OCS Appoints Matt Kent As UK And Ireland Director Of Engineering
19 May 2026 | Updated 18 May 2026
OCS has appointed Matt Kent as UK and Ireland Director of Engineering, following his transition from EMCOR UK after OCS’s acquisition of the business in December 2025.
OCS is a £3.2 billion integrated facilities management company employing more than 135,000 colleagues worldwide serving over 8,000 customers across the public and private sectors
Kent’s role is to further strengthen engineering capability across OCS, alongside other senior technical leaders from EMCOR UK supporting OCS’s evolution into a technical services-led facilities management partner.
Kent brings over 30 years of engineering experience, including senior leadership roles in the Royal Navy and experience across secure government environments and complex mobilisations. He is a chartered mechanical engineer and a fellow of both the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management.
His focus is precise. Establish consistency. Strengthen technical governance. Build an engineering model that delivers reliable performance, optimised asset lifecycle outcomes, and actionable intelligence at scale.
Kent’s first phase will be a structured discovery across the business, assessing the maturity of key technical components against defined criteria to establish a clear baseline. The output will be a clear engineering strategy across short, medium and longer-term horizons.
The appointment supports OCS’s evolution into a technical services-led facilities management partner, with engineering structure, governance and assurance increasingly central to how the company delivers in complex, regulated and mission-critical environments.
Kent’s model for engineering excellence is built on three core principles: consistent policy, processes and procedures; competence management; and assurance. For customers, the practical outcome is consistency and clarity in engineering delivery.
Matt Kent, Director of Engineering, OCS UK and Ireland: “My role is to define what engineering excellence looks like and take the delivery of technical services to another level. That means putting structure, consistency and clarity around how engineering is delivered across the business.”
Kent added: “The first (core principle) defines how work is carried out safely, effectively and in a technically compliant way. Without that, delivery cannot be operationalised. The second ensures that the people delivering the work are suitably qualified and experienced. The third is the assurance wrapper. It demonstrates sustained compliance, optimises maintenance effectiveness across the asset lifecycle, tests performance, and supports continuous improvement. Where these come together, that is where Engineering Excellence sits. It is defined, repeatable and capable of being evidenced.”
Kent concluded: “By applying structure and standardisation across the business, customers can expect a more consistent, compliant and controlled service, regardless of location or contract.”
Picture: A headshot of Matt Kent, Director of Engineering, OCS UK and Ireland.
Article written by Dave Mapps | Published 19 May 2026
As Cooling Becomes Critical Infrastructure, Is It Time To Rethink How We Deliver It?
As the UK experiences increasingly frequent periods of extreme heat, Graeme Hamilton, Managing Director of Energy at OCS, argues that cooling is rapidly becoming critical...
OCS Announces The Recommended Acquisition Of Mitie
OCS has announced its recommended acquisition of Mitie, bringing together two complementary businesses specialising in facilities management and transformation....
OCS Strengthens UK Security Capability With City Group Security Acquisition
OCS has completed the acquisition of City Group Security, an established nationwide security company founded in 1993 and ranked among the top 30 security businesses in...
Addressing The Skills Gap: Why Growing Your Own Talent Pipeline Is Key
Julie Harpley, Early Careers & Social Impact Academy Manager, and Jenny Parry, Head of Talent at Sunbelt Rentals UK and Ireland discuss the growing skills gap in...
As Hard Services Markets Grow, Supplier Scrutiny Is Intensifying
According to Nick Maggs, Managing Director of Hard Services at OCS, market growth in the hard services sector is increasing exposure and that is fundamentally...
OCS Extends And Expands Soft Services Partnership With British Land
OCS has secured a contract extension and portfolio expansion with British Land building on an eight-year partnership to deliver soft services across more than 50 sites...
OCS Agrees Integrated FM Deal With Merlin Entertainments
OCS has been appointed by Merlin Entertainments to deliver integrated facilities management services across 12 of its UK attractions, including Alton Towers.
The...
OCS’ acquisition of the UK building services segment of Emcor has reached its formal completion.
Combined with its acquisition of FES FM and FES Support Services...
OCS Wins Three-Year TFM Contract With Shaftesbury Capital
OCS has been appointed to deliver facilities management services across Shaftesbury Capital’s West End portfolio, including Soho, Carnaby and Seven Dials.
The...
Emcor Group has agreed to sell its UK building services segment to OCS Group UK.
Emcor UK will be sold for a total enterprise value of approximately £190...
Wayne Connors, Founder of ACCL, emphasises that true network reliability goes beyond basic compliance. Click Image To Read More
Relaxation of MEES - a reality for commercial building stock?
Rinnai looks at the proposed government modifications into non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). What are they and how do they affect business owners and private renters? Click Image To Read More
The best AI features in field service management software are workflow tools that handle a defined service decision. Simpro provide a shortlist of the Top 10 AI features.. Click Image To Read More
Energy Transition Update
Guest Editor, Daniel Lynn, tracks the activities being pursued by separate nations and economic blocks to introduce a clean energy transition. Click Image To Read More
Boat Party 2026 Highlights
9 July 2026
400 FM professionals gather on the River Thames. Learn More Here >>
2027 Date announced soon.
Simprosium London 2026
UK and European field service leaders come together as Simpro and BigChange reveal THUNDER, the next chapter of their shared AI platform. Click Image To Read More
FM Qualifications at the College of Central London
Our mission is to provide skills and knowledge to help you achieve success in IWFM level 5 and 6. Click Image To Read More