Background
Sentiem is a London-based venture capital firm investing in pioneering ventures across the Advanced Technology & Industrial, Finance & Fintech, and Healthtech & Human Performance sectors. Committed to innovation, Sentiem incubates, builds and accelerates ventures with the potential to shape the future.
As the firm prepared to move into a high-spec office in 2024, it asked Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Head of Facilities Management: someone to oversee the transition and then run a workplace that matched the standard of the business operating from it.
The Challenge
Sentiem needed a Head of Facilities Management who could balance high-level strategy with hands-on operational expertise. The role covered every aspect of office management: building maintenance, catering, cleaning, security, health & safety, and both hard and soft FM services. With the office move ahead, the ideal candidate also needed strong project management skills and the ability to manage third-party vendors, regulatory compliance and business continuity planning.
Just as importantly, Sentiem wanted a professional whose leadership style fitted its inclusive, action-oriented culture. In a firm of this kind the office is part of how the business presents itself to founders, investors and staff, so the person running it has to be comfortable operating close to senior leadership and to a demanding group of users.
An office move raises the bar for any facilities appointment. The incoming Head of FM has to plan and sequence the move, stand up new vendor contracts and service levels, get statutory compliance in place from the first day of occupation, and build continuity and incident arrangements for a building nobody in the organisation yet knows. A candidate who has only ever inherited a running office has not done that.
Our Approach
To meet Sentiem's standards, Maxwell Stephens ran a targeted search for candidates with:
- Extensive experience in property, building and facilities management
- A track record of managing hard and soft FM services in high-spec office environments
- Strong contract negotiation, vendor management and regulatory compliance expertise
- The leadership capability to manage both internal teams and external contractors
- Business continuity planning and emergency response experience
- Industry-recognised qualifications such as IOSH/NEBOSH and IWFM membership
- A proactive, solutions-focused mindset and strong stakeholder management skills
Candidates were screened and shortlisted against both the technical and the cultural requirements, so that whoever was appointed could lead the FM function with strategic direction as well as day-to-day operational control. At this level, IOSH or NEBOSH signals a leader who treats health and safety as their own responsibility rather than a delegated one, and IWFM membership signals someone engaged with facilities management as a profession.
The Outcome
Following a rigorous selection process, Maxwell Stephens placed a highly capable Head of Facilities Management who:
- Took ownership of Sentiem's transition into its new high-spec office and delivered a smooth move
- Established and maintained high-quality facilities services, improving the workplace experience
- Led vendor negotiations and contract management, improving both cost and service quality
- Ensured full compliance with health & safety regulations and managed risk effectively
- Implemented robust business continuity plans and incident response protocols
- Fitted Sentiem's values, contributing to a collaborative, high-standards culture
Why This Placement Worked
The brief was treated as two jobs in sequence: deliver the move, then run the building. Assessing candidates on project delivery, vendor set-up and continuity planning as well as on steady-state facilities management meant the appointee was equipped for the first months as well as the years that followed. The cultural requirement was given the same weight as the technical one, which is what made the appointment stick.
If your organisation is planning an office move or setting up a facilities function for a new workplace, Maxwell Stephens can help you find a Head of Facilities Management who can carry both the project and the operation. Get in touch with our team.