Facilities Appointments for Dentsu Aegis Network

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) is a global media and digital marketing communications business. It was formerly Aegis Media, which was renamed Dentsu Aegis Network in 2013. Our work for the business has covered its UK & Global Head Office in central London and, under the Aegis Media name, its offices at 10 Triton Street, Regent's Place.

In a creative, client-facing business the workplace is part of the product. Facilities is judged by how the office feels to the people using it as much as by the compliance record, so candidates have to be credible with a demanding occupier as well as competent on the technical side.

Our work with Dentsu Aegis Network

Maxwell Stephens has recruited three facilities roles for the business, under both its Aegis Media and Dentsu Aegis Network names:

• Facilities Manager, UK & Global Head Office, London, leading the facilities team ahead of a headquarters move.
• Soft Services Facilities Manager, covering soft FM services across the property portfolio.
• Facilities Manager, Aegis Media, 10 Triton Street, Regent's Place, London.

Facilities Manager, UK & Global Head Office

DAN asked us to recruit a Facilities Manager to oversee its flagship UK & Global Head Office in central London, leading the facilities team, maintaining service standards and keeping the building compliant. The brief called for strong leadership at a highly visible site, a thorough understanding of health and safety regulations rather than a familiarity with them, and consistent service and compliance standards day in, day out.

We held in-depth consultations with DAN to understand the role and the culture, then identified candidates with significant FM experience in large corporate settings and a record of managing diverse teams, budgets and health and safety compliance. Shortlisted candidates went through technical assessment, behavioural interviews and reference checks. Keeping the technical and behavioural assessments distinct matters here: a candidate strong on compliance but unable to carry creative stakeholders will struggle in a headquarters role, and the reverse is equally true.

The appointee brought experience of managing large, multi-skilled teams, supplier management and budget control, health and safety knowledge including ISO 45001 and ISO 14001, and a record of complex projects including office moves and capital improvements. Under their lead DAN saw improved service delivery, stronger compliance, better management of third-party suppliers and a smooth transition to the new headquarters.

Soft Services Facilities Manager

Dentsu Aegis Network asked us to recruit a Soft Services Facilities Manager to support the strategic and operational management of soft FM services across its property portfolio. The role required someone to manage medium to large soft-services contracts against KPIs and SLAs, address underperformance, maintain health and safety standards, control budgets, build relationships with internal teams and suppliers, and stay calm and pragmatic as priorities changed.

Soft services managers who are genuinely commercial are rarer than the job title suggests. Many are strong on service standards but have never owned a budget or held a supplier to a contract; a contracts specialist with little feel for the workplace is no better suited. We ran a targeted campaign among soft-services FM, contract management and corporate workplace professionals, and assessed technical capability and behavioural fit together, looking for commercial discipline with a customer-focused leadership style.

The appointee introduced greater rigour around contract performance, monitored suppliers closely against KPIs and SLAs, kept services within budget while identifying better value, and strengthened relationships between the FM function, internal stakeholders and suppliers, producing a more consistent standard of soft-services delivery across DAN's properties.

Facilities Manager, Aegis Media, Regent's Place

Aegis Media appointed us to recruit a Facilities Manager for its offices at 10 Triton Street, Regent's Place, London. The role covered coordinating workplace services, managing and developing a team of Facilities Assistants, overseeing health and safety including statutory requirements, training and emergency preparedness, coordinating First Aider and Fire Marshal training, running building inductions for employees and visitors, managing procurement and purchase orders, liaising with finance on payments and recharges, and providing responsive customer service.

We searched for FM professionals from high-quality corporate environments, with emphasis on team management, workplace health and safety, emergency procedures, supplier and procurement management, financial administration, FM systems and stakeholder communication. Cultural fit for a fast-paced, collaborative media environment was an important part of selection.

The appointee took ownership of the Regent's Place operation: leading and developing the Facilities Assistants, strengthening health and safety management, inductions and First Aider and Fire Marshal training, improving the handling of purchase orders, payments and recharges, and bringing closer oversight of service providers and a more responsive service to internal customers.

Why it worked

Each brief was explicit about both the technical duties and the service expectation, and each search was run against both: operational competence, health and safety, procurement and commercial control on one side, leadership and customer service on the other. In a creative business where the workplace is visible to staff and clients every day, that balance is what decides whether a facilities appointment holds.

If you are recruiting a facilities leader for a flagship head office or a corporate workplace portfolio, get in touch with our team.