H A SAR D O E L C M Facilities Show Spotlight December 2017 Facilities Show Spotlight, December 2017 1
Sarah McLeod: Biography BORN: Perthshire, Scotland, 1990 STUDIED: Spanish and International Relations at the University of St Andrews, including a year living abroad in Madrid and teaching English as part of my degree. GRADUATED: In 2013 and applied for a number of graduate schemes, ultimately choosing to join Mitie in September of that year. CURRENT: Following the graduate scheme, I had roles as a Project Manager with Mitie Security and as a Contract Manager with Mitie PFI. In January of this year, I was promoted to Regional Account Manager for Mitie PFI, managing schools across the south of England and Wales. Facilities Show Spotlight, December 2017 2
How and why did you end up in facilities management? I didn t expect it to end up in FM at all - I graduated with a degree in Spanish and applied to lots of graduate schemes before I finished university. I ended up getting offered a place on Mitie s graduate scheme and it was as simple as that. Being a woman working in this industry, has that challenged you in any way? Yes, I think it has, especially in terms of operational delivery out on contracts, dealing with people and operational teams who have been in the industry for a long time and me being their manager, as a young female, is a bit of adjustment for them, it has its challenges! Is FM too male-dominated? Yes, absolutely, I do think it is starting to change but it has traditionally been a male dominated industry and it still very much is. Who has had the biggest impact on your career, and how? There has been a couple of people but one that sticks out is one of the executive sponsors of Mitie s graduate scheme; she is the reason I joined Mitie s PFI business and ended up in my current role. She herself is a Regional Director within Mitie, so a) she s a great example of where I d like to be and of a woman being successful in the industry and b) she s given me some amazing opportunities and great advice to get me to where I am today. What have been the highest and lowest points in your career? Lowest: When I came off the graduate scheme, I went into a Project Manager role for 6 months but it really wasn t for me so, at that point, I felt a bit lost. I worried that I d bitten off more than I could chew and wasn t sure if FM was for me. High point: Getting to step up into my current role; I was promoted in January this year to Regional Account Manager for Mitie s PFI business and, having only started in PFI not even 2 years ago, moving from managing a single site to managing 27 in such a short timescale felt like a huge achievement. Facilities Show Spotlight, December 2017 3
What would be your top tips for someone about to start out in FM? I would say that it s important to get some real operational, on the ground experience and spend time with frontline staff. As a manager, it s often easy to focus on your laptop and get wrapped up in emails and budgets and all of the other day-to-day tasks but I don t think that s how you lead a great team. Remember that it s all about the people and getting to know your operational teams is the best thing you can do. What advice would you give to the next generation of female FMs? Don t give up. Work hard and have confidence in yourself, just go for it. What habits/ways of working do you have which set you up for success? I am very organised, I m really on top of my emails and calendar, I m a total planner! I think that helps when you have lots going on and are trying to keep lots of different plates spinning. What s the best piece of advice you ve been given? A comment was made to me a couple of years ago that had a huge impact at the time and it has stayed with me. I was told by a senior male colleague that he didn t think I was tough enough and that I was too nice for FM and operational management. His comments made me determined to succeed. He was absolutely right, I have had to toughen up I ve had a large number of people to deal with, at all levels, on a daily basis and this can be very challenging but I do like to think I ve remained being nice! Who are your role models in the industry? I have mentioned already that I have been lucky enough to have a successful female in a senior position within the industry as a mentor and I think there are a number of other outstanding role models to aspire towards which is really positive. Facilities Show Spotlight, December 2017 4
At Mitie, diversity is an important part of our DNA and we are actively committed to promoting gender equality across the FM industry. Our internal network, Engender, is not just about celebrating the achievements of women, it s about working towards parity across all genders, helping individuals be the best they can be. It s inspirational to see the valuable contribution that young leaders like Sarah are already making to our industry. They are the future of FM, and we are right behind them at Mitie. Rachel Clark, Chair of Mitie s Engender network Facilities Show Spotlight, December 2017 5