10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH... BERENICE NORTHCOTT
Each month we ask an industry professional the Tomorrow’s FM 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Berenice Northcott, Managing Director of Access North Structures.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
WHAT WAS
YOUR FIRST
JOB? I wanted to gain hands-on experience,
so I took a year out before university and volunteered front of house in a leading film and photography museum.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY?
My background is actually in design and marketing. However, my husband had worked in the industry for eight years before we came together to start Access North in 2011 when I started to apply my skills in FM. I’ve learned the trade ‘on the job’ so to speak, to the point I’m now running our company.
WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY,
DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
I think Peter Jones is a very charismatic businessman. You can’t doubt his commercial acumen, but he appears to bring the right level of instinct, enthusiasm and passion to his work too.
IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT, WHAT CAR
WOULD YOU BUY?
I’m actually really into cars so this is tough. I look back fondly at my first car – a Peugeot 106. I rubbed it all down, got rid of every speck of rust, resprayed it and replaced the wheels. It was my pride and joy. But now, as a mum, my dream car would have to be something sporty that meets practical needs, such as the Porsche Cayenne.
50 | TOMORROW’S FM Q5
HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE
FACILITIESMANAGEMENT
INDUSTRY? I’m from two worlds so I know the opportunities that a slightly different way of thinking can bring. I’d like to see more transparency, honesty and a greater respect for the benefits of collaborative working. Many organisations embrace this but others certainly don’t. I think this mindset is needed though, to take FM to the next level.
Q6
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO
BE WHEN YOU WERE
GROWING UP? A dancer, an artist, a secretary like my mum. However I had no idea what career paths truly existed. I think it’s fantastic that, given the boom of the internet and social media, young people now have so much inspiration at their fingertips.
Q7 Q8
WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND?
For me, it’s about time out. I’ve got a little boy, who’s nearly two, so the chance to do things together, as a family, is what I look for outside of work. I also love getting back into my creative bubble and upcycling furniture or doing some interior design. You can’t beat half an hour of peace and quiet in a lovely coffee shop or a really epic movie.
IF YOU COULD HOST A DINNER
PARTY WITH ANY THREE GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE, WITH A FOURTH COOKING
AND FIFTH PROVIDING MUSIC, WHO WOULD THEY
BE AND WHY? I’d like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to cook for Sir David Attenborough, Sir Richard Branson, Denzel Washington and I, whilst Elvis did his thing.
Q9
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE
FUTURE OF THE FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY? I think we’re increasingly going to embrace all things digital, in order to become more efficient. This isn’t about technology replacing the role of a facilities manager, it’s about enhancing it so we can be savvier and work smarter. From streamlined tendering processes, to tools that support proactive, preventative maintenance and automated reporting, I think the much-discussed Internet of Things will continue to revolutionise FM.
Q10
STEPHEN PEAL, DIRECTOR FROM
PPSPOWER ASKED: DO YOU BELIEVE THE DEMAND FOR ENERGY IN THE UK OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS WILL INCREASE OR DECREASE
AND WHY? I believe it’s inevitable that, with a growing UK population, the demand for energy will increase. However, the main question for me would be, what type of energy we will be using? Through various developments in new technologies, demand may rise, but consumption may in fact decrease.
www.accessnorthstructures.com
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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