View The Latest Issue
Official Media Sponsor
C&M is published by
Sodexo appoints new CFO
Sodexo has announced the appointment of Rachel Osborne to the role of chief financial officer for its UK and Ireland business. Osborne will be responsible for leading the negotiation of complex contracts and will have a significant role to play in business and corporate development. Alongside Aidan Connolly, chief executive officer, she will seek further growth opportunities for the company. She will become a key member of Sodexo’s executive team, reporting to Aidan Connolly and will also have an additional functional reporting line to Sian Herbert-Jones, chief financial officer for Sodexo Group.
Osborne joins Sodexo from international retail group, Kingfisher Plc, where she held a number of roles over a six year period, including director of business performance (Kingfisher Plc), director of commercial finance (B&Q), and director of proposition and insight (B&Q). Prior to joining Kingfisher, Osborne spent nine years with PepsiCo Inc in a range of strategic and financial roles both in the UK and in Africa, and three years with Procter & Gamble.
Osborne said: “I am very excited to be joining Sodexo and look forward to working with Aidan and the team. I am confident that my experience will provide the company with a comprehensive financial service and I look forward to the challenges of the years ahead.”
Aidan Connolly said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Rachel to Sodexo. Her wealth of experience gives me every confidence in her ability to do the job to an excellent standard. I look forward to working with her and wish her every success in her new role.”
JPC Cleaning welcomes new team member
JPC Cleaning Services has welcomed Simon Hill to its growing team, taking on the role of contract manager at one of JPC’s major sites - Chiswick Park in West London. Hill previously worked as the account manager for Lancaster Cleaning and Support Services at More London in Southwark. Prior to this, he was the account manager for a number of other high-profile cleaning contracts including Reuters, UBS and Deutsche Bank.
Hill will fill the gap created when John Conry Jr stepped up from his role at Chiswick Park to become JPC’s new operations director. Conry Jr will now be responsible for overseeing JPC’s fast-growing corporate cleaning division.
Hill said: “I’m thrilled to be taking up this position with JPC. I’ve been at Lancasters for eight years, managing some of their major blue chip contracts. However, I felt it was time for a change and I look forward to moving even further forward in my career within JPC.”
Managing director of JPC, John Conry, said: “Simon has some great experience in the industry. Contract manager at Chiswick Park is a demanding role, but we know that he’s the right person to help us develop this contract and improve it further.”
Romec appoints new MD
Romec has appointed Dr Stewart Davies from Serco Integrated Services (SIS) as its new managing director. He brings with him a range of operational and strategic management expertise, along with experience of sectors both inside and outside of facilities management, including previous MD roles at Corus and Rugby Cement. He takes over from Mike Sparrow who has been promoted to a new position within the Balfour Beatty group, which owns 49% of Romec.
Stewart Davies said: “I am delighted to be joining Romec at such an important stage in its development. I look forward to working with the Romec team in building leading-edge capabilities and successfully increasing its client base through service innovation.”
Davies joins Romec from Serco where he was MD of Government Integrated Services, its property and facilities management business in the public sector, with contracts in health, home affairs, defence, central government and local government. He subsequently held the role of strategy director for SIS, one of Serco’s fastest growing divisions. He has a passion for innovation and was appointed as a board member of the government’s Technology Strategy Board last year.
He is also business commissioner at the Sustainable Development Commission where over the last four years he has led its input to the government’s Strategy for Sustainable Construction, Mobility 2020, Building Schools for the Future and Delivering Neighbourhood Retrofit.
Field sales manager for Truvox
Ricky Smith, until recently with Kärcher UK, has joined Truvox as UK field sales manager, bringing over eight years experience working within the UK cleaning industry and a good knowledge, experience and understanding of both private and public companies within the UK. He will be redeveloping our UK field sales team, and will help to significantly grow the business in this crucial area by targeting key market sectors. “The challenge of managing the Truvox sales force is a very exciting one,” he said. “This is one of those companies that people aspire to work for. I can’t wait.”
Commitment to ‘employer owned’ apprenticeships is welcomed
Asset Skills has welcomed the new government’s commitment to apprenticeships and hopes it will boost efforts to promote skills training through the new employer funded Virtual Academy for Business Services.
It follows the announcement by the new Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable that he is committed to ‘high quality, employer owned apprenticeships’ and will refocus £150 million into an extra 50,000 apprenticeship places in 2010/11.
“We are delighted that the Secretary of State for Business has recognised the importance of employer owned apprenticeship programmes,” said Richard Beamish, chief executive of Asset Skills, the Sector Skills Council for facilities management. “Employers will be greatly encouraged by the fact the new government is expanding apprenticeships so rapidly and recognising them as being good for the productivity of the economy. The pledge to increase the number of apprenticeship places, especially for small businesses, sits well with the new apprenticeships we are trialling in facilities management as part of our new Virtual Academy for Business Services.”
The Virtual Academy pilot was launched by Asset Skills in May. The model is innovative in the world of skills training in that it is funded through its employer membership and does not form part of the National Skills Academy network which draws on the public purse.
Business Services has been identified as a future growth industry in the government’s National Strategic Skills Audit 2010, which claimed raising skills in this area should be a priority.
Facilities management plays a major role in this sector with a diverse workforce including facilities managers, buildings maintenance teams, cleaners, security guards, receptionists, caterers, gardeners and hospital porters. It also has an important part in helping the UK meet its environmental targets through the efficient energy management of buildings.
The apprenticeship in facilities management is the industry’s first apprenticeship programme. To kick off the Virtual Academy, the scheme is being trialled in six regions of England. A series of early employer events are planned to promote the apprenticeship. Asset Skills wants to hear from FM employers interested in participating in the apprenticeship pilots. For more information, contact Tom Orton on: torton@assetskills.org or call the Virtual Academy for Business Services on 0844 822 2525.
British manufacturers report sharp increase in demand
An increase in orders boosted manufacturers in the cleaning industry for the second quarter of 2010, as the brightening economic picture provided good news for the sector.
In the quarterly assessment released by manufacturing organisation the EEF, there were also predictions that the sector’s output will rise 3.5% in both 2010 and 2011, after contracting more than 10% in 2009.
The survey of 547 companies saw 30% reporting rising output with 38% reporting rising orders - the highest since records began 15 years ago. However, the manufacturers questioned remain anxious about the depth of government support, a volatile global economy and the willingness of banks to provide credit.
Export sales figures also rose by a record high 23%, as companies cited support from a weaker pound, which helps to make goods more competitive in foreign markets. The survey also revealed that so far the recovery in manufacturing is broad-based and balanced across all sectors and regions.
Steve Wright, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, said: “The second quarter figures are very encouraging, and we hope that British manufacturing is on its way to becoming a key driver of our economy once again. Manufacturers in our industry will be following the coalition government’s first budget on 22 June very closely, in what will be their first opportunity to show that they are backing up encouraging rhetoric with policies that will help to boost competitiveness and provide support for mid-market and smaller businesses.”
The British Cleaning Council’s autumn conference will consist of sessions on maximising opportunities arising from the economic recovery and fostering growth in the British manufacturing sector.
Further details on the day are available from the British Cleaning Council website: www.britishcleaningcouncil.org/cleaningconference.html.
