Background
Reed & Mackay is one of the world's leading corporate travel and event management companies, delivering premium travel, meetings and event solutions to multinational organisations across the globe. The business supports some of the world's most demanding corporate clients from offices across the UK and internationally, and its reputation rests on the quality of its client service, its operational standards and its technology.
As the organisation continued to expand, Reed & Mackay recognised the need for dedicated facilities leadership to support a growing estate, an evolving workplace strategy and an increasingly hybrid workforce. The company partnered exclusively with Maxwell Stephens to recruit its first Facilities Manager — a newly created position responsible for facilities operations across all UK offices and for supporting colleagues working remotely.
The Challenge
This was more than a conventional facilities management appointment. Reed & Mackay needed someone capable of establishing a modern facilities function from nothing: one that would support business growth, improve operational efficiency and ensure every workplace reflected the premium standards the organisation is known for.
The appointee would become the central point of contact for all workplace services, responsible for creating safe, compliant and productive working environments while driving continuous improvement across the organisation. The remit was broad:
- Managing facilities services across multiple UK office locations.
- Supporting hybrid and remote working arrangements.
- Managing landlord and managing agent relationships.
- Procuring and managing facilities suppliers and service contracts.
- Coordinating office moves, refurbishments and workplace projects.
- Managing cleaning, waste, recycling and environmental services.
- Ensuring full compliance with Health & Safety and environmental legislation.
- Supporting ISO accreditation and business compliance programmes.
- Developing facilities policies, procedures and best practice.
- Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency while reducing operating costs.
- Managing planned and reactive maintenance.
- Responding to workplace incidents and business continuity requirements.
The role therefore called for someone equally comfortable operating strategically and delivering hands-on operational support. Strong stakeholder management, commercial awareness and excellent organisational skills were essential. First-in-post facilities roles carry a particular risk: candidates who have only ever inherited an established function, with processes and supplier arrangements already in place, often struggle when asked to build one.
Our Approach
Working closely with Reed & Mackay's leadership team, Maxwell Stephens built a detailed understanding of the organisation's culture, its future workplace strategy and its operational objectives.
Because the position was new, technical capability alone would not guarantee success. We concentrated on candidates who could build a facilities function from the ground up while influencing stakeholders across a business that had not previously had a facilities professional in post.
Using our specialist facilities management network, we ran a targeted search for professionals with experience across:
- Corporate workplace management
- Multi-site facilities operations
- Professional services environments
- Health & Safety and statutory compliance
- ISO management systems
- Supplier and contract management
- Office relocations and workplace projects
- Budget management and cost optimisation
Each shortlisted candidate was assessed in detail on technical expertise, leadership qualities, commercial awareness and cultural fit before being presented to the client.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens appointed an experienced Facilities Manager with the technical knowledge, commercial acumen and leadership skills required to establish and develop Reed & Mackay's facilities function. The successful candidate quickly became an integral member of the business, delivering immediate improvements across workplace operations while supporting the organisation's continued growth.
The results covered every part of the original remit:
- A facilities function established. Structured facilities processes and procedures were implemented, giving the organisation a dedicated workplace management function for the first time.
- Improved operational efficiency. Proactive supplier management, better maintenance planning and streamlined workplace processes improved operational performance while cutting unnecessary expenditure.
- Stronger compliance. Health & Safety, environmental management and statutory compliance were strengthened across the estate.
- Workplace projects delivered. Office moves, workplace improvements and maintenance programmes were completed efficiently with minimal disruption to employees and day-to-day operations.
- Better supplier performance. Contract negotiations and supplier management improved service quality and secured greater commercial value across facilities contracts.
- Support for business growth. As Reed & Mackay continued to expand, the Facilities Manager kept workplaces safe, efficient and capable of supporting both office-based and remote employees.
Why This Placement Worked
The appointment gave Reed & Mackay a strategic workplace leader for the first time: someone able to support continued growth while improving efficiency, compliance and employee experience. By combining technical expertise with commercial awareness and strong stakeholder management, the successful candidate established a modern facilities management function that continues to support the organisation's reputation for operational standards and premium client service.
The lesson is a general one. When an organisation creates its first facilities role, the search has to test for builders rather than custodians — people who can write the policies, set up the supplier base and win the confidence of colleagues who have never worked with a facilities manager before. Assessing for that, rather than for a tidy record of maintaining what others built, is what made the difference here.
If you are creating a facilities role for the first time, or need to build, strengthen or transform your workplace operations, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach the people who can deliver it. Get in touch with our team.