New Appointments in Facilities Management – March 2021

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• New Appointments in Facilities Management – March 2021

25 March 2021 | Updated 16 March 2022

This March has seen several new appointments, including at ISS, SOCOTEC, Cleanology, BCIA and Planet Mark.

 

Picture: a graphic showing headshots of Liz Benison, Nicolas Detchepare and George Lee

 

New Country Manager for ISS UK & Ireland

 

Liz Benison will join as new country manager for ISS UK and Ireland on 1 May 2021. She will also become member of the Executive Group Management and report directly to Group CEO, Jacob Aarup- Andersen.

Liz Benison joins from a position as Managing Director, Mainland Europe and member of the Management Board at Arriva. During her career, she has led the transformation of companies in several fields, including engineering, manufacturing and financial services.

Prior to working at Arriva, she has held leading positions in companies like Serco Group PLC, CSC, Capgemini and Ford Motor Company.

Group CEO, Jacob Aarup-Andersen commented: “I am very delighted that Liz Benison has accepted this position. UK & Ireland is an important market for ISS and we now have an experienced leader onboard to help drive the ongoing transformation and ensure profitable growth going forward. “I am confident that our strengthened Executive Group Management team comprising a strong mix of internal talent and external additions with diverse backgrounds, broader expertise and new capabilities will lead us well into the future.”

 

SOCOTEC Announces New UK CEO

 

SOCOTEC, a provider of testing, inspection and compliance services, has announced the appointment of Nicolas Detchepare as its new CEO. 

A graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, with a master’s degree from HEC Paris and an MBA from INSEAD, Detchepare joined SOCOTEC in 2016, bringing with him experience in operations management and consultancy from Strategy& - the global strategy consulting team at PwC - and Alix Partners. Nicolas has managed the Equipment and Industry activity on behalf of SOCOTEC in France for the past four years and is a member of the management board of the SOCOTEC Group.

Detchepare takes over from current CEO, Ian Sparks, who is retiring having successfully managed the company for the last eight years. Ian joined the management board of the SOCOTEC Group after it acquired ESG in 2017.  

Detchepare commented: “I am delighted to join SOCOTEC UK and be part of the future of the company. The company has proven its resilience in these challenging times, delivering high standards of quality and service to its clients, something which I believe to be fundamental. Infrastructure, construction, compliance and the built environment are core to our business, and with a greater focus on safety, the sustainability of buildings and infrastructure, we will work together to help support our clients as they meet this critical challenge.

 

George Lee appointed new Executive Officer of BCIA

 

The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has announced that George Lee will be taking over the role of Executive Officer, following the retirement of Roger Borer who has been in post for the last four years.

Lee is an experienced Trade Association executive having previously been CEO at Highways Term Maintenance Association (2017 to 2020) and Road Safety Markings Association (1997 to 2017), during which time he also founded stakeholder, public relations and communications consultancy Blue Symmetry.

Lee’s trade association experience has focused on directly representing sector business interests, establishing and delivering customer-focused services, and building effective and sustainable cross-sector communications and knowledge networks. This expertise is drawn from public policy, stakeholder management and media experience, developed throughout his career and is reflected in high-level interaction with government departments such as BEIS and key sector stakeholder groups and regulators. 

Lee said: “I am delighted to be taking on this new role with the BCIA. Building controls lie at the heart of a modern and energy-efficient built environment and I aim to use my experience and expertise to ensure the skills and standards in this sector are maintained and continue to evolve.”

 

Planet Mark Welcomes new BDM

 

Planet Mark is a sustainability certification that recognises continuous improvement, encourages action and builds an empowered community of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference. 

Planet Mark’s appointment of Eva Koszorus as Business Development Manager has strengthened the company’s commitment to supporting FM businesses in measuring and reducing their carbon emissions. 

Koszorus has a wealth of experience working and engaging with many groups and businesses, from kitchen porters and cleaners to operation managers, facilities managers, sustainability managers and business leaders. 

Her in-depth knowledge of food sustainability comes from previous roles supporting clients to implement new behaviours for meaningful positive change. Koszorus is customer-focused and her optimistic and positive attitude helps her build trusting relationships with members of the Planet Mark community. 

 

Cleanology Appoints Two New Directors

 

Jade Collazo and Carla Vieira have recently joined the board of directors at Cleanology. Collazo started 12 years ago as an administrative temp; she has just been promoted to HR Director. She said: “When I started out, I never imagined I would become a director. I think it’s really important for women, and other under-represented groups, to be seen in managerial roles. I was lucky to have a really strong female role model in my line manager, but Cleanology is also unusual in having a young, BAME CEO, who has been really easy to talk to about challenges.”

Lynn Webster, Director at Lynn Webster Consultants Ltd and Chair of the Women’s group at Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) agreed that visible success is encouraging for other women trying to break through a perceived glass ceiling. She added: “Women who achieve seniority have got there through hard work and competence. We are seeing more and more females at the top, from heads of cleaning at internationally-recognised businesses, through to the vice president of ISSA. Many of us are working to support women in career development, with role models they can aspire to.”

The new Deputy Operations Director at Cleanology, Carla Vieira comes from a hospitality background, so the principles of service are second nature. She applies them to her role in cleaning, dealing with clients and with Cleanology’s cleaning operatives. 

 

Picture: a photograph of Jade Collazo (pictured left) and Carla Vieira (pictured right)

 

Vieira advised women to be themselves. She said: “In many companies, the operational managers tend to be male, maybe because there is an idea that men make the best leaders. I’ve been lucky that at Cleanology we have men and women in the same roles. But, for women who want to reach a higher position, don’t lose focus. Find the way forward and look for the people who will recognise that you are doing a good job.”

Cleanology CEO Dominic Ponniah said: “HR Director Jade Collazo and Deputy Operations Director Carla Vieira have earned their success, through determination, hard work and commitment. They are both extremely valuable members of the team and we cannot express how pleased we are to welcome them onto our board.

“Over the years, Carla has helped her team and clients through any emergency that crops up, day or night. Her work ethic, enthusiasm, and sense of humour are infectious and inspiring. Jade’s impressive career progression is down to sheer hard work, determination to succeed and willingness to push herself out of her comfort zone.”

Picture: a photograph of some city skyscrapers

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 25 March 2021

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