Landsec Aspire One Newsletter - Issue 107 March 2025
One
The voice of Landsec | Aspire // Bringing our community TogetherAsOne
To celebrate a year of customer service excellence and to thank our Aspire community for their outstanding performance, we recognised and rewarded in style.
See pages 004-039
Enter now
21st May 2025
Just like last year, we’ll be mixing things up with randomly assigned teams, giving you the perfect opportunity to truly unite with colleagues from across the Aspire community. If you think you have what it takes and would like to be part of our annual mastermind event, email your interest to aspire@landsec.com Spots are limited and it’s on a first come, first served basis, so don’t wait — get your name in the mix ASAP!
BAM KARAOKE BOX, 74 VICTORIA ST,
6SQ — Seated for 17.30 — Prompt start at 18.00 MIXED TEAM FORMAT
To Landsec | Aspire team members
Jamansing Thakali from Bidvest Noonan with his Respect Award.
One Magazine
Cover: A proud Diana Yajamin Tupiza (Service Support Manager at Principle Cleaning Services) shows off the Chairman’s Award given to Principle and Regular Cleaning.
David Wickens Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire
TThe annual Landsec | Aspire Staff Recognition Awards once again proved to be a fantastic event and a chance to shine a light on a number of unsung heroes. Our awards ceremony always provides a welcome opportunity to reflect on the performance of the Aspire team and give praise where it’s due. Once again, we had very strong nominations across all categories, demonstrating the dedication and collaboration of our hard-working teams on the ground. Well done to our worthy winners –including the team at 80-100 Victoria Street, who clinched the inaugural Aspire Building of Excellence Award after finishing at the top of our new Quality League Table.
The event at the Brewery in Chiswell Street also saw the launch of three new awards for the coming year, effective from 1 April 2025. Firstly,
the Landsec | Aspire Perfect Attendance Award will allow team members with zero absence to be entered into a draw to win up to £1000 worth of holiday vouchers. Secondly, the Landsec | Aspire Milestone Award will recognise team members who have worked on the Landsec contract for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years (regardless of Service Partner). Thirdly, the Aspire Higher Award will be a quick and easy way to recognise service excellence in the moment.
The awards dinner also provided the opportunity to recognise the contribution of Kelly Barlow, as she steps down from her role in helping to lead the Landsec | Aspire team. We’re grateful for her hard work over many years, which has definitely helped to make the Aspire community what is today. Thank you, Kelly, and we look forward to continuing to see you at Aspire events.
the team
David Wickens One Editor-in-Chief david.wickens@landsec.com
Alison Currell One Editor & Aspire Service Delivery Director alison.currell@landsec.com
Marlene Aguilar One Assistant Editor marlene.aguilar@landsec.com
Martin French One Design & Layout martin@tigerbaydesign.co.uk
Heidi Scott One Copywriter heidi@tigerbaydesign.co.uk
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2024
There was a real buzz of anticipation as over 130 attendees including award finalists and other invited guests gathered at The Brewery in Chiswell Street to celebrate our annual awards on 6 March.
Francisca Cumbicus, Service Support Manager at Regular Cleaning.
Check out all the event images now.
Check out all the event images now.
Recognising excellence
Our annual awards event was an opportunity to shine a light on members of the Aspire family who have gone above and beyond and to thank them for their outstanding performance.
The festivities began with a drinks reception, before guests took their seats in the dining room. After a brief welcome from Guy Pakenham, Chief Customer Officer at Bidvest Noonan and host for the event, there was a speech by Mark Allan, CEO of Landsec.
A year to be proud of
Guests then enjoyed a sumptuous three-course meal with wine, and the opportunity to chat with colleagues from other properties and Service Partners. After lunch Alison Currell, Aspire Service Delivery Director (Soft Services), welcomed everyone to the event and gave an inspiring review of what Aspire had achieved during the previous twelve months.
It was a year of significant change and considerable success. There were four new Service Partners – BGIS, Recorra and Regular Cleaning joined Aspire in April following the Future of Facilities programme, while BM Caterers came
on board in September to provide hospitality for all customers across the London portfolio and MYO members. We introduced Aspire | Halo, our Health and Loyalty Offering in April, giving every member of Aspire access to a suite of employee benefits, irrespective of which Service Partner they work for.
Then our brand-new Aspire uniforms were rolled out from September to give a stylish look for all Service Partners, with some choice in fabric patterns also enabling teams to reflect the identity of their particular property.
Other achievements during 2024 highlighted by Alison included 278,919 visitors being welcomed, 38,898 tickets being responded to by the AspireAssist 24/7 HelpDesk and 674 incidents being dealt with. Boosted by our two-day DIY SOS event in February at the Pimlico base of our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation, 1133 volunteering hours have now been clocked up to date. And – with our Quiz Night in May, Golf Day in July and SNOWDON 360° challenge in October – an impressive total of £78,349 has been raised for Caxton Youth Organisation since it became our charity.
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2024
It’s been a pleasure to attend this annual event and meet the teams involved in our success on a one-to-one level. Recognition is a vital part of Landsec’s one-team ethos.
Mark Allan Chief Executive Officer
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2024
And the winners are….
The Landsec | Aspire Staff Recognition Awards 2024 featured eight categories. The first four categories reflect our purposes – Customer Service Award, Excellence Award, Integrity Award and Respect Award – and the winners were chosen according to the votes submitted by Aspire members.
The other four further categories were the Newcomer Award (voted for by the Landsec Workplace Director team), the Limelight Award (voted for by the Aspire Steering Board), the Chairman’s Award (decided by the Chair of Landsec | Aspire) and the Aspire Building of Excellence Award (given to the team at the top of our new Quality League Table).
Let’s celebrate the winners and finalists in each category…
Customer Service Award
This award, which recognises individuals or teams who have clearly demonstrated their ability to deliver brilliant customer service, was presented by Stuart Wells, Business Development Director at BGIS.
WINNER
Sonia Freire (Rapport)
Sonia provided exceptional support to a customer at 80 Victoria Street to help manage the induction of over 60 people across two days. She was praised for her professionalism, proactive approach and supportive attitude.
Congratulations to Sonia and to the other finalists – the Security Team at 80 Victoria Street (Bidvest Noonan) and Alwyn Semper (Bidvest Noonan).
Excellence Award
Recognising colleagues who have shown true dedication to achieving excellence in their respective roles, this accolade was presented by Emma Williams, Operations Director at Rapport.
WINNER
Team at 80 Victoria Street (Regular Cleaning, Principle & Bidvest Noonan)
The 80 Victoria Street team collaborated to deal quickly and effectively with an issue of wet foam dripping from the building, despite the request coming late in the day.
Congratulations to the 80 Victoria Street team and to the other finalists –Marcus Henry (Bidvest Noonan) and the team at Hill House (Jaguar & Regular Cleaning).
Integrity
Award
Presented by Dave Payne, Workplace Operations Director at Landsec, this award recognises individuals or teams who have demonstrated exceptional levels of integrity when carrying out their duties.
WINNER
IIteris Babayid (Bidvest Noonan) Ilteris’ vigilance in protecting the community around One New Change was demonstrated by his swift response to suspicious activity in a car during a routine patrol. As a result, the police found dangerous weapons, drugs and cash.
Congratulations to IIteris and to the other finalists – Gordon Honeywell (Bidvest Noonan) and the security team at 80 Victoria Street (Bidvest Noonan).
New awards for 2025
During her welcome speech, Alison Currell announced the introduction of three new ways of recognising the efforts and achievements of Aspire members, which will be effective from the start of the new contract year on 1 April 2025.
Landsec | Aspire PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD
Team members with zero absence will be entered into a draw to win up to £1000 worth of gift vouchers from travel company, Trailfinders.
Landsec | Aspire MILESTONE AWARD
We will recognise team members who have worked on the Landsec contract for 10, 15, 20 and 25 years, regardless of Service Partner.
Landsec | Aspire ASPIRE HIGHER
Intended to be a quick and easy way to recognise service excellence in the moment, this award will be a high five to success!
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2024
Respect Award
This award, which recognises Aspire members who have exhibited remarkable respect while performing their roles, was presented by Sue Payne, Managing Director at Quality & Service.
WINNER
Jamansing Thakali (Bidvest Noonan)
Jamansing’s kind and professional approach was shown when an elderly man entered 100 Victoria Street, thinking that it was the nearby underground station. Jaman gently explained to him where he was and accompanied him to the tube entrance.
Congratulations to Jaman and to the other finalists – Nageen Jalal (Bidvest Noonan) and Diana Tupiza (Principle Cleaning Services).
Newcomer Award
Presented by Jenny Harper, Workplace Operations Director at Landsec, this award recognises someone who has been part of the Aspire family for 12 months or less but has embraced our values and performed above and beyond.
WINNER
Barry Mitchell (Bidvest Noonan)
Joining as Estate Security Manager last summer, Barry has had a hugely positive impact on the Cardinal Estate. He took the lead in ensuring security during a visit by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, in September and received excellent feedback from the customer concerned.
Congratulations to Barry and to the other finalists – Dean Friary Hall (Rapport) and Mesba Ahmed (Jaguar Building Services).
Limelight Award
This award, which recognises an individual who has consistently gone the extra mile to deliver excellence in customer service this year, was presented by Liz Cummins, Managing Director at Bidvest Noonan.
WINNER
Francisca Cumbicus (Regular Cleaning)
Francisca takes her role as Service Support Manager very seriously. She excels in customer service, has a great eye for detail and leads by example.
Congratulations to Francisca and to the other finalists – Sonia Freire (Rapport) and Yassine Houssain (Jaguar Building Services).
Landsec | Aspire
Innovation Award
Recognising new ideas and groundbreaking technology that our Service Partners are implementing across the portfolio, this award was presented by Jamie Cotgreave, Workplace Operations Director at Landsec.
WINNER Recorra
Recorra is recognised for pioneering a new green waste service, designed to ensure garden waste is used for composting. Featuring the only dedicated green waste vehicle operating across London, the service is expected to divert more than 600 tonnes of waste from landfill a year.
Congratulations to Recorra and to the other finalists – Regular Cleaning and Principle Cleaning.
Aspire Building of Excellence Award
This brand-new award – presented by Glenn Darlison and Alison Currell, Aspire Service Delivery Directors –is given to the Aspire team in the property achieving the top spot at the end of the contract year in our new Quality League Table.
WINNER
80-100 Victoria Street
Despite being second to New Street Square at the end of January, the team at 80-100 Victoria Street managed to excel in February and reach the top spot in our Quality League Table. Totalling the scores given by Ross Wiles, Aspire Systems & Quality Manager, during his unannounced spot checks, the Quality League Table is designed to ensure that the basics are being done brilliantly in every building across the London portfolio. The scores for each property include assessment of activities carried out by members of the Landsec Workplace team, making it a true team effort.
Congratulations to the team at 80-100 Victoria Street and to the other finalists – the teams at New Street Square and One New Change.
Chairman’s Award
Selected and presented by David Wickens, Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire, this award is made to a person, team or Service Partner who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to Aspire and our one-team ethos.
WINNERS
Principle and Regular Cleaning
The teams at Principle Cleaning Services and Regular Cleaning have shown exceptional levels of collaboration across multiple projects and activities over the year. A prime example is the successful Sustainability & Innovation Roadshow that they organised together at Nova South in September, at which a range of suppliers presented innovative solutions to enhance sustainability, efficiency and customer service.
Our annual awards programme gives us the opportunity to reflect on the dedication, achievements and sheer hard work of the Aspire community. Thank you to every one of you for your continued efforts to provide exceptional service for our customers, and many congratulations to all this year’s worthy nominees, finalists and winners! Meet
David Wickens Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire
Huge thanks to all of our team...
Check out all the event images now.
Check out all the event images now.
Check out all the event images now.
Landsec | Aspire STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS 2024
Check out all the event images now.
Jamansing Thakali from Bidvest Noonan with Zoe Gilligan, Portfolio Director at Landsec.
Check out all the event images now.
LANDSEC | ASPIRE THANKS
Kelly Barlow
As she takes a well-earned rest from her role helping to lead Aspire, we want to thank Kelly for her inspirational enthusiasm and tireless efforts.
Kelly Barlow has been a leading light in the Aspire community for around a decade. Although she’s not leaving Landsec, she is standing down from her role as editor of Aspire One magazine and organiser of many Aspire events.
Whether she’s making the arrangements for our annual Christmas party, cooking breakfast for over 30 people at 2.30 am for the Snowdon 360° challenge or competing in a three-legged race at our Sports Day, Kelly has always taken the demands of Landsec | Aspire in her stride.
She’s been ready with a smile and a joke, however challenging the circumstances. Not surprisingly, her cheerful disposition and can-do attitude have made her popular with colleagues right across Landsec and our Service
Partners. Although you will still see her around the portfolio and at Aspire events as she continues in her role as Workplace Manager, her contribution to our magazine and event management will be sorely missed.
The Aspire community took the opportunity to thank Kelly for her sterling efforts at the recent Staff Recognition Awards, where a specially created video was screened that featured ‘thank you’ messages from Aspire Service Partner colleagues. She was then presented with flowers and champagne by David Wickens, Head of Workplace Operations & Chair of Landsec | Aspire, and she shed a few tears as colleagues cheered and applauded her.
Thank you, Kelly, for everything you’ve done for Aspire!
5 minutes with…
Guy Pakenham
Chief Customer Officer, Bidvest Noonan
What do you like to do outside of work?
Keep busy! It occurs to me that I can answer this question with things beginning with ‘f’: faith, family, fitness, food, fishing and fun. My wife is the local vicar, so we are very busy with church and village life; we have three children – aged 18, 24 and 26 – who keep us on our toes; I am passionate about keeping fit and especially taking extremely long walks; I am equally passionate about cooking (and eating); fly fishing is my new mindfulness exercise; and finally, I do love to party!
What’s on your bucket list?
To own a boat that I take out to sea and fish with family and friends.
Are you a fan of anything or anyone?
Whilst growing up, I was lucky enough to meet some extremely famous people and this has rather dented my enthusiasm to be a fan of anyone in particular. Our heroes are rarely as wonderful as we think they are going to be, so I found myself becoming a fan of the unsung heroes in life.
Editor’s note: Part of an English aristocratic family, Guy is the grandson of Lord Longford, the former cabinet minister and social campaigner; his aunt is the author, Lady Antonia Fraser, who was married to the playwright, Harold Pinter; and his great, great, great uncle was the Duke of Wellington!
Do you have any mantras in business or in life?
I did a Philosophy degree, so I feel that I should come up with something deeply meaningful and insightful, but I keep coming back to the immortal words of Dean Wormer from ‘Animal House’: “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life”. Unfortunately, it was advice that took me many years to take on board!
If I must be serious, then “There’s no substitute for activity” has served me well over the years, especially in a work context, and “It’s all part of the rich tapestry of life” has helped me keep both good times and bad times in perspective.
What would you say is your greatest achievement?
Physically, I suppose it has to be going from being a 19-stone heavy smoker to losing seven stone and running the London Marathon in under four hours – within a year. That was ten years ago. What I’m most proud of, though, is not making a complete hash of being a husband or parent and being a part of their wonderful lives.
Have you been inspired by anything you’ve seen, read or experienced lately?
My elder daughter has just written her first book – a feminist, gothic folk tale – and, whilst I’m not her target market, it is inspirational to see someone doing exactly what they were put on earth to do.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
Start investing, even a small amount, as young as you can. I was very gifted at spending more than I earned for most of my life and, whilst I had a lot of fun, I could have been smarter. But who’s interested in financial planning when you’re young?
Do you have any regrets?
No, I genuinely don’t think I do. Even my many embarrassing moments, when my enthusiasm has overflowed, still have value in a strange, masochistic kind of way. My father was a well-known criminal barrister and possibly the only regret would be that I didn’t follow in his footsteps – but, in fairness, I’m not sure I was intelligent enough.
Do you have any pets?
Yes, we have always had pets. My wife is a combination of Geraldine Granger (‘The Vicar of Dibley’) and Ma Larkin (‘The Darling Buds of May’), so the house has always been full of people and animals. Over the years, we’ve had dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils and chickens – I’m not good at saying ‘no’!
What’s your all-time favourite movie?
The first film I ever saw in a cinema was ‘Star Wars’ at the age of seven. It made such an impression on me and began my lifelong love affair with films (another ‘f’, by the way). However, it is amongst many films that I could choose as my favourite. ‘Withnail and I’ is a strong contender and, strangely, ‘Mr Jolly Lives Next Door’ brings back fond memories.
What was your first ever job?
My first paid job was washing marrows on a farm. I got paid £1.66 per hour and hated every moment of it. It did, however, mean that every other job I got afterwards was always an improvement – including my year spent in a mortuary, which is a different story.
What would you say is your best skill in business?
This is a question that my colleagues should probably answer. However, if I’m put on the spot, my best skill would probably be my enthusiasm in collaboration.
What’s your favourite part of your working day or week?
That’s easy, I rise ridiculously early and the time between 5am and 7.30am is my favourite. I am at my best and most productive with no distractions.
And your least favourite?
Less easy, but probably about 3pm if I’ve forgotten to eat that day. I can get a little ‘hangry’!
Caxton Youth
Making Pimlico Perfect
Further work has been carried out at the Pimlico base of Caxton Youth Organisation, as part of our ‘Making Pimlico Perfect’ initiative. Many thanks to the team at Jaguar Building Services, who have been hard at work in the room at the back of the building. The Jaguar team have applied new plasterboard over one wall to make it flush, fitted worktops and redecorated the whole space.
The next steps are to lay new flooring, install and box in the central heating pipework and replace a fire door. In addition, BM Caterers will be supplying a coffee machine.
Thank you to everyone who has helped with this project.
Brainstorming breakfast for IWD
Female executives enjoyed a roundtable discussion over breakfast to mark International Women’s Day recently. Organised by Regular Cleaning, the event took place at Langan’s Brasserie in Mayfair on 5 March and was attended by Alison Currell (Aspire Service Delivery Director, Soft Services), Ellie Delamain (Assistant Workplace Manager ) and Daisy Murray (Managed Services Account Manager) from Landsec, as well as some female clients, executives from Regular Cleaning and Seyda Volkan, Senior Employment Coach at Circle Collective, the workplace skills charity.
“The idea of the event was to share our experiences within the facilities management industry,” explains Gemma Bowers, Chief People & Culture Officer for Regular Cleaning, “and to discuss how we can help support other women to ensure they have positive work experiences.”
Planned activities resulting from the discussion include holding an employment fair and setting up a mentoring scheme, both aimed at young women and arranged through Circle Collective.
Thank you to Gemma for organising this inspiring event.
Elliott Taylor from Jaguar Building Services.
Period-positive workplaces
We are delighted to report that dispensers for complimentary, sustainable period products have been installed at a number of sites across the Workplace portfolio.
Following a suggestion from Ged Santangelo, Account Director for Regular Cleaning, Landsec | Aspire has partnered with TOTM (Time Of The Month) under its Period Positive Workplace Scheme.
The successful rollout of the tampon and pad dispensers has been the result of collaboration between Regular Cleaning, Principle Cleaning Services and Rapport. Ged Santangelo, Vitor Ferreira (Account Director for Principle) and Quentin Meliz (FOH Experience Manager for Rapport) also organised a series of seven pop-up events with free giveaways to promote the initiative, in collaboration with Hannah Cole, National Account Manager for TOTM.
Customers were impressed with the 100% organic cotton products, as well as the fact that TOTM donates 10p from every workplace box sold to the charity Endometriosis UK and also tackles period poverty by supporting In Kind Direct.
So far, the trendy, pink TOTM dispensers have been installed in 16 properties, with plans to roll them out to more buildings in the future.
Please support our charity
Oliver Harris, Workplace Support Assistant, has been ramping up his preparations for this year’s London Marathon.
Ollie says that his training is going well. He’s even been running between his home in Greenwich and work at One New Change! As he pounds the streets of the capital on Sunday 27 April, he will be raising money for our charity partner, Caxton Youth Organisation. We wish Ollie the very best of luck.
If you’d like to sponsor Ollie and help raise funds for Caxton Youth Organisation, please visit justgiving.com/page/oliver-harris driven
Hannah Cole and Ged Santangelo at one of the pop-ups.
Aspire | Events
We build strong personal relationships between our Service Partners. Through social and professional events, the Aspire team is now stronger, more efficient and able to respond quickly.
Future events
The Aspire team is always looking for exciting new ways to integrate our members and bring our community TogetherAsOne.
As we look to arrange our events calendar for 2025, we’d love to hear your suggestions for events you would like to attend.
Please email your suggestions to aspire@ landsec.com today!
New appointments
We’re delighted to welcome Joe Mudd and Andrew Lambros to the Aspire family. Joe has joined the Bidvest Noonan team at Lucent, while Andrew has been appointed as Senior Account Manager by Jaguar Building Services.
Joe joined the team at Lucent on 3 March after completing two days of induction with Fino Masella, Building Security Manager for Bidvest Noonan. Previously working at 100 Bishopsgate, Joe brings a wealth of experience to support the team. “I’ve worked hard for almost eight years to move up through the ranks,” says Joe, “and this is a huge step for me to be working on the Landsec portfolio; I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”
Outside of work, Joe enjoys going to the gym and loves to travel and explore new places. He’s also a huge fan of anything to do with the Vikings and Greek mythology.
Andrew Lambros
Jaguar Building ServicesSenior Account Manager
Andrew joined Jaguar Building Services in July 2023 as Account Manager, bringing over 21 years’ experience in technical facilities management across both private and public sectors. Now he’s been promoted to the role of Senior Account Manager. His credentials include ILM Level 5 and Key Account Management certification from Cranfield University, which equips him to deliver technical services in collaborative settings.
“I’m passionate about exceeding customer expectations through innovative, commercially savvy solutions,” he says. “I’m excited about my new role and eager to foster a collaborative working environment with Landsec.”
Outside of work, Andrew enjoys playing golf, supporting various sports and spending quality time with his family.
united
Andrew Lambros.
Joe Mudd.
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 reflect the Aspire purposes?
— Customer Service — Excellence — Integrity — Respect
Aspire PLAYER OF THE MONTH February ‘25
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
Kindness and assistance
WWell done to Nageen Jalal of Rapport for winning our Player of the Month award for February.
When an elderly visitor arrived on crutches for an event at MYO, Nageen welcomed her warmly and checked her in. He noticed that, although her husband had accompanied her into the building, he was remaining in the ground floor reception area. Anticipating that she might struggle,
Nageen immediately stepped in to help, providing his hand for support as he escorted her to the lift. He offered to accompany the lady all the way to MYO, but she gratefully assured him that she could manage.
Later, as the lady and her husband were leaving, the pair came to reception to personally thank Nageen for his kindness and assistance, which they said had made a real difference to their experience.
Brilliant work, Nageen!
Nageen JalalRapport.
Aspire News & Events
Join our private group today
To improve the way we engage and make the most of Facebook’s functionality for privacy, chat and events posting, we have a private Aspire group called Aspire News & Events.
To receive your online version of our monthly One newsletter, view photos from our events and keep up to date with what is going on, please join this group, where Aspire content is visible to members’ eyes only.
Please stay connected as we have loads of exciting new things coming up. Thanks, Landsec | Aspire.
