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10 QUESTIONS WITH...


10 QUESTIONS WITH… Q1


After a short hiatus, the Tomorrow’s FM 10 Questions is back. This month we spoke to Ed Walker, Head of Sales for Lita Group.


WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?


While still at school, I had a Saturday job selling clothes for Harry Fenton Menswear. I then worked on a kibbutz for nine months, mainly in fish farming, and had temporary jobs as a concrete labourer and a dustman. My first job after university was as a salesman for Tandy Micro Computers in the early 1980s.


Q2 Q3


HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE FACILITIES


MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY?


I ran big estates of pubs for Whitbread and then worked in business director and solutions director roles in security for Securitas and Salisbury Group. It was a natural progression from security into the facilities management industry. It’s all about providing the right solution for clients.


HOW DO YOU CHALLENGE THE


STATUS QUO?


Inspired by Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, I believe the seven most dangerous words in the English language are: ‘because we always do it that way’. In my experience this is often an issue in the FM sector, with a tendency to continue doing something in a certain way without questioning the specification and required standards. I’m never afraid to ask ‘why?’.


Q4


SINCE YOU STARTED IN FM WHAT HAS


BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE THE INDUSTRY HAS SEEN/


YOU HAVE OBSERVED? Definitely the use of new technology to drive efficiency, in response to a year-on-year squeeze on margins. With pressure from clients to reduce costs, saving on labour by turning to robotics and other technologies is an obvious solution. Installing a camera will never


58 | TOMORROW’S FM Q8


ANY ADVICE TO SOMEONE


JUST STARTING OUT IN


THE INDUSTRY? Always challenge the status quo (see above). Don’t be afraid to ask ‘why?’


be as expensive as hiring a human being over a year.


Q5


WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY,


DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?


Bill Gates – a man who realised that it isn’t the tin box that dictates success; it’s what you put in it that helps to revolutionise the world.


Q6 Q7


WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?


Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.


IF YOU COULD HOST A DINNER PARTY


WITH THREE GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD


THEY BE AND WHY? Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela and George Best.


and make sure you listen carefully to the answer. Also try to get involved in as many roles as possible to broaden your experience.


Q9


WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE FUTURE


OF THE FM INDUSTRY?


I believe the future of FM will be shaped by the continuous evolution of technology to support innovation and improved training for frontline teams. In many ways the industry is cyclical, moving from single-service provision to multi-service provision and back again. Organisations have to be agile and able to accommodate different requirements and changes in the market. I also believe that cleaning teams will be more valued moving forward. This has been a clear positive to come out of the current pandemic.


Q10


IAIN SHORTHOSE, CUSTOMER


EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR AT INTERSERVE, ASKS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS OFTEN CITED AS THE NEW BATTLEGROUND FOR SERVICE LED ORGANISATIONS. WHAT IMPACT DO YOU FEEL THIS WILL HAVE ON OUR INDUSTRY OVER THE NEXT


FIVE YEARS? For organisations that do not value price above all else and do not view service provision as merely a commodity, it will always be customer experience that decides how successful the service is. Clients usually change suppliers because they are not satisfied with the service. Recognition of this is likely to drive investment in the continued development of cleaning teams over the next five years.


www.litagroupfm.co.uk/ twitter.com/TomorrowsFM


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