“Every
“There were blisters and laughs in equal measure, and the Aspire spirit of adventure and teamwork was evident throughout. Thank you to everyone who took part.”
DAVID WICKENS
Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire
Click here to check out all the event images.
David Wickens
Cover:
The leading pack battle their way through the picturesque valleys of Snowdonia.
Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire
OOctober began on a high – literally – with the annual Aspire challenge taking a group of us to Snowdonia, and the rest of the month has not disappointed either!
Well done to the Landsec | Aspire members who joined us for the incredibly demanding and hugely rewarding SNOWDON 360° challenge. Fortunately, the weather was glorious and we enjoyed spectacular scenery during our ascent, descent and circumnavigation of Wales’ highest peak. There were blisters and laughs in equal measure, and the Aspire spirit of adventure and teamwork was evident throughout. Thank you to everyone who took part and those who helped organise the event (especially Kelly Barlow), which has raised a fantastic amount for our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation.
Another high this month was the ‘topping out’ at Thirty High, our 30-storey development in Victoria. For the uninitiated, topping out is a term in the construction industry to describe when the last beam is laid on a building and it reaches its full height. The 300,000-sq-ft tower (formerly Portland House) has been refurbished to be net-zero in both construction and operation. When it opens next autumn, Thirty High will deliver premium office space, less than a minute’s walk from Victoria tube station.
This leads on to a third high this month: Landsec has achieved a five-star GRESB rating for the ninth consecutive year. GRESB is an organisation that provides environmental, social and governance (ESG) data to financial markets. We scored 99 for our developments – way above the average of 86 – and this benchmark means we’re recognised internationally as a leader in creating sustainable places.
David Wickens One Editor-in-Chief david.wickens@landsec.com
Kelly Barlow One Editor kelly.barlow@landsec.com
Alison Currell Aspire Service Delivery Director alison.currell@landsec.com
Martin French One Design & Layout martin@tigerbaydesign.co.uk
“Every champion has refused to give up.”
4 - 6 October 2024
Although the weather was kind, the 34 brave adventurers who took on this year’s Landsec | Aspire challenge endured aching limbs and sore blisters to tackle SNOWDON 360°.
bold
Click here to check out all the event images.
Meet the team
This year’s epic challenge meant not only scaling Yr Wyddfa – Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales at 3560 ft (1085 m) – but also undertaking a marathon-length circumnavigation of the mountain.
After the long coach journey from 16 Palace Street, the Aspire team arrived in Snowdonia in the evening of 4 October. After a hot meal, there was a briefing by one of the qualified mountain leaders from Climb Snowdon, the experienced team supporting the trek, and everyone received a Landsec | Aspire branded jacket.
The next morning Kelly Barlow, Workplace Manager and organiser of the challenge, got up at 2.30 am to cook breakfast for everyone. The Climb Snowdon leaders arrived at the accommodation – Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel – at 5 am and the group departed in the dark around 5.30 am.
Then the long, hard climb up Llanberis Path to the summit began. Although there was cloud cover at the very top, this cleared as soon as the group started the descent via the Miners’ Track,
leaving the summit visible for most of the day. Everyone enjoyed spectacular views on the way up and down, with some brilliant Autumn sunshine during the day.
After a refreshment break at Pen-y-Pass, the group began the clockwise tour around the base of Yr Wyddfa, over the copper mines and through the historic village of Beddgelert. This was the location for the second refuelling stop, after which our trekkers followed the Snowdonia Slate Trail towards Rhyd
Ddu, before completing the final stretch back to the Youth Hostel. Everyone made it to the summit and back down, and many people completed the circumnavigation too. With the route totalling 29 miles (48 km) over difficult terrain, this was an awesome achievement, which the group celebrated with some well-deserved drinks, a hearty supper and a relaxing evening.
We are delighted to report that the SNOWDON 360° challenge has raised an incredible £6,290 for our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, especially to the following Service Partners for their generous donations: Bidvest Noonan (£2000), Jaguar (£1500), Principle (£500), OryxAlign (£250) and Regular Cleaning (£250). There is still time to sponsor your colleagues on the dedicated JustGiving page...
justgiving.com/page/justgiving-snowdon360
“I had made a promise that I would do whatever challenge was coming in 2024 and have subsequently made a promise to my knee joints that I will be better prepared for the 2025 challenge!”
Click here to check out all the event images.
“I was wondering if my legs would ever feel the same again.”
OLLIE HARRIS Workplace Support Assistant, Landsec
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“An awesome weekend that pushed me to my absolute limit! An experience I will never forget – a mix of such emotion but the sense of achievement is simply amazing. Thank you for the memories!”
GED SANTANGELO Account Director, Regular Cleaning
“The breathtaking scenery made the whole experience so rewarding. Although the last 3 miles were super challenging, we powered through with a strong mental attitude.”
“It was certainly one of the hardest challenges I have done, both mentally and physically. However, it feels amazing to have completed it.”
“The whole event was a fantastic experience and it was great to do something outdoors and challenging with the people we work with.”
Click here to check out all the event images.
Click here to check out all the event images.
Huge congratulations to everyone who took part – your efforts are much appreciated and definitely worth a name check:
Wilson Sterling Agudelo
Francesca Javine Allen-Taylor
Andrew Ballard
Luke Bowers
Gary Bullen
Chris Cain
Brad Cordery
Francisca Cumbicus
Rodrigo Diaz
Alistair Fawcett
Martin French
Juan David Gomez
Jenny Graham
Claire Griffin
Andrew Hammond
Ollie Harris
Carl Henriksen
Sol Jackson
Nageen Jalal
Raymond Kayima
James O’Mahony
David McGonigle
Guy Pakenham
Dave Payne
Nicky Rifat
Michael Rufai
Justin Rutherford
Ged Santangelo
Peter Schwartz
Ollie Swan
Diana Yajamin Tupiza
Adele Waddington
Adam Weldon-Ming
David Wickens
Also many thanks to Kelly Barlow for organising another brilliant event and looking after the group so well as ‘hostel hostess’ – your hospitality was as epic as the challenge itself!
Click here to check out all the event images.
“I am so proud of everyone who took part. It was such a hard challenge (it was easy to tell from the amount of blisters) and they all gave it their absolute best. The amount raised for Caxton Youth is incredible and I know the charity will be delighted.”
Kelly Barlow Workplace Manager, Landsec
We are bold | inclusive | driven | united
It’s been another busy month at Myo. We held our first team get-together, organised with the support of Jason Abella (Key Account Director for Bidvest Noonan) and Sara Conneely (Account Manager for Amplify). It was so nice to get a chance to spend time outside of work with the team and I expect this event to be the first of many! A massive thank you to the entire team for making it such a special night. We’re also celebrating more awards success, which helps to drive interest in our space and add to the success of Myo.
Becca Munroe
Operations and Experience Director
The Myo Operations and Experience team came together in true Aspire fashion for the first ever Myo social event. Held at Flight Club, the fairground-themed Social Darts venue in Victoria, the evening brought together colleagues from Myo, Amplify, Principle Cleaning, Bidvest Noonan and Briggs & Forrester. It proved to be a very successful and fun evening for everyone involved, and we hope to arrange similar team events on a regular basis.
Member events this month have included a Coffee Masterclass at Myo St Paul’s. This was delivered by Faith in Coffee, a company dedicated to spreading knowledge about coffee from high-quality beans and the message of sustainability. Myo members loved learning about – and tasting – the selection of coffees available.
We have a new Welcome Host at Myo Liverpool Street, as Arlean Carlos joins the Amplify and Myo teams. Arlean brings with him a wealth of experience from hospitality providers BaxterStorey and BM. “This new role has been one of the best challenges of my life,” he says, “allowing me to further develop my administrative skills and excel in delivering exceptional customer service.”
Outside of work, Arlean enjoys watching TV series, reading books, visiting museums and travelling whenever he has the opportunity.
Another new face in the Myo team is Puja Rathore, who has joined Briggs and Forrester as Apprentice Engineer. By attending college and being mentored by her colleagues, Puja is gaining experience and knowledge of all building services in the first year of a four-year programme. Outside of work, her hobbies include football, boxing and baking.
Myo Piccadilly has been nominated for the category of Best New London Flex Space in the awards from Flex and The City, the digital destination for the flexible office industry. Meanwhile The Forge –including Myo Bankside – recently won the 2024 National Innovation Award from the British Council for Offices. At the awards dinner, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 8 October, the net zero carbon building was recognised for its pioneering construction and the advancement of sustainable workspace design.
5 minutes with…
Account Director, Regular Cleaning
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like the simple things in life. I love spending time with my family, enjoying days out with my partner and young daughter, Shia, who is seven years old. We love going out to restaurants, the cinema and theatre shows. I also enjoy cooking at home, particularly a roast dinner. Every Sunday I serve up two roast meats (chicken for my partner and beef for my daughter) with all the trimmings. I also like to make pizza from scratch and enjoy cooking other Italian food, especially seafood dishes. I love travelling and like nothing more than a beach holiday.
What’s on your bucket list?
I would love to take my family to Lapland to see Santa and do everything that comes with it –the Northern Lights and a husky or reindeer sleigh ride. I’d also love to go on holiday to the Maldives.
Are you a fan of anything or anyone?
I don’t really put people on a pedestal. If I had to choose a historical figure, I would say Winston Churchill. In music it would be Andrea Bocelli. When it comes to sport, I’m a Spurs fan (I was a season ticket holder when I was younger) and my favourite ever Spurs player is Paul Gascoigne. However, my all-time favourite footballer would have to be Diego Maradona. He achieved greatness for Napoli, which is my father’s home town and club. We have family in Naples, Sicily and the Milan area, so we try to visit Italy every few years.
Do you have any mantras in business or in life?
In terms of business, a saying that I’ve often referred to when building teams or companies is: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Outside of business, a phrase that resonates with me and stresses the importance of work-life balance is this one: “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
Our daughter is my greatest achievement. Watching her grow from baby to infant, to the little lady she is today gives me a warm glow and a sense of pride every single day.
Have you been inspired by anything you’ve seen, read or experienced lately?
I was definitely inspired by some of the super-fit team members who completed the Aspire Snowdon challenge earlier this month. Hiking almost 50 km, from 5am until 9pm, was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I could barely walk for three days afterwards! It was purely the adrenalin that got me over the line.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
I wish I had understood earlier how important work-life balance is and how this helps deliver both a happier home life and more productive performance at work.
Do you have any regrets?
If I could do it all again, I would have settled down at a younger age and had lots of children!
Do you have any pets?
We don’t currently have any pets, but Shia has been angling for a bunny rabbit for a while now…
What’s your all-time favourite movie?
It’s hard to choose between The Godfather (Parts I and II) and the original Rocky trilogy.
What was your first ever job?
I worked as Chef’s Assistant in my uncle’s Italian restaurant, Trattoria Rocco in north Finchley. It was a small, family-run restaurant, where I learned to cook. It was great fun and it taught me about working under pressure.
What would you say is your best skill in business?
Rebuilding underperforming businesses and motivating and inspiring teams for success.
What’s your favorite part of your working day or week?
I love nothing more than spending time with the teams on site, driving performance and – most of all –celebrating success. I think it’s important not to lose sight of what the job is all about, which is the people, the buildings and the level of service.
And your least favourite?
I guess my least favourite thing is getting bogged down in admin and e-mails.
Members of the Principle Cleaning team celebrated ‘Thank Your Cleaner Day’ across multiple sites on 16 October.
Marked worldwide every October, Thank Your Cleaner Day in the UK is promoted by cleaning equipment manufacturer, Kärcher, in partnership with the Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA). The campaign aims to recognise the hard work that cleaners do and let them know that they are valued and appreciated.
“We celebrate this day every year,” explains Vitor Ferreira, Account Director for Principle, “to officially recognise the value that our on-site teams bring to our success and to thank them for all their hard work and commitment. We would definitely not be the company we are without our exceptional team.”
This year, Principle’s management decided to award two extra days’ holiday to team members with more than 10 years’ service. The following cleaning staff were recognised in this way:
Anzelika Sevcoviene, Cleaning Operative at 80 Victoria Street
Hyacinth Gumbs, Cleaning Operative at 80 Victoria Street
Marin Rupa, Team Leader at Cardinal Estate
Robert Martin, Cleaning Operative at Cardinal Estate
Wilfrido Piedra, Cleaning Operative at Cardinal Estate
Rita Whyte, AM Supervisor at Landsec Head Office
Delia Villacis, Team Supervisor at 62 Buckingham Gate, 123 Victoria Street and The Zig Zag Building
Peter Peter, Cleaning Operative at 123 Victoria Street
Agustine Frazer, Cleaning Operative at One New Change
Hassan Kamara, Cleaning Operative at One New Change
Cristina Sturzu, Cleaning Operative at One New Change
Fabian Flores, Cleaning Operative at One New Change
Anthony Owusu, Cleaning Operative at Dashwood
Congratulations and many thanks to you all. driven
If your workmate excels in one of the Landsec | Aspire values, you can nominate them for a Player of the Month award. See page 51 for details.
In this section of One magazine, we share snippets of news from across the Aspire family. It’s where we welcome new faces, bid fond farewells and celebrate promotions and other achievements. Please send your news to aspire@landsec.com
This month we had to say ‘goodbye’ to Federico Sommariva, Receptionist with Rapport at 62 Buckingham Gate. After his final shift on 11 October, team members joined him for leaving drinks at The Albert pub before he moved on to his next challenge at Bank of America (close to One New Change). “Thank you all for your support in my career,” wrote Federico in a farewell e-mail to colleagues. “It’s been a pleasure to work with all of you together for our client, Landsec.” Good luck, Federico!
Helping to fill the gap at 62 Buckingham Gate are two new faces. Obehi Ehiremhen has started work as Receptionist with Rapport. Obehi says she is “super excited” to be joining the team. “I’m all about being brilliant and making everyone feel welcome, so I can’t wait to see how much fun we have together,” she says. When she’s not working, Obehi enjoys going to the cinema and to church.
Mili Terzic has also joined the reception team at 62 Buckingham Gate. “I’m a 24-year-old proud Serbian,” says Mili – although she was born and raised in North London. “I’m the fifth of five daughters,” she continues, “which has made me a super strong, caring and bubbly woman. I love animals, music and fun outdoor activities.”
Krisztian Manyi has moved within Rapport to the position of Dedicated Cover for the Landsec portfolio. Originally based at 123 Victoria Street, Kris is now training across the various buildings he will provide cover for. Outside of work, Kris is passionate about everything to do with film and cinema.
Houda Mohammed has joined the AspireAssist team as AspireAssist Admin Agent. Currently based at One New Change, she will be moving – with the rest of the team – to the new AspireAssist base at 123 Victoria Street in November. When she’s not in the office, Houda loves trying new activities. “My latest obsession has been pottery making and painting,” she says. Houda is really enjoying her new role. “The training process is going well and my team have been very supportive,” she says.
Congratulations to Scheila Braga (below), Day Supervisor at Dashwood with Principle Cleaning, for fantastic feedback received from two separate customers recently. Thanking Scheila for her efforts, Chan Chung (Workplace Operations Director) described her as “a true asset”. In recognition of the wonderful feedback, Ruben Fernandes (Portfolio Manager for Principle) presented her with a card and some well-deserved chocolates. Keep up the great work, Scheila!
Customers at 62 Buckingham Gate, 80 Victoria Street and Nova South enjoyed free fruit recently when Driscoll’s distributed samples of its delicious berries.
With more than 100 years of farming heritage through independent growers worldwide, Driscoll’s is the global market leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
The healthy giveaways were organised by Quentin Meliz, FOH Experience Manager for Rapport. “They distributed 3,000 pots across the three sites over a period of three days,” says Quentin. “The customers really loved the activations, as it was a healthy treat with fresh, organic berries. It was great to see customers so engaged, and the brand also received very positive feedback, stating that the events went very well and that the customers were amazing and very receptive.”
Thank you, Quentin, for organising another fantastic pop-up event!
Collection and recycling of the old Landsec | Aspire uniforms is underway across the London portfolio.
“So far, we have undertaken uniform recycling for Jaguar and Principle at Cardinal Place and Nova,” says Oliver Swan, Senior Portfolio Manager for Recorra. “We’ve handled 40 kg of textiles for Principle and 80 kg for Jaguar. We hope this is just the start, as we plan to open this up to other Landsec Service Partners and customers.”
Branded uniforms must be handled securely to protect intellectual property rights. This is a service that Recorra provides, giving workwear a useful second life through recycling
or reuse without compromising a customer’s brand.
Collected textiles are shredded and customers are supplied with a Certificate of Destruction. After this, the textiles are sorted and those with a high proportion of natural fibres can be recycled to create new threads and yarns. Lower-quality textiles are either used to make other products – such as insulation and partition walls – or, if this is not possible, incinerated to produce renewable energy.
The safe disposal of the old uniforms makes way for the highly regarded new outfits, which are being rolled out in phases, so soon you will see them right across the portfolio.
Caxton Youth
Congratulations to the reception teams at One New Change and Dashwood for achieving fantastic visitor registration figures in September.
One New Change had 4,300 visitors during the month and the front-of-house team achieved a record registration rate of 71%. “This shows how amazingly the team is working with our customers to ensure that most of their visitors are booked in,” says Riccardo Sessa, Cluster Supervisor with Rapport. Very well done to the reception team at One New Change: Dean Friary Hall (pictured), Megan Jarman and Daniela Rovera. At Dashwood, the reception team managed to hit the 50% registration
mark for the first time in September, which reflects all their hard work. Thank you to Fhirdos Patel, Karolina Kenstaviciute and Daniela Rovera (who covers both sites).
We were pleased to support several initiatives to mark World Homeless Day and we’re grateful for the support of our Service Partners in these efforts. World Homeless Day has been observed internationally on 10 October every year since 2010 and aims to raise awareness of the issue and the needs of homeless people.
Donations of warm clothing were made at buildings across the London portfolio by customers and Aspire members.
Principle Cleaning kindly provided a van and helpers for the day to collect these items and deliver them to two charities that help homeless people in the capital, The Passage and Cardinal Hume Centre. “We were delighted to support Landsec with World Homeless Day,” says Vitor Ferreira, Account Director for Principle.
“We are always grateful for the opportunity to participate in such meaningful initiatives.”
We were also delighted to once again host representatives of MyLondon at several sites to promote sales of the MyLondon calendar 2025. This is a self-funding project set up by a social enterprise, which hands out 100 single-
use cameras to people who have experienced homelessness each summer. They take photos of the London they see and love, with the resulting images being selected for an exhibition and some cash prizes being awarded. Then a calendar and greeting cards are printed to feature the best photographs, which homeless people can sell to earn money.
If you have been wondering what progress we’re making with our planned improvements for the facilities of our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation, we’ll have an update in our next issue.
In the meantime, we can advise that an application has been made for planning permission for building work at Midge Island, the charity’s outdoor pursuits centre on the River Wey in Surrey.
As this is a long-term project, however, we’ll be focusing in the next few months on improving the charity’s London base in a campaign we’re calling ‘Making Pimlico Perfect’. We plan to visit the Pimlico site soon to plan some volunteering opportunities – watch this space! driven Organisation
In this regular feature, we are sharing wellness tips from Gioia Oliva, Reception Supervisor with Rapport. Having studied psychology, Gio is passionate about health and well-being, both inside and outside the workplace.
On 10 October we celebrated World Mental Health Day! This year’s theme, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, focused on workplace mental health, highlighting the need for supportive environments that prioritise mental well-being.
Workplace mental health is crucial because our jobs are a significant part of our daily lives, and stress, burnout or poor mental well-being can negatively impact productivity, job satisfaction and overall quality of life. Here are 10 evidence-based ways to improve your mental health at work:
1. Talk about your feelings
2. Be mindful of activity levels
3. Eat well
4. Drink sensibly
5. Manage your relationships
6. Ask for help
7. Take a break
8. Do something you’re good at
9. Accept who you are
10. Care for others
Prioritising mental health at work leads to a healthier, more supportive environment where employees feel valued and engaged. Take a moment to check in on your colleagues, friends and family – a simple, kind message can make a big difference. And never hesitate to reach out if you need to talk. Wishing you all a peaceful day as we spread awareness for mental health!
If you have any questions or well-being topics that you would like us to cover, email aspire@landsec.com in confidence. Your privacy will be respected.
We’re delighted to welcome BM to Landsec | Aspire as our catering Service Partner.
BM joined the Aspire family on 30 September and is taking care of our cafés at 80-100 Victoria Street, Dashwood, Eastbourne Terrace, n2 and One New Change, as well as hospitality for Myo events.
Some of you may know the catering company as Bartlett Mitchell – named after its founders, Wendy Bartlett and
Ian Mitchell – but the organisation has now rebranded to simply ‘BM’. The firm serves 40,000 customers every day in nearly 100 locations nationwide. We’ll have an in-depth introduction to the BM team in our next issue but, for now... welcome to Aspire!
Landsec | Aspire is always looking for your feedback to help us give praise where it’s due. Whether you’re a team member or a Landsec customer, let us have your Player of the Month votes and winners will be featured in One Magazine.
What are the Aspire Staff Recognition Awards?
Every month a ‘Player / Team of the Month’ is selected from nominations by you, other Aspire team members and Landsec customers. Winners receive a certificate and some well-deserved prizes. It is a credit to everyone that each month lots of nominations are received, illustrating just how good the Aspire team is and how team members are held in such high regard by the people they work with.
How do your workmates excel in the Aspire values?
— Bold
— Inclusive
— Driven
— United
PLAYER OF THE MONTH September ‘24
Each month we salute the people recognised by you for exceptional performance or for simply being a great team member. Nominations can now be made by emailing aspire@landsec.com or directly via WhatsApp on 07834 431208
CCongratulations to the team at Hill House for winning a Team of the Month award.
Well done to the members of the Regular Cleaning and Jaguar teams for dealing quickly and effectively with a water leak at Hill House recently.
The leak affected the gym area of a customer’s premises, impacting access for employees. The Hill House team – Paul Robinson of Jaguar, along with Sawmarr (Mo) Sesay, Fabio Jau, Alexandru Nicolae, Miguel Erazo Gallardo and Patricia Cordova
Venegas of Regular Cleaning –responded immediately.
“The team sprang into action to get this issue resolved and avoid further damage from the leak,” explains Chan Chung, Workplace Operations Director. “This was an amazing response time and dedication from the team to get services back up and running to minimise the impact. No questions were asked, and everyone worked together to make it safe and get back to business as usual. I’m truly grateful to have such a strong, dedicated team who really live and breathe the Aspire ethos and demonstrate a one-team approach, no matter what. Thank you all!”
6PM
