Background & Client Overview
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI), a respected national membership organisation representing anaesthetists, appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit an experienced Facilities, Contracts and ICT Manager.
With approximately 11,000 members and a team of 35 employees, the organisation required strong operational foundations to support its ambitious five-year strategy and wider role within the medical profession.
The appointment was particularly important because it combined several business-critical functions within a single position. The successful candidate would be responsible for Facilities Management, contracts, ICT, procurement and hospitality services, while helping AAGBI progress towards a more digital, efficient and sustainable operating model.
The Challenge
AAGBI required a strategic and commercially aware professional capable of managing a diverse operational remit while contributing to longer-term organisational improvement.
The successful candidate needed to balance day-to-day service delivery with initiatives designed to reduce costs, improve efficiency and modernise the organisation’s infrastructure.
Key requirements included:
Facilities Management
Overseeing the effective maintenance and operation of AAGBI’s premises and ensuring workplace services supported employees, members and visitors.
Contract Management
Managing supplier and service contracts, maintaining appropriate performance standards and ensuring the organisation received strong value for money.
ICT Management
Supporting the organisation’s technology requirements and helping deliver its ambition to become increasingly digital.
Procurement
Taking a commercially focused approach to purchasing and supplier selection, helping control expenditure and improve operational efficiency.
Hospitality Services
Overseeing hospitality-related services and ensuring they reflected the professional standards expected of a national membership organisation.
Cost Management
Identifying opportunities to minimise running costs while maintaining the quality and reliability of essential services.
Sustainability
Supporting environmental objectives and identifying practical opportunities to improve the sustainability of workplace operations.
Strategic Development
Ensuring Facilities, ICT and supplier-management activity remained aligned with AAGBI’s wider five-year strategy.
Our Recruitment Approach
Maxwell Stephens conducted a targeted search for professionals with experience across Facilities Management, contract management and wider corporate services.
Given the unusually broad remit of the position, the search required candidates who could move comfortably between operational detail and strategic decision-making.
Our assessment focused on professionals with:
- strong Facilities Management experience
- supplier and contract-management capability
- commercial and procurement awareness
- an understanding of ICT and digital workplace requirements
- proven leadership skills
- experience improving operational efficiency
- a strategic and results-focused approach
- the ability to identify cost-saving opportunities
- an interest in sustainability and continuous improvement
Cultural fit was equally important. AAGBI required an individual who could work effectively within a relatively compact membership organisation, build strong relationships across the business and introduce improvements in a collaborative and practical way.
Following a detailed search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens successfully placed a highly qualified Facilities, Contracts and ICT Manager.
Outcome & Impact
The successful candidate integrated quickly into AAGBI and strengthened the organisation’s operational capability.
Improved Operational Efficiency
The appointment brought greater oversight and coordination across Facilities Management, ICT, procurement and hospitality services, helping create a more efficient operating structure.
Stronger Contract Management
Improved management of suppliers and service agreements supported greater consistency, accountability and value for money.
Support for Digital Transformation
The candidate contributed to AAGBI’s ambition to become a more digitally enabled organisation, ensuring ICT considerations formed part of wider operational planning.
Greater Commercial Focus
A more structured approach to procurement and cost management supported the organisation’s objective of controlling running costs while maintaining appropriate service standards.
Stronger Strategic Alignment
Facilities, contracts and ICT activity were managed with closer consideration of AAGBI’s wider five-year strategy, helping ensure operational decisions supported longer-term organisational priorities.
Increased Focus on Sustainability
The role helped place greater emphasis on sustainable working practices and the environmental impact of workplace operations.
Outcome
The successful placement gave AAGBI a professional capable of bringing together Facilities Management, contracts, ICT, procurement and operational strategy within one broad leadership role.
The appointment demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ ability to recruit for complex positions that extend beyond traditional Facilities Management and require a combination of commercial thinking, technology awareness, operational expertise and strategic leadership.
Looking for a Facilities or Corporate Services professional capable of managing a broad operational remit? Contact Maxwell Stephens to discuss your recruitment requirements