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 Chris Burroughs, Director of
Unifi ed-Support.
Name: Chris Burroughs
Current role:
Director, Unifi ed-Support
Lives: Chelmsford
What first attracted you to
working in FM, did you have much
awareness of the profession?
I’ve always enjoyed ‘making the show
happen’, this has modified over the
years to ‘making the show happen and
the clients happy’ through to ‘making
the show happen, the clients happy and
ensuring the technology works. To be
honest I did not have much awareness
of the profession other than the safety
aspect.
How did you progress through
the profession to your current role?
I wanted to experience the sights
and sounds of London and took a
job in Central Government providing
Audio Visual equipment, service, and
support across 30+ buildings in central
London. I learned a lot about supply,
demand, resource management and
customer service – plus how to make
aging kit work well and adopting new
technologies to meet the needs of
the end users. From here I transferred
to a Video Production Unit travelling
the world in support of UK Trade and
Industry. I went to some interesting
places meeting great people along the
way and further explored all elements of
‘making the show happen’. Fortunately,
I found time to study Photography,
Electronics, Video Production and
Management which set me up for the
future. A€ er eleven years on the Civil
Service payroll I could see little future
for extreme specialists such as I and
took a job with a Global Advertising
Agency in central London working in
their internal TV Production unit. I came
across a huge variation in equipment,
from the very old through to the latest
and greatest, working amongst very
diverse colleagues, clients, and some
famous people along the way, very
di† erent from the civil service. I played
a part in the agencies move from their
location of 40 plus years to a new
modern HQ, devising new systems,
relocating useful equipment, and
disposing of the obsolete, a lesson in
‘making the show happen’ ready for
day one of opening. From there I moved
to a small engineering firm setting up
an o† ice in Canary Wharf which led
to building a support, service, and
maintenance business initially from
three to more than 50. I travelled the
world, onboarding teams, providing
service to a wide client base in diverse
sectors such as banking, legal, finance,
entertainment, management consulting
and pharmaceutical to name a few,
‘making the show happen’. Following
acquisition of the business by a larger
rival, I made the decision to adapt or
move on, I did the former, making the
best of both worlds as we grew the
service, team, and delivery for 18 years
in total, learning a lot around sales,
contract management, resourcing and
in particular people with a global team
of 160 plus diverse specialists. I then
moved on to a smaller organisation
that had recently turned its focus to
maintenance and developed numerous
client focused o† erings, getting under
the skin of how the end users ‘make
the show happen’, understanding and
hopefully delivering what they required
and what they had not realised they
required! At the back of my mind I
always hankered working for myself
and looked back fondly on the small
company mentality of versatility, fast
turnaround, and no pigeonholes!
‘Making the show happen quickly,
doing it well and having fun’, here we
are today.
What have you found the most
challenging experiences working in
FM?
You need to understand what your
customers and what their customers
want. Are you meeting everyone’s
needs, is anything missing? I find
myself regularly working for IT or FM
departments both of which can be
detached from the end user.
What have you found most
satisfying about working in the
sector?
The great feeling you get when
something has been successfully
delivered, be it a fix, a form of service or
new technology.
What qualities do you think are
most needed for a successful career
in FM?
Understanding, engagement, tenacity,
and the ability to have thought about
the unknown. Move with the times and
be at the forefront of change.
What has changed about your
job role since the COVID-19 crisis?
E.g. home working, furloughed,
redeployed?
It has been a challenge for sure, let us
look at the positives, technology has
been around for a long time to aid
communication on many platforms
and if deployed properly makes major
changes to the o† ice, there has never
been such a need to deploy, adopt
or adapt. Organisations with hybrid
workforces need to channel thought
into employee’s wellbeing and how to
get the best out of their sta† ensuring a
collaborative and empathetic culture.
What is your organisation
doing to ensure the wellbeing of
sta – whether working at home or
returning to the workplace?
The door (or communication platform)
is always open. We always listen and
help our colleagues on work or a
personal level showing empathy, care,
and consideration, making change
as required to help. Be prepared to
listen, help, and make the time. The
watercooler may not be accessible
anymore, but we all have many tools
that allow us to speak to each other.
Do you believe the pandemic
has highlighted the important role
of the FM sector and what areas do
you see as most key?
Absolutely, the workplace must
change, and support is always required.
End users need a reason to come to
the o† ice so let us make it work for
them and be something special, safe,
and secure. Access should be smooth,
everything in place, without delays and
let us put some pleasing distractions
in place.
What advice would you give to
someone coming into the profession
now?
Learn as much as you can, get
recognised accreditations, join
professional bodies, and get the most
out of your membership. Look at what
your peers in other organisations
provide. Gain an understanding of
the location you admire and strive to
make yours match or be even better.
Tap into knowledge out in the field
and most importantly understand your
customers.
Which of your achievements
are you most proud of during your
career?
Remaining grounded, I would not ask
somebody to do something I would
not be prepared to do myself. I also
enjoyed setting up a service division
within an organisation in New York,
recruiting and setting on the sta† ,
putting process and procedure in place
and then the hands on delivering the
service whilst getting an understanding
of di† erent cultures.
What do you predict could be the
main changes to the FM sector post
pandemic?
I suspect we will see more last-minute
change. Many organisations are still to
go back to their o† ices and are unsure
of how it will work and what is needed
to make this happen. I feel there will
be further change when the new way
of working has bedded in with facilities
needing to adapt. I also see changes
within workforces, with the aid of
technology do we need the same levels
and type of manpower? We should look
to simplification and adoption to make
things happen and give our clients,
customers, and end users a friendly,
smarter experience.
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
54 AUGUST 2021
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