Background
Caledonia Investments plc is a self-managed investment trust with net assets of approximately £2 billion, investing in high-quality businesses with a long-term approach to value creation. Operating from prestigious London headquarters, the organisation places significant emphasis on maintaining a professional, efficient and compliant workplace that reflects its reputation within the investment community.
When a key member of the team began maternity leave, Caledonia Investments appointed Maxwell Stephens on an exclusive basis to recruit an experienced Facilities Manager on a fixed-term contract, to ensure continuity across all workplace and building operations.
The Challenge
This was a highly visible appointment. The Facilities Manager would need to take immediate responsibility for every aspect of workplace operations within a demanding corporate environment: overseeing the building, managing substantial operational budgets and ensuring compliance with all statutory obligations, while maintaining a high standard of workplace experience for employees, visitors and stakeholders.
The responsibilities included:
- Leading all day-to-day facilities management operations.
- Managing a £1.7 million building occupancy budget.
- Overseeing a £1.2 million departmental budget.
- Managing a £350,000 service charge budget.
- Overseeing mechanical and electrical building services.
- Managing planned preventative maintenance (PPM) programmes.
- Leading contractor and supplier relationships.
- Ensuring compliance with Health & Safety legislation.
- Managing fire risk assessments, COSHH and DSE compliance.
- Supporting environmental reporting and sustainability initiatives.
- Managing tenant and stakeholder relationships.
- Negotiating service contracts and monitoring supplier performance.
- Delivering office refurbishment, relocation and workplace improvement projects.
The role demanded a technically accomplished Facilities Manager with strong commercial awareness, financial management capability and confident stakeholder engagement. Fixed-term cover adds a further difficulty: there is no time to grow into the role. The person has to arrive with budgets, building systems and compliance obligations already familiar, and be comfortable stepping into an established team for a defined period.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens worked closely with Caledonia Investments to gain a detailed understanding of the organisation, its culture and the operational priorities of the facilities function. Technical competence alone would not be sufficient: the successful candidate also needed the confidence to work within a professional investment environment, managing senior stakeholders while maintaining consistently high workplace standards.
Our executive search focused on candidates with experience in:
- Corporate facilities management.
- Financial services and investment management environments.
- Building services and M&E operations.
- Health & Safety and statutory compliance.
- Environmental and sustainability management.
- Budget and service charge management.
- Contractor procurement and supplier management.
- Workplace projects and office relocations.
- Corporate office operations.
Every shortlisted candidate went through a comprehensive assessment covering:
- Facilities management leadership.
- Financial and commercial capability.
- Technical building services knowledge.
- Compliance and risk management.
- Project delivery experience.
- Stakeholder engagement.
- Contractor management.
- Communication and decision-making skills.
The process was designed to make sure the successful candidate could take ownership of the facilities function from day one, which is the only realistic standard for a maternity cover appointment.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Facilities Manager with a strong track record within corporate office environments. The successful candidate quickly integrated into the organisation, providing continuous leadership across all aspects of facilities management while maintaining the high operational standards expected within the investment sector.
Since joining Caledonia Investments, they have:
- maintained effective control of multiple high-value operational budgets
- ensured continued compliance with Health & Safety and environmental legislation
- strengthened contractor performance and supplier governance
- managed mechanical and electrical building services effectively
- delivered refurbishment and workplace improvement projects
- maintained excellent relationships with stakeholders, tenants and service providers
- ensured the workplace remained safe, efficient and fully operational throughout the contract period
The appointment provided complete continuity during the maternity cover and reinforced Maxwell Stephens' reputation for delivering experienced facilities management professionals into complex corporate environments.
Candidate testimonial
"Maxwell Stephens found me the perfect placement—again! They took the time to understand both my experience and what I wanted from my next role, kept me informed throughout the process and provided excellent support from start to finish. I know exactly who I'll be contacting when my current contract comes to an end."
— Jae Bristow
Why This Placement Worked
Investment firms and corporate occupiers need facilities leaders who combine technical expertise with commercial awareness, financial discipline and strong stakeholder management. For a fixed-term appointment covering several high-value budgets, the search concentrated on candidates who had already run comparable environments, so that the client's exposure during the cover period was kept to a minimum.
For more than two decades, Maxwell Stephens has supported leading investment firms, financial institutions and corporate organisations with specialist recruitment across facilities management, workplace and office management, corporate real estate, technical services and building engineering, health and safety, property management, workplace projects and relocations, ESG and sustainability, and senior facilities leadership.
If you need an experienced Facilities Manager on a fixed-term or permanent basis, Maxwell Stephens can help you find someone able to take ownership from day one. Get in touch with our team.