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 Mark
Judd, Director of Seeclear Facilities.
Name:
Mark Judd
Current role:
Director
Employer:
Seeclear Facilities
What first attracted you
to working in FM, did you
have much awareness of the
profession?
I started at the age of 16 as
an aircra… cleaner working
at Heathrow Airport in the
mid 80s. Back in those days
even the giants of FM today
were starting out as cleaning
companies.
How did you progress
through the profession to
your current role?
Its been a very long journey
from starting out myself
providing cleaning services 30
years ago, to working for some
great companies providing
clients with not only cleaning
but a full FM package of
services.
What have you found
the most challenging
experiences working in FM?
The FM industry has grown
exponentially over the last
decade and therefore so has
the amount of companies
o‡ ering FM. So, showing
prospective new clients
innovation and how we deliver
an excellent service at Seeclear
Facilities has never been more
important.
What have you found
most satisfying about
working in the sector?
Travelling and meeting
people across a network of
sixteen countries, seeing the
di‡ erences in cultures and
values. Continuing to see
people grow and enjoy their
roles.
What qualities do you
think are most needed for a
successful career in FM?
Vision, patience and a
willingness to learn new skills.
What has changed
about your job role since
the COVID-19 crisis? E.g.
home working, furloughed,
redeployed?
Looking outside the box more
o… en, a better understanding
of work life balance and using
video conferences instead of
face to face meetings.
What is your organisation
doing to ensure the
wellbeing of sta – whether
working at home or
returning to the workplace?
Most of our sta‡ continued to
work so it was paramount we
kept our colleagues safe and
ensured the stocks of PPE were
maintained. Regular site visits
by management ensured a
constant communications flow.
Do you believe the
pandemic has highlighted
the important role of the FM
sector and what areas do
you see as most key?
For me its highlighted the
importance of our cleaning
industry and all that work in it,
ensuring premises are a clean
and safe environment to work
in has never been so important.
What advice would you
give to someone coming into
the profession now?
It’s a great profession to be
in right now, lots of great
companies who will develop
their colleagues. There’s no
limit to what you can achieve.
Which of your
achievements are you most
proud of during your career?
Starting a business at 20
years old and driving it to
a successful multimillion
pound cleaning business but
more recent joining Seelcear
Facilities and seeing the huge
potential Seeclear have in the
FM market.
What do you predict
could be the main changes
to the FM sector post
pandemic?
A more flexible approach. The
role of the Facilities Manager
has been significantly impacted
by the Coronavirus pandemic.
New legislation responding to
the virus will place increased
pressure on them to ensure
sta‡ safety and plan for future
disruptions to your business.
Building maintenance may
become more frequent, and
health and safety laws will
become increasingly strict.
Government legislation will
urge organisations to improve
their energy e‡ iciency and
sustainability in a bid to meet
its net-zero carbon target. As
a Facilities Manager, you will
play a crucial role in helping
your business adapt to these
changes in the industry.
ENGINEERING -
THEN AND NOW
As part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, the Building
Controls Industry Association (BCIA) interviewed two of its
members who are both at diƒ erent stages of their career.
Roger Woodward is a founder member of the Building
Controls Group, which later became the BCIA and has held
roles at Johnson Controls and Tridium during a career
spanning more than 40 years. He currently works as an
Independent Strategy Consultant and was awarded the
BCIA’s Outstanding Contribution of the Year award in 2012.
George Belfield won the BCIA award for Young Engineer
of the Year in 2017 and is currently a Building Controls
Engineer for InTandem Systems.
Woodward described some of the changes the BCIA has
undergone since its formation and how it has benefited the
industry: “Companies are now much more open about their
problems and opportunities but it took us a while to be
able to promote the idea of the BCIA and get it recognised
as a body that could influence decisions in industry and
government. It is now a significantly more mature body
compared to what it started out as.”
George Belfield was born in 1991, the same year the
BCIA was formed: “From an educational point of view the
courses have been a great start to life as a Controls Engineer.
Something the industry finds very challenging is that not
many people really know what we do and even now we are
o¥ en having to explain our job title. So having those courses
as a start point provides a fantastic grounding in BMS and
helps you get the most out of your work experiences as well.”
He also had some key words of advice for anybody looking
to start a career in the building controls industry: “Adopt
a problemsolving
approach and try to avoid ‘pigeonholing’
yourself in any one part of the industry. If you want
to become a So¥ ware Engineer for example it’s useful to
gain some knowledge in other areas as well, whether that’s
working with a control panel and getting some handson
experience or dealing with a callout,
you will always learn
something that might prove
valuable later in your career.”
The full interview is available
here: https://bcia.co.uk/news/
thegenerationgame/
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
62 SEPTEMBER 2021
/
link
