FEATURE
A JOURNEY OF GROWTH AND ENTREPRENEURISM
Last year, we interviewed Sonia Murton, Founder and MD at Westbury FM, who started a thriving company in the UK construction and FM space in 2017, just before the pandemic hit. Since that interview, Sonia has been recognised as one of the 'Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction 2022' whilst organically growing the business significantly. Here, she reflects on the past year's success.
I founded a thriving start-up in the UK construction and facilities management space in 2017. I opened Westbury Property Maintenance. (Since rebranded to Westbury FM), it was just myself and three Multi Skilled Engineers from a small office in Sidcup, SE London. We started with two clients. By the time Covid-19 hit, just two and a half years later, we employed 30+ people, and 80% of our business was in retail and hospitality.
During lockdown, I took action: driving the business in a new direction. A move that saved Westbury and the staff who worked there and ensured critical facilities continued to function. Having previously worked in the FM space for several years, I became disillusioned by the static culture and the lack of opportunity for progression. I’m a salesperson at heart, and I want to deliver, add value, innovate and solve problems.
Three years later, we have a team of 53. I have been named Top 100 Women in Construction by the National Federation of Builders and then listed 18th in the Independent’s E2E Top 100 female entrepreneurs.
“I’m a salesperson at heart, and I want to deliver, add value, innovate and solve problems.”
Women have an integral part to play in the workplace, especially in a predominantly male-dominated sector. 75% of Westbury’s senior management team and office staff are women. As a company, we regularly contact local government, charities, career fairs and education establishments to encourage apprenticeship applications.
In 2023, E2E, in association with The Independent, in partnership with IWG plc, announced its Female 100 list, which identifies the 100 fastest-growing female-led or founded businesses in the UK through their growth rate of employees over the past three years. I was thrilled to be 18th on the list for an impressive employee growth rate
38 | TOMORROW’S FM
of 68% over three years. It is a pleasure to be recognised among some of the most inspiring female entrepreneurs who have embraced innovation and built thriving enterprises during the pandemic. I am proud of my Westbury FM team and look forward to continued growth.
I am grateful to be showcased amongst so many inspiring women across the construction sector. So many women are doing brilliant construction jobs and making a real difference. We are committed to supporting female professionals in our sector and promoting gender equality in the workplace. We will continue to open doors and provide equal opportunities for all our employees, regardless of gender. We believe a diverse workforce is essential to building a thriving workplace environment. Together we can make a positive impact on the future of construction.
We always say our facilities management service is much more than maintenance because we care enough to understand and respond to the needs of every individual business we work with. We often know our clients personally and work to support their operations in the way that works best for them. Our satisfaction lies in business growth, customer service, staff wellbeing, safety, and delivering a consistently high service that leaves clients free to get on with strategic delivery. We’re proud of how clients are enabled to thrive and their success. It was always part of our vision to deliver the industry's most caring, flexible, can-do facilities management services. We firmly believe that’s how we’ve ended up being the trusted, respected FM service we are today.
Our growth story doesn’t end there. Last month we secured the top team from Blaze Maintenance to enhance our end-to-end signage solution and create a national Sign Maintenance and Manufacturing Division. We deliver planned and rapid response facilities management services to over 3000 large-scale multi-site operations and individual sites in London and the Southeast. Blaze Maintenance Limited was established in 1983 and built a reputation for the quality of service and reliability in signage maintenance and installation over forty years. They ceased trading in April after 40 years. In a social media update, the company, which directly employed crews of maintenance engineers strategically located nationwide, appealed to the industry on behalf of its talented, loyal and dedicated staff.
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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