Big Interview

Jennifer O’Donnell

Managing Director, Safer Shared Spaces

COVID crisis spawns new venture for Jennifer

Jennifer O’Donnell is a fine example of an entrepreneur who can adapt quickly to changing circumstances and spot new business opportunities well before the competition. The MD and founder of a successful commercial contract cleaning company, Jane Jefferson Cleaning (JJC), she’s now diversifying with the launch of a new venture that will help companies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in their work premises.

The new venture, Safer Shared Spaces (SSS), is a joint venture with Quills Group Ltd. and a direct response to the COVID-19 crisis, which has led to multiple lockdowns and the temporary closure of many non-essential businesses over the last year. Quills Group, established over 20 years ago, provide office products and services to businesses throughout the UK.

Jennifer says: “I’ve been working on this project since April last year, when clients started to investigate enhanced cleaning and hygiene regimes to help reduce the risk of infection transmission in the spaces that people share. I was curious to discover the best ways to help our clients at JJC, so I embarked on a journey to find costeffective measures that could help stop the spread of infectious diseases across the three main vectors of potential transmission: surfaces, through the air and via human contact.” After much research and several discussions, Jennifer is now in a position to tackle this problem. SSS will act as a distributor of a leading UK manufacturer of laboratory-tested antimicrobial surface coating products, including a clear spray-on coat which is professionally applied by trained technicians

“The company is a proud recipient of the Living Wage Champions Award and has been previously shortlisted for an Evening Standards Award and a Barclays Responsible Business Award. Jennifer herself has been recognised three times in the Southwark Business Awards and has been referenced in the House of Commons as a shining example of how to run a growing business ethically.”

and provides round-the-clock protection against bacteria and viruses. Creating a protective layer that stays on the surface to tackle infection and antimicrobial resistance, it’s resistant to abrasion and typically lasts for its entire lifetime, in contrast to standard disinfectants that need to be reapplied frequently. Recent tests of this innovative product show that it cut SARS-CoV-2 reproduction rates by 99.8%, MRSA rates by 99.991% and E. coli and Salmonella rates by 99.999%. SSS will also be the distributor of a revolutionary no-alcohol active sanitiser which can be used on hands (active up to 8 hours) and surfaces (active in laboratory tests for up to 28 days) and will offer a range of air purification units to address poor air quality and the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses. Jennifer says: “Over the last eight years we’ve grown a significant commercial client base. Listening to these clients it has become very clear that the requirement for cleaning services and products that can demonstrate robust scientific scrutiny has become business-critical, not an optional add-on. Our ambition for SSS is to be a trusted provider of products and services to combat the spread of viral and bacterial infections, and a hub for research and development in this unfolding field.” If early signs are anything to go by, there’s every chance that these goals will be met. Safer Shared Spaces recently struck a partnership with the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering at Imperial College London and Manchester Met University (MMU), Crowd Science Department to understand how these products and services can help reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases in shared spaces and give confidence to those using them. Their first package of work will be a case study at a leading event space to map the journey of a visitor and draw on the expertise of MMU and Imperial to provide guidance on how crowd safety can be managed. The aim of this study is to give confidence to those entering the space that significant steps – such as the use of antimicrobial surface coatings, for example – have been taken to minimise risk of the spread of infection. If this study is successful, there’s huge potential for SSS to offer its expertise to improve the customer experience in multiple public and private sectors and venues around the world.” It’s an exciting time for Jennifer, who is also busy keeping her company’s core cleaning business in good shape as the UK gradually emerges from lockdown. She launched JJC in 2013 with the clear aim of providing a better service than any other cleaning firm could offer, whilst looking after her staff with fair pay and rights. The company is a proud recipient of the Living Wage Champions Award and has been previously shortlisted for an Evening Standards Award and a Barclays Responsible Business Award. Jennifer herself has been recognised three times in the Southwark Business Awards and has been referenced in the House of Commons as a shining example of how to run a growing business ethically. She has also provided input into the Matthew Taylor report on modern day working practices and Sir David Metcalfe’s review into workplace exploitation. It’s clear that a strong sense of fairness is central to Jennifer’s business ethos – and this has underpinned her company’s success to date. “Our brand legacy is based on old-fashioned values of hard work and commitment and the desire to get a job done well,” she says. “It’s something that my grandmother taught me. I’ve really bought into these values and so have my 75 staff, and this has been appreciated greatly by our customers.”

The Inside Story

Jennifer O’Donnell

Managing Director Safer Shared Spaces

u Favourite food?

Everything that’s bad for you! Chips are probably my favourite; the best ones I’ve ever tasted are from our local chip shop,

Silver Fish Bar near Nunhead Station. u Favourite tipple?

As a special treat it would be pink Laurent

Perrier champagne – with chips, of course! u Favourite holiday?

A small seaside resort called Calella de

Palafrugell, not far from Barcelona. It’s an incredibly beautiful coastline and I have happy memories of cycling through forests to get to our favourite beach, Castell. u Describe your family life?

Busy. I have two teenage daughters who keep me on my toes. I also have a

Sprocker spaniel, Bertie, who’s the love of my life and has won me over in a way that nobody else can. u How do you spend your

downtime?

Lots of dog-walking, playing the piano, running, meditating and, when there’s no lockdown, having fun with friends. u What are your key strengths

as a manager?

I’d like to think I look after our workers by remunerating them fairly, allowing them to exercise their employment rights and creating a positive environment in which to learn. u And your limitations?

I never seem to have enough time to get everything done. u Best thing about doing business

in the borough?

Southwark’s vibrant culture and its interesting history. From a business perspective, I’ve been impressed by the constructive, helpful support of networking groups such as Southwark Chamber of

Commerce and Cooking with Scissors, where members are genuinely there to support and help each other. u Famous person you’d most like

to spend dinner with?

The actor Regé-Jean PageI, who plays the dashing Duke of Hastings in the TV series

Bridgerton. u Most interesting fact about

yourself?

I won my school’s disco dancing championships in 1982!