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Events

  • 18
    JUN
    2026

    Veterans in FM: Two Years On – Progress, Impact & What’s Next

    • Venue: London, UK

When is it?
Thursday 18 June 2026 17:30 – 23:00

Where is it?
Victory Services Club,
London

Book Here

Please note:  If you’re not an IWFM member, you will need to choose the ‘create an account’ option in order to make the booking.

£10 per ticket for IWFM Members, £15 non- members (includes welcome drink and canapés)

Plus free tickets for service leavers – please share with your network so they can get in touch for a code to book!

The details:

Two years on from launch, we come together at the incredible Carisbrooke Hall, VSC, London, to reflect on how far we’ve come, and where we go next.

This is not just another industry event. This is a room full of leaders, veterans, reservists, employers and changemakers who believe FM should be a first-choice career destination for the military community, not a fallback.

We’ll hear lived experience from veterans now thriving in FM, senior industry insight from Martin Burholt - COO UK&I for ISS Facility Services, and keynote perspectives from Major General (Retd) Seumas Kerr CBE - CEO, Defence Impact and Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards - CB Director People and Air Secretary, Royal Air Force on the critical link between infrastructure, people, morale, retention and performance.

And yes… there may be tube strikes planned in London that week. But if there’s one thing both the military and FM sectors understand, it’s resilience, adaptability and showing up when it matters! Nothing stops this community.

If you care about talent, leadership, social value, retention, veteran transition, or the future of FM - you’ll want to be in this room.

Agenda:

17:30 – 18:00 | Arrival & Welcome Reception

  1. Networking over refreshments

  2. Reconnect with the community and meet new faces from across the FM industry

18:00 – 18:10 | IWFM Veterans in FM Network – Welcome & Two-Year Progress Update

Louisa Clark, Chair, IWFM Veterans in FM Network

  1. Key milestones and impact since launch

  2. Opportunities to get involved and support the network

  3. What’s next!

18:10 – 18:20 | Sponsor Address – ISS

Martin Burholt, COO UK&I, sharing ISS's perspective on supporting the armed forces community and why this agenda matters to industry.

18:20 – 18:40 | JointForces@ISS: Lived Experience & Employer Insight

  1. A JointForces@ISS graduate sharing their transition journey into FM

  2. A reservist from within the ISS business sharing their experience of balancing military service with a civilian career

18:40 – 18:50 | Comfort Break

18:50 – 19:05 | Keynote Speaker – Seumas Kerr CBE

From Fallback to First Choice: Raising the Profile of Facilities Management as a Career Destination for the Military Community

  1. FM has long been a sector that ex-military personnel fall into rather than actively choose - the ambition is to change that narrative

  2. Positioning FM as a genuine career destination for the military community

  3. The employer angle: how the FM sector can better support its people to engage with the Reserves and the Cadet Force as volunteers

19:05 – 19:20 | Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards CB Director People and Air Secretary, Royal Air Force

Infrastructure, People and Performance: The Role of Facilities in Military Morale, Retention and Attraction

  1. Facilities and infrastructure are not a back-office consideration but a direct contributor to the morale, retention and attraction of military personnel

  2. The speaker will address the live state, speak to what good looks like, and where the gaps remain

19:20 – 19:30 | Charity Partner – Scotty’s Little Soldiers

An opportunity to hear from Scotty’s Little Soldiers, recognising that supporting the Armed Forces community means supporting military families too.

19:30 onwards | Informal Networking & Drinks

Continue the conversation, build connections, explore opportunities, and strengthen the growing Veterans in FM community.

  1. Bar and venue open until 23:00

Travel Note

There are planned London Underground strikes from midday on 18 June through to midday on 19 June, with some disruption expected into the evening - but if there’s one community that knows how to adapt, overcome challenges and get the job done, it’s the Veterans in FM community!

  1. We’re confident a tube strike won’t stop the conversations, connections and momentum building behind this movement.

  2. The venue remains easily accessible via major rail stations including Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, King’s Cross St Pancras, Waterloo and Victoria, with Paddington just a 15–20 minute walk away. We encourage attendees to plan ahead, allow a little extra travel time, and join us for what promises to be an incredibly worthwhile evening.

  3. Nothing this small should stand in the way of bringing together a community built on resilience, service and determination.

Book Here

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