FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS
BEHIND
DATA
THE JOB
IAN MACQUARRIE
TOPIC TRENDS
NAME: Ian MacQuarrie JOB TITLE: Facilities manager ORGANISATION: SAP JOB DESCRIPTION: Responsible for all facilities management and real estate across the MENA region covering 13 offices in eight countries
What attracted you to the job?
No two days are the same. Having worked for several industry areas that started in oil and gas in Aberdeen, I spent some time in FM consultancy and most recently moved client-side.
janitors needs to change. A voice at the boardroom table shows that we are an integral part of the strategic business planning process. Any interesting tales to tell?
I worked at a Middle East zoo on a project for a while as a consultant and every day the keepers used to take the cheetahs for a walk on a lead past our office. When I questioned the logic of this I was told they were being tamed for someone to take home! Incidentally, it took three keepers to hold one cheetah – I’m not sure if it is a pet I would want. If I wasn’t in facilities management, I’d probably be…
My top perk at work is…
I’m not sure. When I left school I was going into an apprenticeship with British Rail, but took a summer job as a chef and remained in catering for several years. I would say that I’d either be in a role in IT or an airline pilot.
Working for a great company and working with fantastic people, having a great team supporting me and having the latest IT.
Which “FM myth” would you most like to put an end to?
How did you get into facilities management and what attracted you to the industry?
YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ... “Achieving my master’s degree whilst holding down a full-time role”
I was made redundant and naturally transitioned into an FM role. But it took courage and commitment from my end and a lot of trust and confidence from my senior manager at the time that I would succeed. What’s been your career high point to date?
Working in the Middle East and seeing countries you would never have had the opportunity to see. Added to that would be having the challenges of working (in consultancy) on some breathtaking projects in Dubai. What has been your biggest career challenge to date?
Achieving my master’s degree whilst holding down a full-time role.
The perception that someone with a technical degree needs to head up FM.
I have not seen many changes; if anything, coming to the Middle East five years ago saw a backward step – the UK 10 years ago. But looking at things today I’d say certainly Dubai is now where the UK was five years ago. Other regions still remain in the dark ages.
9 IAN MACQUARRIE
Introducing/ working with new forms of IT
4 8
Working on energy-efficiency initiatives
Adapting to flexible working
5 6 And how will it change in the next five years?
FM in the next five years will continue to be primarily driven by the business, rather than FM driving the business. I think the key objectives will increase around sustainability, energy consumption reduction and use of technology. What single piece of advice would you give to a young facilities manager starting out?
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Do your friends understand what facilities management is?
The level of acceptance at the boardroom table. Businesses can only be further enhanced with the support of FM and the perception that they are just
I have found an innovative way to describe it, thanks to a taxi driver in Dubai. He described me as “a doctor of buildings”.
34_Behind the job.indd 46
8 AVERAGE
7 9
If anything, I might give away the hassle of car parking offender management.
34 | 24 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD
Ensuring compliance with legislation
How do you think facilities management has changed in the past five years?
Always be critical wherever you are, be it in a hotel, office or shop. What looks bad? How is the customer service? What are the staff like? Think about what standards you would want to have, as you will be judged on them in years to come.
If you could give away one of your responsibilities to an unsuspecting colleague, 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.
Maintaining service levels while cutting costs
8
7
Adapting FM to changing corporate circumstances
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16/04/2014 14:32