One Magazine
David Wickens Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire
Welcome to the 100th issue of Aspire
One magazine and what a milestone!
It’s really quite hard to believe that there have already been 100 issues... and this is just the beginning!
It seems like only yesterday that Ian Burr, my predecessor as Chair of the Aspire Steering Board, pitched the concept of Aspire and set about establishing this unique community –but in fact it’s an incredible nine years ago. The magazine was soon created to communicate the Aspire message and values, which it has done every month since. Please continue to send in your stories and photos, so that we can keep on celebrating the dedication and achievements of Aspire members across the Workplace portfolio.
In this month’s edition, you’ll find all the photos from our annual Sports Day, which proved to be great fun once again. Congratulations to the winning team, The Legends – I don’t mind (much!) that you pushed me and the rest of The Tuggers down into second place! Many thanks to Kelly Barlow for organising another fantastic event. Of course, if you need a focal point for your fitness training now that Sports Day is over, set your sights on our Aspire Challenge – we’ll be tackling Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales) in early October.
In this issue, in addition to our regular updates – including Grapevine, news from Myo, Glenn Darlison’s Hard Services update and Wellness with Gio – you can get to know Stewart Wells of Briggs & Forrester in our ‘5 minutes with’ column.
One hundred ISSUES:2016-2024
We’re thrilled to have made it to our one hundredth issue of One Magazine and want to thank you – our fantastic Aspire colleagues and loyal readers – for helping to create all the wonderful stories and photos that we’ve featured over the years.
100, not out!
“We would like to thank everyone who has ever featured in our magazine for their enthusiastic participation. Without you, One Magazine simply couldn’t happen.”
Alison Currell Aspire Service Delivery Director
We’ve come a long way since the very first edition of One magazine in April 2016.
Aspire was the brainchild of Ian Burr, former Head of Property Management for Landsec and original Chair of the Aspire Steering Board, back in 2015. Fondly known as ‘Mr Fixit’, Ian had a vision to create a united team of Service Partners with shared values and objectives. As communication would play a vital role in making his vision a reality, Aspire One magazine was born.
The magazine has proven its worth as an essential tool for communicating Aspire’s purpose and values. With more than 700 members and 14 Service Partners across our six service streams,
it helps to keep everyone informed of news, events, business developments and new team members.
The publication has evolved quite a bit over the past eight years. It has increased in pages, become accessible online and acquired QR codes. It even underwent a major rebranding in 2020, replacing the traditional blue and pink with the new Landsec colour palette that you see today.
But some things have not changed –One magazine has always celebrated the achievements of Aspire members, big or small. Whether it’s the annual Staff Recognition Awards, the physical Aspire Challenges, our Player of the Month awards or just articles reporting the day-to-day efforts of colleagues
We’ve featured lots of Service Partners in our magazine, such as Husseth Chambi Morena (Naomi) of Regular Cleaning.
across the portfolio, we simply love to shout about your successes. From main features to snippets of news, One magazine showcases the great work you all do every day.
Importantly, the magazine helps to convey the Landsec values – Bold, Inclusive, Driven, United – and the friendly culture that we pride ourselves upon. Aspire is a family – we look out for one another and enjoy each other’s company. Take any issue of Aspire One magazine, flick through the pages and you’ll always find lots of smiles and teams working effortlessly together. Our back catalogue is a wonderful record of the great partnerships and camaraderie that Aspire has generated and can be viewed at landsec.com/about/landsec-aspire
The voice of Landsec | Aspire // Bringing our community TogetherAsOne
Issue 1
The launch of One, the newsletter that’s all about Aspire members and teams, highlighting the brilliance of the people that keep Landsec buildings and surroundings working well and looking good.
Issue 42
From single tracks to paddle slaps, we took a closer look at 2019’s ambitious triathlon.
Issue 32
Our very first Aspire Christmas Jumper Day, Green Apple success and much, much more!
In
We rebrand to align with Landsec’s values and purpose.
Issue 55
Our rebrand edition explains why we are no longer simply a vision. Landsec | Aspire is now a unified workforce with one purpose.
Issue 62
Landsec | Aspire offers a 24/7 support service, direct from our innovative Customer Service Centre.
Issue 77
In the postpandemic world, we discussed Landsec’s role in creating a sustainable future.
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2023
Issue 91
Readers looked through the supplement for details of the people shortlisted for each category, then submitted their votes directly to Landsec | Aspire via our online form.
Issue 96
After a long and detailed tendering process, we selected the Service Partners to innovate, dedicate and blast our way to 2030.
Issue 100
We’re thrilled to be your teammates and will continue to share and celebrate you and all your hard work!
Myo update
In this month’s update, we’re introducing you to our team at St Paul’s. Spread over three floors in the heart of the City, Myo St Paul’s not only boasts flexible office space but also incredible views of the cathedral, impressive event spaces and impeccable sustainability credentials. Not forgetting, of course, our fabulous Service Partner team!
Becca Munroe
Operations and Experience Director
The Myo St Paul’s team really rely on each other and collaborate on a daily basis. Ola Kudus is Member Experience Executive and looks after the team at Myo St Paul’s, alongside Manon Bockenmeyer, Workplace Manager. Together, they run the day-to-day operations on site, assisted by their Aspire colleagues.
Fabi Da Silva is the dedicated Member Host for Amplify. She works closely with the whole team and ensures that all members have everything they need to have a successful day at the office. Fabi gets the chance to chat with visitors and members and loves this aspect of her role.
Tayo Oluwole is a member of Amplify’s dedicated cover team. He has been with the Myo team for 18 months and enjoys
working at all of Myo’s stunning locations.
Rodrigo Ferreira works as part of the housekeeping team for Principle Cleaning and has been at Myo St Paul’s since it opened. His job is to ensure all member areas look fantastic and that all of the kitchens are fully stocked with everything available at Myo. Rodrigo works closely with his colleagues to help with meeting room and event setups and is always happy to help in any situation.
Briggs & Forrester’s representative is Martyn Lawrance. As on-site Engineer, Martyn works closely with the other members of the St Paul’s team to ensure that all areas are maintained to a high standard and that members are working in a comfortable environment.
The team was put to the test one afternoon earlier this month, when they had to deal with a major water leak.
A burst stop end cap on a four-inch main sprinkler pipe could have been an extremely detrimental situation, but quick thinking and a huge team effort ensured that the issue was dealt with quickly and efficiently. The system was isolated in no time and a thorough clean-up operation was carried out. It was a case of ‘all hands on deck’, with everyone pitching in to help.
“Dealing with this leak was a true Aspire effort,” says Becca Munroe, Operations and Experience Director for Myo, “as colleagues from BGIS and the wider Principle team also supported our Service Partners here at Myo St Paul’s. Many thanks to everyone involved.”
Ola and Fabi
Rodrigo, Tayo and Martyn
Rodrigo Ferreira at Myo St Paul’s
AspireAnalytics
TECHNICAL
Hard services update with Glenn Darlison
Launch of Managed Services
Landsec is launching its Managed Services solution, which is available to customers right across the Workplace portfolio.
Workplace by Landsec
Landsec becomes a CIBSE patron
“It’s a bespoke service, delivered to individual businesses at floor level in our buildings,” explains Glenn Darlison, Aspire Service Delivery Director.
“Customers can mix and match from a menu of hard and soft services – from maintenance and cleaning to indoor gardening and even provision of a Christmas tree – to suit their needs.”
The services are provided by the
incumbent Landsec | Aspire Service Partners, who are familiar with both the properties and the customers.
“The required service streams can either be delivered for a monthly fee as part of an annual contract,” continues Glenn, “or as one-off projects, such as upgrading lighting systems to LED technology. Our Managed Services offering allows us to act as a one-stopshop for customers’ everyday needs, enabling them to focus on their core business operations.”
The Workplace Operations team is raising its profile in the industry by becoming a patron of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
CIBSE is the professional body that exists to advance the practice of building services engineering and support the community of built environment professionals. The CIBSE Patrons are often referred to as ‘corporate supporters’ of the organisation, collaborating to provide financial, technical and moral backing for its initiatives. Patrons promise to work to the CIBSE Code of Conduct and support the institution’s policies on
continuing professional development, health & safety in design and sustainability.
“Becoming a patron of CIBSE shows our commitment to the industry and helps raise our professional profile,” says Glenn Darlison. “It demonstrates that Landsec’s Workplace Operations team aligns with industry best practice. We have also invested in new training processes to upskill our hard services team. Our Workplace Engineering Managers are undertaking continuing professional development with the aim of achieving recognised accreditations – initially Incorporated Engineer status and, ultimately, Chartered Engineer.”
Games for the 4th Aspire Olympiad
Sports Day 2024
THURSDAY 25 JULY
There were high fives, laughter and smiles all round as six teams of eight competed for the trophy at this year’s event in Hyde Park.
Check out all the event images now.
CCheered on by supporters from the touchline, participants gave their all in a series of challenges including egg & spoon, three-legged and sack races, as well as limbo, beanbag throwing, tug of war and dodgeball.
The clear winners were The Legends, who beat The Tuggers by a margin of seven points. Many congratulations to the winning team, which comprised the following colleagues from BGIS, Rapport, Principle and Recorra: Jenny Graham, James O’Mahony, Patrick Butterley, Oliver Swan, Scheila Costa, Hamza Idris, Craig Grote, Lorna Ireland and Tania Balog.
Aimee Hodgkinson (Assistant Workplace Manager) and Kelly Barlow (Workplace Manager) might have done better in the three-legged race if they had been able to stop laughing! The winners of the tug of war were Technically Challenged, no doubt boosted by the last-minute arrival of Glenn Darlison (Aspire Service Delivery Director). The dodgeball was very competitive, with light rain adding some challenge by making the ground a little slippery. Fortunately, the weather soon dried up and, after all the activities, everybody enjoyed pizza and drinks.
“It’s always a pleasure organising these Aspire events,” commented Kelly Barlow, “especially Sports Day, because I can see the fun on people’s faces – it’s a pleasure to watch.”
Check out all the event images now.
5 minutes with… Stuart Wells
Director at Briggs & Forrester
What do you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy reading. My two favourite authors are Mick Herron (who wrote the Slough House thrillers) and Ben Aaronovitch (famous for the Rivers of London series). I also enjoy gardening and listening to music – mostly acoustic tracks and solo artists, but nothing well known. I have a classic car, a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider, so I like to attend the owners’ club meetings. I also enjoy playing golf but the only opportunities I seem to get these days are work-related ones, so I don’t get on the course as often as I’d like. And I like socialising with friends and family – we recently moved to north Leicestershire to be a little closer to our hub office, and it drives home the importance of both when they are not on the doorstep any more.
What’s on your bucket list?
Going to a number of sporting events – the Masters and the Monaco Grand Prix spring to mind – but also some more road trips. My wife and I completed Route 66 in a modern Mustang convertible earlier this year, which took nearly three weeks. It was amazing and an ever-changing landscape, because you start in the city and make your way out through rural farmland into the desert. We did the obligatory trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon as well. But I know all of this will be topped by seeing my daughter married next year.
Are you a fan of anything or anyone? I’m a Spurs season ticket holder, for my sins. I’m also a fan of live music. Anyone who can stand on stage with an instrument and captivate the audience is doing something right in my book.
Do you have any mantras in business or in life?
‘It is what it is’! And ‘treat people as you wish to be treated’. If we can make someone else’s day better –even strangers, not just customers and colleagues – then we are making a difference, right?
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
As corny as it sounds, seeing my children, Cameron (25) and Jessica (23), grow up to be beautiful human beings.
Have you been inspired by anything you’ve seen, read or experienced lately?
I was once given a short book called ‘Fish’. It’s about being present and helped me understand the importance of work-life balance. A more recent experience was seeing George Seurat’s painting ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte’ at the Art Institute of Chicago.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
That virtually everything my parents said was right!
Do you have any regrets?
How long have you got? I don’t think the word count for this article will be enough but we don’t learn from getting everything right first time.
Do you have any pets?
Two Pugs: Doris, aged ten, and Wilfred, a rescue who’s four.
What’s your all-time favourite movie?
Elizabethtown, closely followed by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
What was your first ever job?
Working in the Golden Plaice fish and chip shop in Bracknell while I was still at school. I enjoyed it and it had great lunch benefits! I didn’t get into engineering until 2002, when I came off the tools to take a project management job in an engineering firm.
What would you say is your best skill in business?
Hopefully, it’s motivating my team and quickly understanding a customer’s needs and expectations.
What’s your favourite part of your working day or week?
Monday mornings. We have a Directors’ call, followed by a meeting with my business development team. Both drive the week, creating energy and enthusiasm.
And your least favourite?
Any time that I see a team member struggling for some reason. And, of course, when Spurs lose!
SAVE THE DATE
SEASONAL SHENANIGANS
PartyAsOne
FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER - LONDON
Please put the date in your diaries to keep it free for this year’s Landsec | Aspire Christmas party. Our usual fun and festivities will once again take place in December, with more details on the venue and time to follow.
This year, the Christmas party will be a separate event to the Landsec | Aspire Staff Recognition Awards, which will take place at the end of March next year.
Check out previous event images now.
Back to the floor with Principle
Principle Cleaning organised a successful ‘Back to the Floor’ week recently.
“This special event brings our officebased team, managers and directors together with our on-ground staff to experience firsthand tasks such as window cleaning, floor mopping and waste sorting,” explains Vitor Ferreira, Account Director.
Executives from Principle’s team who rolled up their sleeves included Kristina Jakaityte (Account Manager), Wilson Sterling (Vertical Manager) and Vitor
himself. Members of the Landsec team who went back to the floor included Olga Valyukh and Kelly Barlow (Workplace Managers) and Richard Blenkinsop (Workplace Delivery Manager). Sonia Freire, Cluster Supervisor with Rapport, also got stuck in with making everything spick-and-span.
“A huge thank you to the Landsec management team for their involvement and for actively participating in our activities,” says Vitor.
Cash in the attic
Our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation, has benefited from a recent discovery by Bidvest Noonan – it wasn’t quite ‘cash in the attic’… more a case of currency in the storeroom!
When clearing out a storeroom at 80-100 Victoria Street that hadn’t been used for some months, Bidvest Noonan staff found an amount of foreign currency. Barry Mitchell, Estate Security Manager, arranged for the notes – US dollars, South African rand and euros – to be converted into pounds sterling and donated to Caxton Youth. The spare money amounted to an impressive £150, which we are sure the charity will put to good use.
Many thanks to Barry and the Bidvest team!
driven
Green deliveries
Recorra is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability by using electric cargo bikes for local deliveries and collections in the SE1 area, close to the company’s head office.
As part of its plan to reach net zero by 2030, Recorra is operating the e-bike service in partnership with courier firm, Pedal Me. Deliveries destined for Landsec properties often contain replacement signage for the waste management areas. The e-bike pictured here was delivering recycling posters to The Forge, Landsec’s first net-zero building.
“Our vehicle fleet accounts for around 80% of our greenhouse gas emissions,” says Oliver Swan, Senior Portfolio Manager for Recorra. “Therefore, we are investing £7 million over the next decade to decarbonise our fleet. With zero tailpipe emissions, the e-bikes help to reduce our carbon footprint, improve air quality in our city and reduce traffic in our local area.”
Did you know?
If your workmate excels in one of the Landsec | Aspire values, you can nominate them for a Player of the Month award. See page 42 for details.
At The Forge with Oliver Swan, Senior Portfolio Manager for
Recorra.
Q&S are not just green-fingered!
Landscaping Service Partner, Q&S has been demonstrating its green credentials in a number of innovative ways.
Firstly, the company recently acquired its first electric van, in order to help reduce its carbon footprint. Secondly, Q&S is collaborating with Recorra to trial a new green waste service across selected properties. Recorra will be operating a dedicated green waste vehicle across London, to enable urban gardening teams to separate green waste and send it for composting.
Making a hat trick on the Q&S sustainability score sheet is the interior of the new, 12 ft x 16 ft greenhouse for the wild flower meadow on the roof of Cardinal Place. “With sustainability and collaboration in mind,” says Sue
Payne, Managing Director of Q&S, “we reached out to other Service Partners to assist with the staging required inside the greenhouse. Rather than buying off-the-shelf racks, we wanted to use reclaimed materials and repurpose them to make bespoke planting areas. We’re collaborating with our partners to achieve this.” The new greenhouse will be used to grow vegetable plug plants to give away next year, as well as for growing annual bedding plants.
Successful campaign for Books2Africa
Kudos to Bidvest Noonan for organising the collection of second-hand books for donation to schools in Africa.
In response to notices displayed on the new digital screens in Landsec properties, customers and Aspire members donated their spare educational books to the charity Books2Africa between 9 and 16 August.
The books were handed to reception staff, who boxed them up, ready for collection by the charity’s team. Books2Africa aims to promote a culture of ‘readcycling’ and enhance the quality of education across Africa by collecting, processing, shipping and distributing quality used books to schools, libraries and universities.
“Thanks to the remarkable support of our customers, we collected over 3 tonnes of books,” says Jason Abella, Key Account Director for Bidvest Noonan. “Close to 200 boxes were filled with books that will educate and inspire.”
Well done to the teams at Bidvest Noonan and Rapport for collaborating on this worthy project.
You heard it through the
Grapevine
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
The Rapport team welcomed three new members this month. Daniela Rovera has joined the front-of-house team, working at both One New Change and Dashwood. “I’m Italian, I’ve been living in London for 12 years and I’m still passionate about this incredible city!” says Dani. An animal lover and active pet sitter, she will be starting a course in dog grooming in September. In her free time, Dani likes roller skating, rowing her inflatable dinghy on the canal and watching movies.
Rickeem Nicholson is the latest member of the Rapport team at n2. He’s pretty tall and says he often attracts nicknames based on his height. “My favourite one is the BFG,” he says. “I used to play basketball and had to stop after getting injured but, don’t worry, I kept the height, so it’s cool.” Outside of work Rickeem enjoys music and anime.
New to the reception team at 123 Victoria Street is Davina Fraser. “I’m originally from the sunny, tropical island of Mauritius,” she says. Davina loves music, travelling and spending time with her family and friends.
n2 at the Nova Estate, Victoria.
Ask GIO
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.
Wellness
with Gio
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.
Tips for coping with making mistakes
There is nothing worse than that ‘Oh, my God!’ moment when you realise that you’ve made a mistake. It is humbling, nerve-wracking and inevitable; we are all human, and it is bound to happen.
Mistakes are a natural part of life, but they can often stir intense feelings of shame and anxiety. Instead of dwelling on them, we can use mistakes to grow and learn.
Perfection isn’t realistic; it’s much healthier to acknowledge our mistakes and take ownership of them.
Here are some tips for coping with mistakes: Acknowledge the mistake
Recognise what went wrong and accept it without dwelling too much on it.
Talk about it
Share your feelings with a trusted friend or professional to help lighten the burden.
Learn from the experience
Identify what you can learn from the mistake to prevent it from happening again.
Forgive yourself
Understand that mistakes are part of being human, and self-forgiveness is key to moving forward.
Focus on growth
Use the mistake as a stepping stone for personal growth and development.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Aspire | Halo
Our Aspire Health and Loyalty Offering aims to provide high standards of employee benefits.
What does Halo mean to you?
If you want further information about any of these benefits, please ask your line manager or your HR department.
TO MAINTAIN MORALE
We recognise & reward
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
Aspire PLAYER OF THE MONTH July ‘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
WWell done to Ilteris Babayid, Security Manager at One New Change, for winning a Player of the Month award.
During a routine patrol on 2 July, Ilteris noticed some suspicious activity involving three individuals in a car. He wasted no time in contacting the City of London Police, who investigated the issue and uncovered dangerous weapons and drugs, along with a significant amount of cash.
“This proactive intervention by Ilteris undoubtedly prevented a potential crime,” says Jason Abella, Key Account Director for Bidvest Noonan, “and ensured the safety of the surrounding community. Ilteris’ commitment to security serves as a prime example of how vigilance can lead to significant crime prevention. His actions are a credit to himself and the ONC security team, and demonstrate the importance of a proactive approach to safety. We are fortunate to have him as part of the ONC security team.”
Our story began in 1944, when Harold Samuel set up Land Securities, carrying out vital work to rebuild communities after World War Two. Since then, we’ve continued to focus on acquiring places that will bring long-term value to our business, customers and communities.
It’s these places that have continued to evolve as the expectations of our customers, guests and communities have changed over time. And it’s that skill to constantly change and improve that means when we look to the future, we’re developing with the feedback of those who live and work there to ensure long-term success.
