Month: December 2023

Merger completes between Atalian Servest’s and OCS’s UK, Ireland and Asia operations.

Posted on by danbarber

Atalian UK, Ireland and Asia operations to merge with OCS Group to create new, leading international FM provider

Following the recent acquisition of OCS Group by Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Atalian confirms the sale of its operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Asia to the private investment firm

In a move that will create one of the world’s largest international facilities service providers, Atalian Global Services has confirmed the sale of its UK, Ireland and Asia operations, along with its specialist automotive division Aktrion, to Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), the private investment firm that recently acquired OCS Group, with the intention that the businesses be merged over the next twelve months, opening a new chapter for the two firms.

Atalian’s Group CEO Rob Legge will become Group CEO of the newly merged businesses.

Further communication on this exciting news, including the company’s ambition and vision will be shared in the coming weeks ahead.

 

 

Sean Fisher’s OCS Journey to Cleaning CEO

Posted on by danbarber

Summary

  • Sean joined Servest UK in 2003, and his first role saw him become a regular at Sheffield’s famous Gatecrasher nightclub
  • Treating the business as your own is an important mindset for success, Sean believes
  • Success for Sean is OCS becoming synonymous with being the best
OCS’s newly appointed CEO of Cleaning, Sean Fisher, has a long association with both the legacy OCS business and cleaning as a profession.

It was back in 2003 that Sean, who originally hails from South Africa, began working for what was then Servest UK as a site supervisor, after studying IT in his homeland.

Over the two decades that followed, Sean led retail and cleaning divisions, and served as Chief Operating Officer at Atalian Servest, before being appointed to head up the new OCS cleaning division.

“To take on that first role with Servest, I needed to move to Sheffield – so I moved in with our cleaners,” says Sean.

“I moved into the house they were sharing, and they taught me how to clean. I started with Gatecrasher nightclub and Bed nightclub, before moving into an area management role, and then moving to the head office in Bury St Edmunds.”

The attributes for success

Since then, Sean’s played a key role in a business that’s experienced sizeable organic growth, but those early experiences cemented in his mind the attributes that are needed to succeed.

“People need to be passionate about what they do, believe in what they do, and treat the business as if it was their own.”

Sean Fisher

CEO of Cleaning

“You’ve got to have the energy and the edge – the pace at which we operate is relentless, but at the same time, it’s good fun.”

The new OCS TRUE values – Trust, Respect, Unity and Empowerment – sit well with Sean, who believes when you find the right people, it makes everything else significantly easier.

“That’s everything we stand for, as a business, as a cleaning business, and myself as an individual,” he says.

“When you get the right people, who are true to those values, you have a successful business – and I think those values suit us perfectly.”

Putting values into practice

In practice, for Sean, those values look fairly simple – but the impact they can have is seismic.

“You’ve got to be professional, polite and well-mannered – that’s a given,” he says.

“At the start of every shift, you’ve got to be on site before the shift starts. I expect all of my operators to be visible on site, engaging with customers, and making sure they’re getting the best out of their team in terms of productivity and standards.”

And that engagement with customers – which builds unity and trust, as well as demonstrating respect – is essential to building partnerships that truly help people and places be their best.

“It’s important to build those relationships because, together, we’ll achieve significantly better outcomes,” says Sean.

“We do a lot of relationship mapping, from site level all the way to procurement and CEOs, and if you get that right, you can have the right conversations with the right people – you’re not forcing a relationship, but building something that will be beneficial for both parties in the longer term.”

Building solid foundations for OCS

A successful relationship can deliver a number of strong outcomes,  made possible by the successful day-to-day delivery of services. Those longer-term outcomes are something Sean is focused on in his new role as CEO of Cleaning.

First, however, comes a period of building the foundations that will serve the new OCS business well over the decades to come.

“My main objective this year is to get things like budgets, succession plans and performance management right, ensuring we have the right people in the right roles, and are giving the right opportunities to those people, too,” he says.

“That will create an incredibly solid foundation from which we can build upon and deliver on our overall business mission.”

That mission is, of course, to be the best facilities management business in the world, making people and places the best they can be – and it’s a mission that enthuses Sean as looks ahead to the coming months and years.

He says, “OCS needs to stand for quality, and I want to help OCS become synonymous with being the best.”

Reflection on the first year as New OCS by Rob Legge, Group CEO

Posted on by ameliaroberts

As 2023 draws to a close, I’ve reflected on what has been a gratifying year. Having started the year as CEO of Atalian Servest, I was honoured and excited to take up the role of Group Chief Executive of the newly formed OCS following its merger with Atalian Servest’s operations in the UK, Ireland, and Asia in March 2023.

As two stonewalls of the industry, I knew the underlying strength of both the Atalian Servest and OCS and believed in the great potential that combining them would create. The merger presented us with the opportunity to take the best bits from both businesses to develop a genuine disruptor in the international facilities management landscape.

That said, I was also cognisant of the challenging macro picture. Rising interest rates and persistent inflation have created difficulties for our customers and colleagues. I knew from the outset that we would need to adapt holistically to successfully position ourselves as the partner and employer of choice in the market.

Resilience: A Pillar of Strength in Challenging Times

The merger was more than a business transaction; it was an opportunity to redefine our purpose and values, ensuring we build our most compelling offering for our customers. In my experience in this industry, I’ve seen that having resilience is crucial to success. With 2023 being as challenging as it has been for business generally, this quality has never been more critical.

At OCS, we’re on a mission to become the best facilities service provider in the world. I’ve been encouraged to see how colleagues across the business have responded to this challenge, often in testing conditions, to ensure we meet the high standards we promise to deliver. Indeed, customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which is a testament to the resilience and drive of our colleagues. I thank every one of them for their valued contribution and commitment.

TRUE Values: Guiding Our Journey with Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment

Similarly, I have been proud to see our TRUE values—Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment—guiding us through this transformative period. I’ve seen evidence of these values in practice helping to shape our business for the better as we grow at pace over the coming years.

Trust: It’s all in the Process

In my experience, trust is the bedrock upon which successful mergers are built. Trust in our collective vision, trust in our strategy, and trust in the capabilities of our teams have been instrumental to our success this year.

Indeed, the success of our merger can be seen in the flagship customer wins we’ve achieved throughout the year (Royal Parks, Government Property Agency, and Irish Rail, to name a few). Winning a business’s trust is never something we take for granted, and we work to be the best partner we can be.

Respect: A Foundation for Collaboration and Sustainability

Respect for our colleagues and a broader sustainability approach have been at the forefront of our endeavours. Respectful collaboration has enabled us to unite as one business with a shared vision and mission. While this principle covers many aspects of our business, one particularly evident area is our 2040 net-zero commitment, a testament to our dedication to setting the standard for excellence in compliance and responsible stewardship.

Unity: One Business, One Vision

Since the very early stages of the merger, I have been impressed with how the new OCS has presented itself as a singular, cohesive business entity. The merger was a consolidation of operations and a unification of purpose and vision.

Over this year, I’ve had the opportunity to visit several of our teams on the front line across the globe. Every time I make one of these trips, I’m inspired time and time again to see how colleagues pull together to provide the market-leading service our business is known for.

Empowerment: Investing in Our Teams

Empowerment, a commitment to investing in our teams, is a cornerstone of our strategy. Our success is intrinsically tied to the growth and development of our people. By empowering our colleagues and encouraging them to take ownership, make decisions, and shape the future of our business, we nurture future leaders within our organisation.

The merger has allowed us to combine the best initiatives from both organisations into one holistic approach. We proudly offer schemes that offer access to employment for people who may not get the opportunity, ensuring we select from as broad a talent pool as possible and offer apprenticeships and progression schemes across the business to support development.

Serving Communities: A Responsibility We Cherish

Integral to our identity is our role as responsible and sustainable members of the communities we serve. Our goal is to manage spaces efficiently and create a positive impact on the people and places we touch. This mindset permeates every aspect of our business and drives the support we offer locally in those countries where we operate.

As we move forward, OCS’ BEST strategy and TRUE values remain the driving force behind our mission to make people and places the best they can be. We are a unified global team with one identity and vision. We are poised for growth, and I want OCS to become the market leader in the facilities management industry. Reflecting on the first ten months of this transformative journey, I have nothing but confidence in our ability to achieve our goal.

OCS achieved a score of excellence in the SIA audit.

Posted on by ameliaroberts
OCS has recently undergone its annual Security Industry Authority (SIA) audit and achieved the maximum score in six out of the seven criteria and were awarded a score of 142 out of 145.

This is the 18th year that our business has committed to the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS), a point worthy of note by the auditor from the National Security Inspectorate (NSI). The brand, reputation and continued delivery of the OCS gold standard was also noted.

“The continued investment in people through training, the use of a software programme to streamline HR, payroll and talent management processes and the continued promotion of mental health training all show clear progress.”

Officers at one of the largest contracts had a full understanding of the requirements of the customer and the expectation on them to achieve this. There was good understanding of the company values and copies of relevant documentation were available at the point of delivery.

A number of officers made the following comments: “The team work is amazing”, “We have good support from the supervisors and regular visits from management”, “ OCS look after their staff and we feel very well looked after”, “HALO has improved our communication with the customer”.

A new member of staff expressed that “I am in my element here with OCS”.

“The result owes much to the security teams, back of house support and the officers on site who all display the commitment to our security gold standard.  Thank you to our security teams across our portfolio and a huge well done to all those who participated in the audit. These teams are responsible for keeping our sites, our customers and the general public safe on a regular basis. Their commitment has ensured the company has achieved a very creditable score.”

Steve Gardner

Director of Security Risk and Intelligence