i-FM: The online resource for facilities professionals

After graduating with a degree in engineering from Leeds, I began my career working for consultants in building services design, energy management and facilities management in various sectors. After 10 years of consulting, I moved to the facilities management supply side and helped set up, develop and run an FM division for a national building services maintenance company.

For over 8 years I worked for PruPIM where I ran the operational management team, responsible for the procurement and management of facilities management services to a large investment portfolio consisting of over 450 properties in the UK. During my time at PruPIM I also helped in setting up Buying Force, a web-based procurement platform designed to provide an efficient procurement model, predominantly for the managers of diverse investment property portfolios. My position of Operations Director gave me responsibility for £150 million worth of annual procurement FM services spend.

I joined Jones Lang LaSalle in January 2006, in the position of Head of Operations, responsible for over 120 FMs and an annual spend in FM services of more than £100M. The team is responsible for management of more than 750 properties in the UK owned by investment/pension funds.

During this period, and having been involved in various guises with the Facilities Management Association almost since its inception, I progressed to position as Chairman of the FMA for several years ending in 2008.