Background
Business Growth Fund (BGF) is one of the UK's most active growth capital investors, providing long-term funding and strategic support to ambitious small and mid-sized businesses. Since its launch, BGF has invested billions of pounds into hundreds of companies, helping entrepreneurs accelerate growth while creating long-term value.
As the organisation continued to expand, BGF appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Facilities Manager responsible for overseeing workplace operations at its corporate headquarters and maintaining a high-quality working environment for employees, visitors and stakeholders.
The Challenge
BGF needed a proactive Facilities Manager capable of delivering a high standard of workplace experience while supporting the operational needs of a fast-paced investment business. The successful candidate would oversee all aspects of facilities management, workplace services and Health & Safety, manage key supplier relationships and lead front-of-house operations.
The responsibilities covered:
- Managing day-to-day facilities management operations.
- Leading Health & Safety compliance across the workplace.
- Acting as First Aider and Fire Warden.
- Managing business continuity and emergency planning.
- Overseeing workplace moves and space planning.
- Coordinating office hardware and infrastructure alongside IT teams.
- Managing front-of-house personnel, performance and development.
- Leading supplier procurement and contract negotiations.
- Monitoring contractor performance and service levels.
- Managing catering and workplace support services.
- Driving continuous improvements to the workplace environment.
The role demanded a highly organised individual capable of balancing operational delivery with people leadership while maintaining consistently high service standards. In a single-headquarters professional services business, the Facilities Manager is visible to everyone, every day, and the standard of the workplace is read as a reflection of the firm itself. That raises the bar on presence and judgement, not just on technical competence.
Our Approach
Working closely with BGF's leadership team, Maxwell Stephens took time to understand not only the technical requirements of the role but also the culture and values that make the organisation distinctive.
We developed a detailed candidate profile centred on professionals with experience in premium corporate workplaces, combining technical facilities management expertise with strong interpersonal skills. Our executive search focused on candidates with experience in:
- Corporate facilities and workplace management.
- Health & Safety leadership.
- Office infrastructure and building systems.
- Space planning and workplace projects.
- Supplier and contract management.
- Budget management and financial control.
- Front-of-house leadership.
- Business continuity planning.
- Stakeholder engagement within professional services environments.
While technical competence was essential, cultural fit became the defining factor throughout the search. We looked for candidates with the energy, ambition and collaborative mindset to thrive within one of the UK's leading investment organisations, and assessed for it directly rather than inferring it from a CV.
The Outcome
Following a comprehensive executive search and assessment process, Maxwell Stephens appointed a Facilities Manager who quickly established themselves as a trusted member of the business, delivering improvements across workplace operations, supplier management and employee experience.
Since joining BGF, they have:
- improved facilities management service delivery
- strengthened Health & Safety compliance and governance
- improved supplier performance and contract management
- supported office growth through effective workplace planning
- developed and led high-performing front-of-house teams
- maintained a safe, professional and welcoming working environment
- helped ensure business continuity and operational resilience
The appointment showed Maxwell Stephens' ability to identify professionals who have both the technical expertise and the cultural alignment needed to succeed in high-performing corporate organisations.
Why This Placement Worked
Technical skills can be assessed on paper. Cultural fit cannot. At Maxwell Stephens we invest the time to understand every client's values, leadership style and working environment, so that we can deliver candidates who not only perform — but genuinely strengthen the organisations they join.
Client testimonial
"Having been on both sides of the recruitment process with Maxwell Stephens over the years, I have been consistently impressed. They fully embraced the brief to find someone with not only the technical capability to deliver exceptional Facilities Management, but also the personality and attitude to fit our culture. That cultural fit is often the hardest quality to identify, yet Maxwell Stephens delivered someone who exceeded our expectations. They sourced a Facilities Manager who more than matched the brief."
If you are recruiting a Facilities Manager for a corporate headquarters where the person has to fit the culture as well as run the building, Maxwell Stephens can help you define both halves of the brief and reach candidates who meet it. Get in touch with our team.