FOCUS INTERVIEW
CHANGING
TIMES
FMJ talks to Kiran Kachela, Founder and Director of CI
Projects, and her team to discuss the challenges and
opportunities for a female-led consultancy working
within the FM sector
Even as we enter the third decade of this century,
facilities management remains a male-dominated
profession. Recent research from i-FM revealed
that half of FM businesses in the UK have no female
representation at all at board level, while a report from
the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found
that despite women beginning their careers on a par
with men, by the time they reach the 46-55 age bracket
they earn £13,000 less than their male peers.
It’s also patently obvious that this lack of gender
diversity needs to be challenged, not only for ethical
reasons but also because it makes good business sense.
Sodexo’s Gender Balance Study showed that management
teams with a 40-60 per cent gender split in either direction
were more e ective across a number of areas. Specifically,
they demonstrated improved performance in terms of
profit, employee engagement, health and safety and client
retention.
The success of CI Projects (CIP), a boutique consultancy
working within the FM sector, bears this out. The femaleled
consultancy comprises a workforce of over 80 per cent
women, working across multiple FM organisations such as
Bouygues, Interserve, Gov Facility Services and the NHS.
Kiran Kachela first entered the FM industry as a helpdesk
operator, “taking calls about broken toilets and ceiling
tiles”. Her director recognised her flair for problem solving
and gave her the opportunity to develop her career in the
field of business improvement. Within the space of a few
years she was Head of Business Improvement for a large
FTSE-listed FM company, leading large, complex, businesswide
change projects.
42 FEBRUARY 2020