Revamping the Firm: Strategic Facilities Transformation at Holman Fenwick Willan

Background

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP needed an experienced facilities management leader to transform and strengthen its FM function. The brief went well beyond day-to-day operational management: the successful candidate would review the existing structure, improve service delivery, reduce costs, strengthen procurement and reporting, support international property projects and ensure the facilities management strategy aligned with the firm's wider commercial objectives.

Maxwell Stephens placed a candidate with the strategic, operational and commercial experience required to lead this transformation.

The Challenge

A transformation brief is a different search from a like-for-like replacement. The firm did not need someone to run the existing function well; it needed someone to take it apart and rebuild it, with the commercial credibility to work with a board and the operational depth to keep the offices running in the meantime. An international office footprint adds property strategy and business continuity to the remit, which sit outside what many operational FM managers have led.

In practice the appointment needed to cover:

• Structure and service delivery. Reviewing how the FM function was organised and how services reached internal clients.
• Cost and procurement. Reducing internal and external expenditure and bringing more structure to supplier selection and reporting.
• International property projects. Supporting fit-out projects and property requirements across the firm's international offices.
• Strategic alignment. Ensuring FM decisions supported the firm's wider commercial objectives at board level.

The Outcome

The successful candidate delivered a wide-ranging transformation of the facilities management function. In post, they:

• Audited and restructured the department. A full review of the existing FM function identified opportunities to improve structure, accountability, workflows and service delivery. A departmental restructure followed, creating a more efficient and strategically focused operation.
• Delivered annualised cost savings of more than 15%. Rationalising internal and external expenditure achieved the savings while maintaining and improving service standards.
• Introduced a more effective outsourcing strategy. Multiple service streams were reviewed and selected services bundled, improving operational efficiency, supplier accountability and the internal client experience.
• Managed international and UK fit-out projects. Projects were run from Request for Proposal through to practical completion, coordinating suppliers, contractors and stakeholders and travelling internationally to support delivery and engage directly with local teams.
• Strengthened business continuity and emergency planning. A Business Continuity Plan was developed for the London office, and emergency evacuation documentation and procedures were mobilised for higher-risk international locations, improving consistency and preparedness across the wider business.
• Provided direction on global real estate. The candidate supported international offices with property requirements and advised on the acquisition of new premises where required, moving FM beyond operational delivery into the firm's longer-term property planning.
• Established an FM Helpdesk and management information. A new helpdesk improved the management and visibility of service requests and produced stronger management information, so that performance could be monitored and planning and decision-making improved.
• Aligned FM with the board. Working closely with the board ensured FM services supported the firm's strategic vision and commercial objectives, with property and workplace decisions approached from both an operational and a commercial perspective.
• Structured procurement and supplier management. A more structured process covering supplier selection, commercial evaluation, invoice reconciliation and forward planning improved control over external expenditure and supported stronger supplier performance.
• Engaged with the profession. The candidate represented the organisation at industry seminars, developed relationships across the FM profession and established a bi-monthly networking event in London for FM professionals to exchange knowledge and discuss industry developments.

Taken together, the placement strengthened the commercial performance, operational structure and strategic influence of the FM function: lower operating costs, a more responsive service, closer alignment with board-level priorities and global property strategy, better resilience across UK and international operations, clearer performance visibility, and stronger commercial governance over external spend.

Why This Placement Worked

Senior FM professionals who can do far more than maintain existing operations are a small part of the market. Those who can transform a function tend to share a profile: they have led a restructure before, they are comfortable with procurement and management information, and they can present to a board in commercial terms. Searching for that profile, rather than for the most experienced operational manager available, is what produced an appointment able to deliver cost savings, strengthen resilience and position facilities management as a strategic contributor to the firm's performance.

If you need a senior FM professional to transform your facilities function rather than simply run it, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates with a track record of doing exactly that. Get in touch with our team.