FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - CAREER LADDER
FM is known to be a career that people fall into
from other sectors. In this regular column, FMJ
chats to a facilities professional about how they
got into the sector and takes a look at their
career path. This month we talk to Jemma
Millward, Facilities Manager EMCOR Group (UK).
Name: Jemma Millward
Current role:
Facilities Manager EMCOR
Group (UK) plc
Born: Pembury, Kent
Lives: Wakefi eld,
West Yorkshire
How did you progress through
the profession to your current role?
I fell into FM – my very first role was
as a temp on an FM helpdesk in
Plymouth (Interserve MoD account). I
quickly realised that getting plumbers,
electricians and window fitters out to
help people who needed their property
repairing was really rewarding and I
never really le the industry a er that!
I then worked in Voids and Relets as a
temp for Plymouth City Council, then
Housing associations in Devon before
moving to Yorkshire 11 years ago. I’ve
been an FM looking a er data centres,
o ices, a bank, a national charity
and now a leading engineering and
manufacturing organisation.
Do you have any qualifications
or training in FM and related areas
such as health and safety? And how
have you benefited from them?
I was never a straight A student at
school, but I’ve thrown myself into any
professional training I can. I have IOSH
Managing Safely, NEBOSH General
Cert, IEMA Environmental Management
and I also have ISO 22301 (Business
Continuity) Implementer and Lead
Internal Auditor. Every single course
I’ve been on has given me the skills to
be better at my job and improve the
safety of those people I look a er.
What is your greatest
contribution to the FM sector, or
your current role?
I’d like to think that I’ve opened the
doors to make mental health and
diversity in FM a more accessible
topic – I’ve tried very hard to be open
and honest with my employers and
colleagues, and clients and to have
open discussions with my team – we
look out for each other and are always
there at the end of the phone, for
anyone, no matter what their role is.
I also think that pushing CSR at all
levels is very important – we have a
responsibility in business to support
the community we operate in and have
a duty to give something back – I love
to bake so Macmillan Co ee mornings
are always a hot topic, but also
supporting CALM’s work to provide
men with an outlet to discuss their
mental health and suicide prevention
works is a topic that is very important
to me.
What do you enjoy most about
working in FM?
It sounds like a cliché but knowing that
what I do makes a di erence to people
and helps make their lives easier is
definitely something that motivates
me. We make sure the essentials
happen, the bins get emptied, the
toilets are cleaned and there is always
chocolate in the vending machines!
People ask me what I do and the very
simple answer that really resonates
with them and helps people get what
we do, is “I order toilet rolls!” It’s the
things that happen without people
needing to say anything.
Do you have future projects or
career goals in mind?
I recently started an MSc in Facilities
Management with Leeds Beckett
University – it’s a two-year part time,
distance learning course that will give
me the skills and exposure to thinking
in new ways and understanding
the sides of FM that I’m not very
experienced in. It’s hard work but
I’m hopeful that it will enable me to
progress into senior roles in the future
– maybe I’ll be a Director one day!
What personal qualities do
you think are most needed for a
successful career in FM?
Patience, a customer service focused
mind, and willingness to get stuck in,
no matter what the issue. There have
been times where I’ve needed to don
wellies and bail out a flooded part of
a building, help do a final deep clean
of a new toilet block ready for opening
and do some emergency cleaning in a
flooded toilet – all these things helped
get the job done, helped the customer
out and made people’s lives easier.
What do you think would make
the biggest di erence to catering
the FM sector?
That it is a career that can be really
rewarding and not just something
to fall into and plod along in. I don’t
think it’s a career that gets talked
about when people are leaving
school/uni but the industry is growing
and changing so quickly – with
an increase in “Smart” buildings,
building/environmental security and
environmental goals, having people
actively choose to join the industry and
sector will create a cohort of engaged
and enthusiastic FM professionals to
see us into the future.
Are you a member of any FM
association or body and if so what
benefits do you think they provide?
I’m not at the moment – mainly
because I keep putting it o , but
since I started my MSc, I’ve used so
many resources from journals and
professional bodies that I really need to
bite the bullet and get my subscription
sorted!
What advice would you give
to someone coming into the
profession now?
Be open to possibilities – work your
way up and get exposure to as many
facets of the industry as you can.
Definitely put some time in on a
helpdesk (it will be invaluable in the
future) and if you can find a mentor
in the industry ask them to help you
– I’ve learnt so much from people I’ve
worked with. Also, if you are o ered
secondments to other departments,
take them! The cross skills you will
pick up can only help your career in
the long run – and always take biscuits
when you see your engineers!
What are the greatest challenges
of working in FM?
Making sure we deliver our clients
expectations, every time, on time and
within budget. But also, making sure
we hit our environmental goals – we
all want to protect our environment
and coming up with solutions to
problems that both deliver the
client requirements but also reduce
consumption, waste and carbon is
something that will never go away and
will only become more important as
time goes on.
What do you predict could be the
main changes to the FM sector over
the next few years?
The drive to reduce carbon and
waste – as an industry we have
enormous responsibility to advise our
clients how they can help in the drive
to reduce carbon and waste; we should
be leading from the very start of the
process. Procurement has a major
role to play by sourcing suppliers who
have agreed to reduce waste, reduce
landfill and we can influence our
clients in a positive way by choosing to
reduce consumption of goods, energy
and by encouraging energy brokers
to negotiate green energy contracts
where ever possible.
Would you, or someone you know, like to be featured in our career ladder column? If you’re an operational
FM with more than 10 years’ experience in the sector, then email sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
58 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020
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