FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS
BEHIND
DATA
THE JOB
ANITA ADAMS
TOPIC TRENDS
NAME: Anita Adams JOB TITLE: Senior facilities manager ORGANISATION: EPAM FM JOB DESCRIPTION Head of facilities of EPAM FM, supporting the managing agent of a commercial property portfolio
with language barriers, made it difficult to achieve. If you could give away one of your responsibilities to an unsuspecting colleague, what would it be?
Dealing with the “too hots” and “too colds”. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
OUR INTERVIEWEE RATES THE IMPORTANCE OF CURRENT FM TOPICS OUT OF 10. THE ‘AVERAGE’ SCORE (IN GREEN) IS TAKEN FROM OTHER RECENT INTERVIEWEES.
Ensuring compliance with legislation
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10 ANITA ADAMS
AVERAGE
That anyone can enter the profession and have the job title of FM without having all the required skills, experience or qualifications.
What attracted you to the job?
It was a new position in a very exciting business. EPAM asset manage properties owned by a number of private clients and they had agreed to move away from outsourced FM and take it back in-house so I have a fantastic opportunity with EPAM FM to return to some old-school principles working with passionate service partners to deliver six-star FM.
Any interesting tales to tell?
My top perk at work is…
If I wasn’t in facilities management, I’d probably be…
Having a workstation on the top floor of a fabulous building in Mayfair with the most amazing views. Oh, and the people I am working with – they are all just great. How did you get into facilities management and what attracted you to the industry?
Being asked to immediately remove a significant number of orange helium balloons at the ICI HQ that had been released in the atrium of a nine-storey building after a function the night before and were offending members of the main ICI board as they hovered outside their windows.
WHAT SINGLE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG FACILITIES MANAGER STARTING OUT? Get totally stuck in and question everything. FM is a vast subject and the only way to learn is on the ground! It will be an amazing journey – enjoy every second!
I trained as a bilingual PA from where I transitioned into office management and then FM with Whitbread and then ICI at their Global HQ where I had the most incredible mentor and learnt how to deliver FM to platinum standards. I absolutely love the variety. What’s been your career high point to date?
Being appointed to the operational board as property services director in 2006 for a national serviced office provider responsible for 72 business centres across the UK. Responsible for TFM (including purchasing, health & safety and FM) working with some very challenging budgets and project managing all fit-outs of new business centres.
Introducing/ working with new forms of IT
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I always wanted to be Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect to so I guess a high-flying detective. I spent six years in the Territorial Army, where I achieved the rank of corporal in the Royal Logistics Corp. I learned many skills that are relevant to FM.
Working on energy-efficiency initiatives
Which “FM myth” would you most like to put an end to?
Adapting to flexible working
That the “fairies” don’t deliver FM. It takes an incredibly resilient, self-sufficient and proactive type of person to deliver full FM services effectively.
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How do you think facilities management has changed in the last five years?
It has hit a bit of an identity crisis where FMs have tried to buy FM from one-stop shops for ease, but have actually created a mediocre culture where the result is disappointment for the clients. The smaller, passionate, quality service providers are still out there, waiting for the mighty to fall. There is enough work out there for them all.
Maintaining service levels while cutting costs
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And how will it change in the next five years? What has been your biggest career challenge to date?
As corporate security manager, developing and implementing a disaster recovery plan for a reinsurance division of GE across Europe. It was business-critical but had little support from the various European business leaders which, coupled www.fm-world.co.uk
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I hope to see an end to the super-sized and often faceless FM providers, reverting to more personal specialist relationships that are in it for the long term. Do your friends understand what facilities management is?
Adapting FM to changing corporate circumstances
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Some do and some don’t; I’m too busy to explain it. FM WORLD | 14 AUGUST 2014 | 43
07/08/2014 14:28