Alison Hartigan, director of operations, Mace Macro Ltd

Alison's career milestones

1992–2002:  Head of facilities management, British Airways
2002–present: Director of operations, Mace Macro Ltd
1990s–2000: Director of the British Institute of Facilities Management

My facilities management career…

... began by accident! I started in a mail room job in a small company and worked my way up to office manager. This gave me my first taste of facilities management (FM) and I loved it. Over the next ten years, I worked in FM on and off. I became head of FM at British Airways, responsible for a portfolio encompassing ten million square feet. I also completed an MSc in FM. In 2002, Mace started an FM subsidiary and I was a founder member. When we started there were just four of us but we now employ 210 people.

My current position…

… is director of operations. I’m a board member and, as such, I make a contribution to maintaining the company’s success and profitability. My team delivers FM services to our clients and portrays the right image for the company. There has been a lot to learn but I thrive on the management and organisation it entails.

The biggest influences on my career…

… have been people who have assisted in my professional development. My manager at British Airways gave me the opportunities I needed to prove myself, while my current manager has helped me to improve my commercial awareness.

'Facilities management involves much more than "bogs and boilers"!'

Working in facilities management…

… is an art and a science, combining people management with implementing technical solutions. It’s beginning to be recognised that it involves much more than ‘bogs and boilers’! Even before construction begins, facilities managers contribute to the design of a building. Companies are also realising the difference FM makes to their bottom line: it is the largest item on a budget after manpower. Outsourcing the work to specialist service providers is becoming increasingly common.

To do well in a built environment career…

…you need good people skills. In FM you need strong leadership skills and a good understanding of ways to deliver services.

My advice for graduates…

… is to listen and learn. Everyone can make mistakes but if you’re honest and learn from others you’ll go far in your future career.

My career highlights…

… include:

• Being promoted to the board of Mace Macro Ltd. As a founder member, it’s exciting to see how far the company has developed. Last year we had a turnover of £32 million.
• Working on a development for a large bank worth £330 million – my most memorable project to date. I liaised with the architects and developed a great relationship with them. The cost saving we made ran into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
• Creating a new delivery model on British Airway’s ‘Waterside project’. It brought together eight different service providers into one management team. We won the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) team award and the model has since been copied throughout the industry.
• Being a director of the BIFM for three consecutive terms. The committee I was part of reorganised its structure and governance to such an extent that we actually resigned because our roles were no longer needed!