpful in assisting clients in these areas and additionally increasing the levels of collaborative working with clients.
Reducing food waste is a big thing for us and delivering from a central facility means that we’re able to control this without compromising on service or quality
The latest changes to fire and building safety legislation – the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 – came into force on 23 January 2023. Implementing the majority of the recommendations made to government in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report, the legislation focuses on high-rise buildings and the duties of the ‘responsible person’ and includes a clear focus on the importance of fire doors in maintaining building fire safety.
Where does the legislation apply?
It applies to existing multi-occupied residential buildings that contain two or more sets of domestic premises, and it sets out to improve the fire safety of highrise buildings. The new rules apply to the communal parts of the building such as corridors and laundry rooms, as well as entrance doors to flats, internal walls and floors and external walls.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 were introduced under article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and are focused on the role of the responsible person. For blocks of flats, this could be the person who has control of the premises via ownership or freehold, or it could be the managing agents for the block or a residents’ management company.
Although the term ‘responsible person’ seemingly refers to an individual, it’s important to note that it could also refer to an organisation.
The new legislation has a clear focus on the role of fire doors within high-rise buildings and in regulation 10 there are two key areas that the responsible person needs to be aware of:
The responsible person is required to ensure that all residents are aware of important information. This includes the facts that fire doors should be kept shut when not in use, self-closing devices installed on fire doors should not be tampered with, and that residents should report faults and damages immediately to the responsible person.
A new resident should receive this information as soon as is reasonably practicable after they move into a building and it should also be regularly communicated to all residents at least once a year.
The legislation also provides updates to fire door checks and inspections. These are crucial in ensuring that a fire door is fit for purpose throughout its lifespan and that any maintenance needs are quickly identified and addressed.
If the building is above 11m in height the responsible person should use their ‘best endeavours’ to check all flat entrance doors at least every 12 months and conduct inspections of fire doors in communal areas at least every three months.
The government guidance states that the checks should be simple and not require a specialist to carry out, as they do not require any tools, should ensure self-closing devices are working and look for potential alterations to the fire door, as well as obvious defects. The government has produced a sample checklist to support with the visual inspections.
All data gathered from the fire door checks should be recorded electronically to provide a digital record of all fire door checks scheduled and undertaken.
Although visual inspections can quickly identify obvious maintenance issues, the role of fire door specialists and inspectors should not be overlooked. Suitably qualified and experienced fire door inspectors can conduct a thorough inspection which can highlight issues that may not be visible that could prevent the door from performing as designed in the event of a fire.
For high-frequency areas, where fire doors are more susceptible to damage, best practice recommends that they are inspected more frequently.
Through the BWF and the BWF Fire Door Alliance, a wide range of guidance and advice materials can provide insight and further detail.
For more information visit: https://firedoors.bwf.org.uk/knowledge-centre/firedoor-inspection-maintenance/
As the UK’s leading provider of specialist services to the construction and FM sectors, PTSG is an authoritative voice in many areas concerning the protection of people, property and places
Fire safety is one area of building and facilities management in which there should never be any compromise. Recent experience, including the tragic Grenfell fire in 2017, has made this absolutely clear.
The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into effect on 23 January. They were introduced as a direct result of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, following the Grenfell fire. The regulations make it a requirement in law for responsible persons of high-rise and multi-occupied residential buildings to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services, fire safety instructions to residents and actions regarding fire doors.
The specific requirements of Duty Holders are detailed on the government website and PTSG has also run a campaign detailing how our Fire Solutions team can provide expert help in this area.
The 2022 amendments to the Building Regulations (2010) banned combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings in blocks of flats, which was the primary cause of the rapid spread of the Grenfell fire. The Grenfell Tower – and many other similar buildings – also lacked other basic fire safety measures including fire alarms, sprinklers and a basic fire escape, with only a single staircase.
In PTSG’s experience, since forming a discrete business division for the provision of fire solutions, sprinkler systems are widely acknowledged to be the most effective method to ensure that fires are suppressed or even extinguished before the fire service can arrive. They save lives and reduce injuries, protect firefighters who attend incidents and reduce the amount of damage to both property and the environment from fire. In the UK there has been no loss of life in properties where fire sprinklers have been installed. This includes both commercial and residential premises.
When a fire breaks out in a building, the focus is quite rightly on the safety of people and ensuring injury is prevented as far as possible. A fire in the workplace can see a business close for a period of
time during which an extensive clean-up operation will be needed, as well as the processing of insurance claims. There is also the recovery or replacement of office equipment and documentation to consider. All in all, the cost of a fire can run into many thousands of pounds and if this includes injuries to people, the cost may be immeasurable.
It is a primary focus of PTSG to provide not only a range of fire solutions for buildings but also advice on how best to protect people, properties and places. As we state on our website (ptsg.co.uk), fire safety must be the foundation upon which all buildings are constructed, with rigorous regular testing and maintenance. This is echoed in guidance provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which states that “Fire safety in construction is about eliminating fire risks during the design phase (where practicable), preventing fires from starting and ensuring people’s safety if they do.”
PTSG works collaboratively with its customers and the services and equipment it delivers are often an integral part of a building’s design. Fire safety is now one of our biggest growth areas; by continuing to keep quality and safety clearly aligned, we will safeguard the users of the buildings we work on.
PTSG provides a full range of fire prevention and suppression systems and tailored security systems for every kind of public and private building:
Dry and wet risers
Sprinkler systems
Fire detection and life safety systems
Fire and smoke damper inspection and testing
Security systems
Passive fire services
Fire hydrants and pumps
Pump room servicing and maintenance
Grease extract ventilation cleaning
Support services and maintenance
Until January 2023, YorPower, PPSPower and Glenace all operated as successful independent companies in their own right
Then came the long awaited announcement from Stephen Peal that the merger was complete and YorPower is now the Group name for all aspects of back-up power:
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems.
Diesel generators.
Installation, commissioning and repairs.
Planned preventative maintenance
UK and export sales
In August last year, Stephen Peal stepped into the role of YorPower Group Managing Director – a statement of intent for the group of companies to operate as one family. Since then, FM Director has been keeping its readers up to date with the restructuring of the companies to facilitate the move to a single company brand. All people now use the same systems, have full visibility of everyone in the different companies and know how each person goes about their job as they all work towards the same goal.
“You could say that the master plan was right there from the beginning, because the PPSPower branding actually looks very much like the YorPower brand,” Stephen states. “So now we’ve taken the logical step of bringing those brands together. For some time, many of our communications have been dual-branded so that people can start seeing the brands together.”
The vision statement for the group is ‘To be the most trusted provider of UPS, generator and control panel solutions’. ‘Trusted’ is a word that has always been synonymous with the YorPower family. In the back-up power industry, companies depend on continuous power – any power failure, even momentary, can be disastrous. That’s why having a reliable and trusted provider of back-up power solutions is so important and YorPower is proud to be that trusted name for a growing number of customers.
The goal now is to build brand awareness without losing sight of the group’s main priority – delivering full back-up power solutions to its customers.
All areas of the business now work from the
company headquarters in West Yorkshire, offering a unique combination of experience, technical excellence and nurtured apprenticeship talent.
“The YorPower group of companies are known and respected for their exceptional customer service and in every project the aim is to delight customers with the very best backup power solutions, be it a new generator or a maintenance package for an existing UPS unit,” Stephen explained.
“The new company structure makes it far easier
and more efficient to achieve that aim. In essence, the YorPower Group is greater than the sum of its parts”.
“The common thread that runs throughout the different areas is our partnership approach: we work collaboratively with our customers to understand exactly what they need so that we can deliver a solution that exceeds their expectations. Now we are applying that same approach within our group of companies. All our staff, from CEO to apprentice, will be part of the one family approach to exceptional service.”
Employee engagement has been key in facilitating a smooth merger. Lack of resource is a common problem industry-wide and YorPower and PPSPower have always had a strong retention rate. Stephen Peal is keen to look after his people and understand what motivates them and, conversely, what may stop them from achieving their full potential.
Several years ago, Stephen became a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) and has since supported many employees and helped other managers in the business to deal with performance management issues in a much better way. He has since become a MHFA ambassador and promoted the need for this within the businesses via video and interviews with industry press.
This qualification has helped Stephen to improve his leadership skills because having an understanding of mental health has enabled him to better understand each of his staff as individuals, exploring ways in which they can be better understood and develop professionally and personally. Naturally an employee who feels understood and valued will perform better. This, in turn, enables Stephen to make the right approach to each person individual, and the team as a whole, more effectively.
“If we can make sure people feel valued, they are lifted, they’re driven, and they’re more aligned with what we’re trying to do. They feel respected and part of it all,” he explained. Ultimately, the hope is that this progressive approach will help YorPower to become an industry-leading employer – the business that people want to work for.
The UK and beyond Emergency back-up power continues to grow and thrive as an industry as more organisations are built around 24/7 service. Even a momentary break in power can be disastrous. For healthcare providers, lives can literally depend on a reliable supply of continuous power.
A generator can be used for standby, prime or base load applications. YorPower manufactures and supplies generators in open frame and enclosed soundproof options from 10kVA right the way up to 4mVA in a single generator configuration, at both 400v (LV) and 11kV (MV). It also provides gas powered generators.
Most emergency power systems are based on diesel generators, but these can take a few seconds to kick in. UPS units are an additional method of ensuring continuous uninterrupted power for businesses, which is crucial for critical environments.
The desire for UK-manufactured and assembled equipment is still extremely sought-after and the export market is going from strength to strength. “With grid infrastructure across Asia and Africa being incredibly unreliable, more and more clients are looking to YorPower for reliable back-up power solutions,” explained YorPower’s Sales Director, Jordan Kincaid.
Working as a complete provider of back-up power solutions, YorPower has a customer base both in the UK and overseas that continues to increase (the company has over 31 dedicated generator dealerships globally). And with the recent reorganisation for increased efficiency, that future looks bright.
Stephen Peal’s ambitious plans for YorPower extend to its carbon footprint, and he has been working closely with environmental, facilities management and software expert neutral carbon zone, which helps businesses to achieve their net zero goals.
“Now that we have brought the businesses together, we’re creating efficiencies that move us towards more of a carbon-efficient situation –because we’re being more effective and more efficient as an organisation,” he explains.
The next step is to establish and share the carbon footprint of YorPower’s services, and to include a price for carbon offsetting in quotations. This would enable the business to support its customers as they began their own decarbonisation journeys.
Mr Peal sees a clear relationship between these efforts to reduce YorPower’s carbon footprint, and his work on employee engagement.
“A carbon-efficient business is an efficient business,” he comments. “Looking after and retaining people makes for an efficient business. When people are engaged, they care about getting the job done, and they care about the customer.”
Reflecting on all the work that has gone into the merger and the creation of the single YorPower brand, Mr Peal concludes: “It’s about walking the walk now.”
If we can make sure people feel valued, they are lifted, they’re driven, and they’re more aligned with what we’re trying to do
There have been long-running discussions around the topic of renovating existing facilities, including the question of whether to demolish and rebuild or use the existing framework as a basis for creating a building that is more fit for purpose.
These conversations have received a boost as a result of the drive to achieve the UK’s legally-binding target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which has led to more facilities being considered for renovation. The principle aim of this is to reduce the levels of embodied carbon within the components used, but the reopening of the Black & White Building by The Office Group (TOG) in London’s Shoreditch area provides a highly relevant alternative view..
Those interested to read how facilities can include the extensive use of wood – one of the most sustainable materials available – to create a highly effective, healthy and attractive workplace are invited to hear more on this topic.
Waugh Thistleton Architects associate director David Lomax conducted an exclusive tour of the building for FM Director, explaining the overriding concept and its focus on sustainability throughout. “The building was previously used as a warehouse. TOG purchased the freehold with planning consent and painted the building black and white, which is where it gets its name. It became apparent that the current structure wasn’t fit for purpose so they used the site to construct a larger and much more sustainable workplace,” he explains.
“We’ve used wood for all aspects of the building
above ground level, so there’s no concrete above ground and very few other materials,” Mr Lomax continues. “This means there’s significantly less embodied carbon when you compare wood with steel or concrete.”
Although concrete has been used in the construction of the floors below ground level, it is entirely absent within the six floors and rooftop terrace of the new structure.
Explaining the decision to use timber throughout the facility, Mr Lomax stresses the importance of sourcing from suppliers that replant trees after they have been cut down, or allow them to regrow. In addition to its sustainability credentials, timber is also a highly attractive material, he says.
“Some buildings choose not to show their use of wood and hide it behind panels or paint over it, but we wanted it to be seen. Everyone likes to see woodgrain and it’s both comforting and restful, which is very supportive of the Black & White Building’s focus on health and wellbeing.”
The building is the first to be rebuilt in the TOG company’s 20-year history, with all others having been refurbished. Company co-founder Charlie Green says: “The Black & White Building represents a major step forward for us and – I hope – the wider industry too.
“It’s a statement of who we are and how we will approach sustainability; we don’t need to build the traditional way with concrete and steel anymore,” he says.
It became apparent that the current structure wasn’t fit for purpose so they used the site to construct a larger and much more sustainable workplace
Using timber in place of these materials means that it was constructed with 37% less embodied carbon, the company states. In addition to its groundbreaking implications for TOG, the facility is also one of the highest mass-timber buildings in central London at 17.8m high, proving that the concept is entirely suited for contemporary offices and workplaces.
Mr Lomax further explains that instead of using concrete and steel to provide the central support for the building, this is delivered by cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) columns and beams sourced from Germany. “The columns are made from hardwood and are loadbearing, taking up less space than a concrete – or softwood - alternative and they’re 2.9 times stronger than steel,” he says.
Another relevant detail is the use of wooden plugs throughout the building to fix the beams and other wooden panels and avoid the use of metal-based alternatives. In addition to CLT, Mr Lomax and his team included laminated veneer lumber (LVL) beams, which also provide high levels of support to the structure.
Both CLT and LVL weigh considerably less than concrete or steel and therefore require lower levels of energy to transport and install, further increasing their sustainability credentials. Natural materials are additionally easier to maintain and recycle at the end of the building’s life.
High levels of daylight are provided by floor-toceiling glazing in many areas, with 57% of the exterior walls consisting of glazing. Having mapped the solar path, Tulipwood louvres have been fitted to the southfacing exterior to reduce solar gain and optimise the flow of natural light and heat into the building.
“The louvres are made from hardwood, because this is obviously more durable than softwood, and are sized so that they provide more shade at the top of the building, which will receive more sunlight, and gradually reduce in depth for lower floors. We designed the building from the inside outward using the architectural sufficiency model,” he continues.
“We also considered the future changes that may be required and we’ve made sure that flexibility has also been included. You never know exactly what will be required but you can design a building so that its internal layout can be altered with the minimum of fuss.”
The louvres are made from hardwood, because this is obviously more durable than softwood, and are sized so that they provide more shade at the top of the building
This means that partition walls or room dividers can be easily installed or removed to meet the requirements of individual leaseholders and allow them to adjust their surroundings to meet the changing needs of their businesses.
Mr Lomax also states that obtaining insurance was not an insurmountable barrier for the Black & White Building and points out that wooden beams perform better than steel alternatives during a fire. “Steel will get to the point where it collapses due to the heat in a major fire, but wood will become charred on the outside while remaining structurally supportive if carefully designed by a competent team.
“So in the case of insurance, it’s just a case of knowing how to collaborate with risk assessors to explain the benefits of wood to emphasise its strength in all areas,” he says.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects is to ensure the full support of the building owner is included in all stages for the successful design of a sustainable building, Mr Lomax continues.
“It’s absolutely essential to have a fully engaged client and TOG were exactly that, so they deserve a lot of credit for their vision and support for this project.”
Another benefit of the extensive use of timber can be seen in that the Black & White Building’s construction was completed in just 14 weeks and required a mere six to eight people.
Mr Lomax provides the example of electricians found in a local park after finishing earlier than anticipated, due to the ease with which wiring and cable mountings had been fitted into the wood panels.
Wood will become charred on the outside while remaining structurally supportive if carefully designed by a competent team
“It was quick and quiet and we had no complaints about noise or dust. There’s no need to use anything heavier than a hand-held drill to install cables and other fittings, which also means it’s very easy to move these if any changes are needed to the internal layout in future,” he says.
Increasing the roof space of the building has allowed 200 sq m of solar panels to be installed to support the air-source heat pump and TOG’s desire for renewable energy to contribute to the building’s energy requirements, with a total of 26.1% of the building’s predicted energy use coming from these sources. The facility has been accredited as BREEAM Excellent and provides further proof of the successful outcome of the project.
Where heating and cooling of the new building is concerned, Mr Lomax states: “all tenants are informed that they have heating and cooling available and are educated to make sensible decisions, and that means they turn these off if they open a window, for example. The use of wood also means that indoor air quality is better than if we’d used gypsum panels or concrete.”.
He further explains that the extensive use of timber has significant additional benefits in areas such as acoustics and indoor aroma. He adds that the design of the facility incorporates many of the features that are now considered essential to encourage interaction and collaboration between colleagues.
These include breakout and informal meeting areas on all floors of the building, utilising both indoor and outdoor space, with the roof of the facility used as a terrace that features extensive use of timber.
Having reached the practical completion stage with Waugh Thistleton Architects, TOG engaged the services of local design studio Daytrip to develop an interior design that matches the building’s exterior. As a result, kitchen surfaces including recycled paper composite boards and corridors lined with Viroc particle boards in dappled ochre blend with the exposed timber in all areas.
Interior fittings and furniture have also been sourced with sustainability as the most important factor, with seating and tables using wood as a main component and deep-pile fabrics for upholstered chairs and sofas. Bearing in mind all the information above, it will not be surprising to learn that recycled and locally-sourced materials make up a significant percentage of those used.
There is a long list of positive elements already embedded within the new Black & White Building and these have considerable potential to be further extended in the future.
With both the building owner and architect stating their conviction that the building can serve as a model to inspire and encourage others to raise their sustainability efforts, it further supports the view that the adoption of this attitude can significantly reduce carbon emissions over the course of many years into the future without including additional financial outlay.
The final word goes to Mr Green who says: “We’ve always been committed to having a strong sustainability agenda. Throughout the portfolio, we have a number of green roofs giving thermal performance, bio-diversity and storm water run-off protection, rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, solar and PV panels and we work hard to use recycled and recyclable materials across all of our buildings.
“The original B & W building was deteriorating rapidly, so our normal approach of refurbishing was not possible. So we looked to develop a new build with a construction methodology that would push the boundaries.
“Timber was the obvious route to reduce the embodied carbon as much as possible. But this building is all timber above ground, with timber beams and columns made from beech (LVL) as opposed to steel and a full timber core rather than concrete,” Mr Green concludes.
Environmental Engineering Partnership director Neil Reynolds states that the building has a full BMS system providing automatic time and temperature control for all its mechanical systems.
“The BMS also monitors energy usage by system, including lighting, small power and power used for heating, cooling and ventilation systems. The system also monitors PV energy generated. This energy usage data is stored and can be reviewed for set periods of time and be used for benchmarking, both against predicted energy usage and against other buildings in the portfolio,” he continues.
The BMS is used to remotely monitor alarms and provide an early warning status where system inefficiencies occur, including leak detection systems to avoid water wastage or damage to the building should a leak occur. Heating and cooling in occupied areas of the building are time-controlled and will remain off should the office space be empty.
“Lighting within offices is fully automatic once switched on. Absence detection in the space switches the lighting off when there is no movement, or the space is empty. Switches in each space allow the clients to switch off the lights manually should daylight be sufficient,” says Mr Reynolds.
We’ve always been committed to having a strong sustainability agenda
Waugh Thistleton Architects associate director David Lomax
Industry event enjoyed by employers and both current and former apprentices to combine with National Apprenticeship Week 2023
Following the issues experienced over the last 18 months in recruiting staff within all areas of the FM sector, there has been a notable increase in awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships and their potential to attract young talent.
This has been further emphasised through the various initiatives celebrating National
Apprenticeship Week 2023 around the UK and was a major theme at the recent IWFM Rising FMs event, held at the Miller Knoll showroom in central London.
The event was chaired by Nomura facilities assistant and former apprentice George Carter, who introduced four panel members prior to their presentations and question and answer sessions. The first of these were Great Portland Estates
(GPE) customer experience manager and former apprentice, Jose Neto, and DHL UK and FM infrastructure manager Jared Smith.
Mr Carter then introduced Bolton University’s Professor Peter Farrell and IWFM partnership director Jonathan Nobbs, both of whom have central interests in the instruction and recruitment of apprentices.
Professor Farrell was invited to deliver the first presentation to delegates and began by emphasising the benefits of continuous professional development (CPD) exercises and explaining how improving the accountability of individuals through apprenticeship learning leads to appreciably higher levels of professionalism. This benefits apprentices, their employers and clients, while further assisting the raising of the FM industry profile through their efforts and also supporting them to achieve their potential.
He further described the various levels of apprenticeships available, up to the level of Bachelor of Science (BSc) qualifications and the commitment this would require in terms of attendance at further education sites and remote working, combined with on-the-job (OTJ) training.
Following this, panel members were presented with a series of questions by Mr Carter, beginning with Messrs Neto and Smith and asking how they had been attracted to their FM apprenticeship courses. Mr Neto stated that he found his apprenticeship had allowed him to study and work at the same time, while providing a valuable introduction to and understanding of all aspects of the FM industry.
Confirming these points, Mr Smith additionally found an apprenticeship to provide a highly effective means to assist his desire to enable a change in career. His training helped him to develop the necessary skills to do this while further extending his interest in the sustainable use of buildings.
It quickly became apparent that Mr Smith had completed his apprenticeship under the instruction of Professor Farrell, allowing them to provide further insight to the delegates on how they had worked together.
In the course of their partnership, Professor Farrell advised Mr Smith to speak to senior colleagues at his company, which led to numerous benefits that included the gaining of a significantly wider viewpoint and increased levels of confidence.
Mr Neto further explained how his apprenticeship had assisted him in gaining more appreciation from his employer and colleagues and stated how he regarded the role of his college as central within this. He additionally explained the importance of receiving good levels of support from his company and senior managers, which again assisted him in a number of positive ways.
Discussion of the potential for the recruitment of higher numbers of apprentices to address many of the issues affecting the FM sector was provided by Mr Nobbs.
Emphasising the urgent need to attract more young people to work in the industry, he stated that all apprentices were able to claim free IWFM membership and take advantage of the comprehensive support available to individuals at all stages of their professional development.
There was general agreement between panel members on the need to increase efforts throughout the FM sector to attract more young people and explain the numerous advantages provided by apprenticeship courses. The FM industry was deemed to be at a disadvantage to other sectors due to its low levels of understanding and awareness within many areas of UK society.
Higher levels of communication with all areas of education were advised by the panel, with the intention of encouraging more school leavers to consider the FM industry when looking for their career options. It was agreed that there was no “quick fix” available to address the lack of understanding and that efforts to promote it are likely to take a number of years before making a notable difference to the current situation.
Following a question-and-answer session between delegates and panel members, further insight was shared to highlight the many positive aspects of apprenticeship learning and the challenges that need to be addressed and appreciated in order to improve the benefits being received.
The event closed with the suggestion that an online discussion group be created, with the intention of continuing the points raised during the evening and encouraging more involvement with apprentices and apprenticeship learning from all areas of the FM sector.
It quickly became apparent that Mr Smith had completed his apprenticeship under the instruction of Professor Farrel
Hanna Barrett explains how encouraging all staff members to progress their career ambitions has led to improved relationships with industry partners and customers
Recent issues seen throughout the business community have emphasised the need to support colleagues in achieving their potential within the company they work for.
This is far more likely to result in individuals remaining longer with their employer by avoiding the need to look for other work to assist in their professional development, while additionally providing benefits to companies that range from the increased value this provides, to avoiding the expense and disruption caused by having to recruit new employees.
Proof of the effectiveness of the above is provided by Portico director of operations Hanna Barrett, who joined the company in 2006 and has enjoyed the opportunities that have emerged in the interim period. “Of course, you have to make the effort to fulfil your side of the bargain, but you quickly find that doors open above and beyond your expectations when you push yourself to go that little bit further,” she says.
“I’ve found that I’ve had the opportunity to complete two apprenticeships for levels two and three of leadership and management and there’s been lots of on-the-job training, which has helped to move up to jobs with increasing levels of responsibility,” she continues. Ms Barrett states that her increasing seniority and success within the business led to her applying for her current role.
“I was the last to apply for the interview and thought ‘they’ll never choose me’,” she says.
Despite her initial reluctance and self-doubt, Ms
Barrett was successful in her application and has found that her confidence has grown considerably as she has become increasingly comfortable in fulfilling her duties.
“Applying for the job was probably the best thing I ever did. I’m not the academic type and left school as soon as I could with not many qualifications. I’ve always preferred anything creative compared with academic, but I felt very proud of being able to apply myself to something like that.”
She further explains the benefits of taking time to gain more knowledge, rather than trying to achieve things too soon and suffering as a result. “I really feel that building on all the knowledge, experience and credibility was crucial. You see people trying to achieve everything by tomorrow, they want to be in the next world by next week, but actually spending a little more time on your skills is priceless.”
Appreciation of all areas of personal development are expressed by Ms Barrett as she explains how increasing her networking activities and learning more about composure and behaviours has helped considerably. “You need to allow yourself time to grow, mature and live and breathe those experiences before moving on to the next step in your career.”
There have been numerous comparisons in recent years between the benefits of gaining academic qualifications at colleges and universities and the alternative of engaging with apprenticeships and Ms Barrett is unsurprisingly a firm supporter of the latter option.
You need to allow yourself time to grow, mature and live and breathe those experiences before moving on to the next step in your career
“If you can complete the qualification at the same time as doing the job, when you put the two together, you’re onto a winner, particularly when you work for a really supportive company,” she continues.
Having benefited from her employer’s support on a personal level, Ms Barrett has also established learning and development initiatives within the business that continue to assist her colleagues to progress their careers.
In addition to enabling individuals to gain more knowledge and experience, she adds that apprentice schemes have further benefits, such as helping them to establish positive work ethics, while gaining more work experience and getting paid for this at the same time.
“We’ve also just had our first two people pass their MBAs in business studies at Portico, who have benefited from being supported through achieving that type of qualification,” she continues. “That was at an operational level and we found that helping someone throughout that, while also helping them with their work commitments, is a huge challenge but it was really successful.”
She further states that the two individuals are now contributing to the company at a much higher level, which is likely to increase further as they continue their professional development. “It’s lovely to be able to provide people with that platform and with all the support behind it.
“We were also able to attend the graduation ceremony, which was amazing, and something you don’t hear about from too many companies.”
Additional evidence for the value of supporting all colleagues in their career development path can be seen in the fact that Portico celebrated 89 internal promotions in 2022. Ms Barrett says this is now the most common means of filling leadership roles and further proof of the dynamic impact on both individuals and the company in general.
“That also helps with our retention rates because we’re providing those opportunities for people and we keep them longer,” she continues. Yet another advantage of this is that employees are recommending the company to their friends and family and creating another valuable source of introducing new talent into the business.
“We also have lots of referrals from our clients, who recommend us to their friends and family, which has led to the sons and daughters of our clients joining our organisation. We’ve had two recent examples of this and the latest started this week.”
The above again has a number of positive connotations, including the deepening of relationships with customers and industry partners. Ms Barrett further explains how this has resulted in new contracts being signed and cites the example of a former client who moved to another company and contacted Portico to continue working with the business.
“A lot of my role is about forging deep relationships over time with our clients and we have a lot of work based on that,” she continues. “It’s all about building meaningful relationships with people and creating a reliable reputation.”
The importance of maintaining and adding to the company’s reputation within the FM sector is emphasised by Ms Barrett, who states that in addition to assisting the smooth progress of their contracts with existing clients, this frequently leads to enquiries from new potential customers. This has additionally resulted in providing the business with the confidence to further extend its service offering.
“We now look to provide community managers, floor hosts and soft security. The length of time we’ve successfully been in business is a credit that helps people feel they’re in safe hands and appreciate our knowledge and experience.”
One of the more notable developments in the company’s work is assisting clients with encouraging employees to return to their workplace following the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. This has included the need to make offices more comfortable and provide home comforts.
“It’s a case of making the office feel more like home and including more soft comforts and that friendly face of someone who’s going to help them in the workplace in numerous ways and make it a nicer experience to come into work. We’ve certainly learned that humans need humans during the pandemic and so if we can get our day-to-day relationships right, that leads to people wanting more of our services.”
Service delivery on this level means that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, Ms Barrett continues, and each contract has to be established on its own merits to meet the requirements and expectations of the client and its staff. The company regards maintaining its focus on service delivery and people as essential, while also appreciating market developments and how these may impact on future operations.
Employees are recommending the company to their friends and family and creating another valuable source of introducing new talent into the business
While this may require the business to add more aspects to its service offering, these are only included if the company feels it has the expertise and capabilities to deliver them. The overall aim is to continue to grow the business in a steady and sustainable fashion without losing sight of its core objectives.
“It’s about going down those avenues where we can add value, rather than just doing something that will grow the business,” Ms Barrett continues. “It’s important that we work to a successful and established model and it’s important we have a sense of leadership on site.”
The Portico site leader acts as a vital point of daily contact between the company and its client, ensuring that standards are maintained and all services are delivered in the best and correct way for the customer.
This provides high levels of value and maintains the bespoke delivery of services, she continues, particularly when compared with the option of an account manager who could only visit the site on a weekly basis.
Another frequently-seen aspect within the FM sector is the regular announcement of mergers and acquisitions between companies and industry partners.
Ms Barrett says that although Portico can see the benefits, including rapid expansion of
each business, any acquisitions will be carefully considered to ensure they meet all the requirements of the company.
In the meantime, she states that the company will continue its focus on bringing more people into the business and further extending its diversity and inclusion. This will include the support for learning and development, from the initial teaching of essential skills to the mentoring and encouragement in gaining new qualifications.
Recruitment of new colleagues continues to be based more on each person’s character and what value they can bring to the company, which then matches with the Portico method of delivering bespoke services to each client.
The fact that the company operates over a number of different sectors will see considerable differences within client expectations, which can be more easily delivered through encouraging colleagues to engage in personal development and work more closely with customers.
Ms Barrett is an enthusiastic supporter of all aspects of diversity and inclusion and the potential this has of increasing the pool of supply, while delivering benefits for individuals, the business and its clients and their employees. The efforts of the company have resulted in major developments, including an even division of male and female board members that many larger companies struggle to achieve, and bodes well for its future development and successful service delivery.
We’ve certainly learned that humans need humans during the pandemic and so if we can get our day-to-day relationships right, that leads to people wanting more of our services
Atlas FM has announced that it is funding the training costs of 10 Level 3 Early Years apprenticeships at Bright Horizons Nurseries. It has chosen to make this donation because of the important role that educators in the early years have in the first five years of a child’s life.
The company provides cleaning services to Bright Horizons and the funding is being provided via its apprentice levy transfer support programme. Large employers that pay the apprenticeship levy can choose to transfer up to 25% of their levy funds each year to support other businesses, to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment. This enables unspent levy funding that would expire after 24 months to be donated to organisations that can utilise the funding now. The decision to support Bright Horizons Nurseries follows on from Atlas becoming the FM industry’s first Fostering Friendly Employer.
Fire solutions provider Chubb has strengthened its senior leadership team with a number of appointments.
It has promoted David Dunnagan to managing director of Chubb UK&I, following Brendan McNulty’s promotion to the newly created role of vice president – Europe last summer. Mr Dunnagan has enjoyed a successful career with Chubb, starting as an apprentice in 1993. He now drives the company’s ambition of becoming the employer of choice and the number one fire and security business in the UK and Ireland.
Gary Moffatt has been promoted to director for Fire and Security UK. Continuing his long and successful career with Chubb, his appointment is his latest milestone achievement, having secured several promotions since joining the organisation in 2001 as a university graduate.
An initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team.
Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial Solutions Hub) as education liaison officer. She has spent the last 11 years working to give young people opportunities in education and employment, having worked with Northumbria University, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, The University of Law, and Hello Future, a partnership of universities, colleges and employers working to improve access for young people to higher education in Cumbria.
Balfour Beatty group sustainability director Jo Gilroy has been appointed to the board of the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
The school seeks to upskill those working within, or aspiring to work within, the built environment sector. Ms Gilroy, who has worked for her employer since April 2022, was recently elected to govern alongside eight other partner representatives responsible for the fiscal governance and strategic direction of the school.
Kier has appointed David Hollywood as operations director for health major projects, to further strengthen its experience in delivering for the health sector.
He joined in January 2023 and in this newlyformed role will lead on upcoming major health projects, with a focus on key opportunities including the New Hospitals Programme and Construction Works and Associated Services 2 (CWAS2) / ProCure 23 (P23).
Prior to joining Kier, Mr Hollywood was project director at ISG for two years. With over 25 years’ experience in the construction industry, he has worked for contractors and NHS Trusts to deliver major health projects up to £400m in value.
Acivico Group has confirmed the appointment of new group managing director, Marina Robertson, with a focus on building customer led growth from a foundation of customer care, quality and trust.
Located in Birmingham, Europe’s largest local authority, Acivico was established in 2012, following the transfer of Birmingham City Council’s Building Control service and other statutory functions. Still wholly owned by the council, the company continues to support landmark projects across the Midlands, forging strong partnerships with clients to deliver high quality, sustainable, innovative service solutions, designed to transform communities.
Originally from Athens, Greece, Ms Robertson has been studying and working in the built environment sector in the UK for over 30 years. She has held a variety of senior service delivery and transformation roles in regeneration, housing, economic development, property, and capital programme delivery.
Achilles Information has announced the appointment of Tony Underwood to its global ambassador programme.
He is a former professional rugby union player, with international caps for England and the British Lions. Following a successful sporting career, Mr Underwood became a commercial pilot, initially working with EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic, before flying A380 aircraft as captain for Emirates Airlines out of Dubai.
He now works as a coach and mentor, helping build high performance teams and sharing his own experience of what it takes to perform under pressure. He is passionate about the environment, employee wellbeing, and human rights.
SBFM has pledged to increase the number of employees in ‘earn and learn’ positions over the next five years after joining the industry-led young person’s recruitment initiative, The 5% Club. This is a professional organisation which works with employers across the UK who are committed to “earn and learn” positions as part of building and developing their workforce. The pledge recognises the company’s contribution to the continued development of all colleagues through ‘earn and learn’ schemes such as apprenticeships, graduate schemes, and sponsored student course placements.
London-based Serna Facilities Maintenance, part of the wider Serna Group, has announced the appointment of its first non-executive director Gary Lumby MBE, as part of its future growth strategy.
The group is aiming to double its turnover to £5m this year and substantially increase its workforce as a host of new client opportunities have been secured. Mr Lumby is an experienced ex C Level banker, previously with Barclays and Yorkshire Bank, and has built up an impressive array of non-executive roles within businesses across the UK in many different sectors.
Bidvest Noonan has appointed Stephen Taylor as director of operations in its Transport Solutions business unit. The company launched the unit in December 2021 to cement its leadership position in the sector and establish a strong platform for its continued growth and development.
Today, the business unit counts many of the UK’s rail, coach, tram, and bus service operators among its customers. The unit estimates that its
Sodexo has announced the promotion of Ed Morrow as managing director of its Energy & Resources business in the UK and Ireland following the internal move of Cunera Vlaar, who has been appointed country lead for Sodexo Netherlands.
Mr Morrow joined Sodexo in 2007 as finance director for energy & resources UK & Ireland. Since then, he has held a number of senior roles in the business, including CFO Europe & Israel, finance director for global offshore & marine, and global VP finance for onshore energy and offshore & marine.
In his new role, he assumes responsibility for the company’s energy and resources business which delivers catering, hospitality, welfare, FM services, property management and refurbishment services to over 40 onshore energy and offshore and marine client sites throughout the UK.
cleaning teams have positively impacted more than 1.5bn passenger journeys since its launch just over one year ago.
Mr Taylor’s appointment is part of his employer’s continued investment in its transport sector business. With more than ten years of industry experience, he is a highly accomplished leader and has a wealth of operations leadership experience from across the transport sector.
He has held a number of senior roles in the business, including CFO Europe & Israel, finance director for global offshore & marine, and global VP
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