Maintaining momentum

Liverpool-based property services company The Momentum Group has been going through a period of rapid expansion. FMJ held a Q&A with Matthew Pilling, Director of its FM business, Maintain on his plans to grow the facilities division

Q: What is your career background in FM and what prompted you to join Momentum?

A: “I studied a management course at university, which included modules on planned preventative maintenance and facilities management. After completing my studies, I joined Carillion in their graduate scheme, where I focused solely on facilities management. As part of the programme, I relocated from the North West to the South East and placed on a six-month rotational programme. This allowed me to gain a broad understanding of the Carillion business by working across various departments.

However, Carillion was facing significant challenges at the time and eventually went bust. This prompted me to explore new opportunities, and I decided to move to central London, joining BNP Paribas, a French bank that had recently acquired Weatherall Green Smith, a property management organisation.

After my time at BNP Paribas, I moved to Capita, which was also struggling at the time. The business faced issues with TV licensing and congestion charging, and it lacked structure, with four different FM divisions operating across the UK in various forms. Seeking a more innovative environment, I joined CloudFM, a startup that was truly ahead of its time. They developed an online live reporting platform linked to QR codes, creating a seamless process from job reporting and client reporting to engineer deployment and live data analysis.

It was during my time at CloudFM that Engie approached us with an acquisition offer. This was my first introduction to Engie, which had recently acquired the US Air Force contract from Interserve. Before joining The Momentum Group, I took a step away from facilities management and served as Managing Director for a ground engineering business. This role was a complete departure from my previous experience but allowed me to broaden my skill set and gain new perspectives.

I joined The Momentum Group at a pivotal time to revolutionise, develop, and grow the company’s FM business, Momentum Facilities Management Ltd (Momentum Maintain). My years of experience have given me a clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t, and I wanted to apply these learnings to drive meaningful change. The Momentum Group offered me the chance to adapt, develop, and grow the business, which was a key factor in my decision to join. Essentially, it was about putting my years of learning into practice and having the ability to drive change from within.”

Q: Who founded The Momentum Group and how it has the achieved its expansion out of the North West to cover the rest of the country?

A: “The Momentum Group provides advice, construction, project management, property management and facilities management services. Based in Liverpool, the founders have more than 30 years full-service property experience, have worked regionally and nationally and thrive on an ability to generate results working with a trusted and agile team to deliver to the highest standards.

Chris Bliss and Chris Renshaw expanded the company from the North West to across the country, following an appointment last year to provide property management services for the White Lion Walk Shopping Centre in Guildford, working with real estate investment manager Redevco. Additionally, they secured a more recent appointment from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to execute a £1.7 million refurbishment project, transforming an industrial unit into a temporary housing shelter.”

Q: Momentum covers the full lifecycle of building and investment services. How does the expertise of the consultancy, construction, and project management side of the business feed into the FM services side, and is there much synergy?

A: “We are one of the few businesses that offer a full spectrum of property services, providing unique solutions to clients. This starts with advisory for major projects, in-house building services, and planned preventative maintenance services. Additionally, we offer FM and property management for service charge purposes.

The synergy between Maintain and the other businesses is significant. Each of the other three businesses, Momentum: Advise, Build and Manage, act as internal clients to FM (Maintain). This means Maintain is the only business that works across all three, allowing us to offer in-house solutions and advice. For example, if a client needs a cleaning audit, we recommend appropriate cleaning solutions.

Moreover, we collaborate closely with Momentum Build for end-of-tenancy cleans, end-of-project cleans, and sparkle cleans. This integration enables us to offer preferential rates for planned contracts and reactive works for property management. Essentially, Maintain acts as the catalyst between the other businesses, ensuring services are delivered efficiently on-site.”