From Early Beginnings to Business Leadership: Rob Legge Shares His Personal Story

In a new series of short films, OCS Group CEO Rob Legge reflects on the experiences, people and decisions that have shaped his life, his career and his approach to leadership.

Understanding where people come from is valuable, particularly for those leading large organisations. The experiences that shape us early in life often stay with us, influencing how we approach challenges, make decisions and work with others. For OCS Group CEO Rob Legge, those influences began long before his career in facilities management.

Early Life and Military Service

Growing up, Rob enjoyed spending time outdoors. He was involved in the Cubs and Scouts, with a particular interest in outdoor pursuits. His father, who spent much of his working life in the police, encouraged him to consider a career in uniform. By the age of 15, Rob was beginning to see the military as a possible future. It proved to be an important decision, one that would influence his approach to people, responsibility and leadership throughout his career.

Military life allowed Rob to develop as a leader at a relatively young age. As he progressed, he became responsible for his own team, learning the importance of discipline, preparation and looking after the people around him. Those experiences reinforced a belief that remains central to his leadership today: the people around you have an enormous influence on what you can achieve.

Rob has carried those principles into business. He believes in employing capable people, giving them responsibility and allowing them the freedom to do their jobs. He places equal importance on being approachable and treating people with respect, whatever their role or position. This outlook helps explain his approach to leading OCS, where thousands of colleagues perform very different roles, often working independently but contributing to the success of the same organisation.

Transition to Civilian Life and Facilities Management

Rob’s journey into business, however, was far from straightforward. Leaving the military and adjusting to civilian life proved particularly challenging. During his first year, he seriously considered returning to the Armed Forces. After years in a structured environment, the transition to a different way of life took time.

He eventually found his feet in security, a sector that offered familiarity and introduced him to facilities management. Working in buildings where security and cleaning teams operated alongside one another, Rob began to take an interest in the cleaning side of the business. He recognised the importance of the work, the demands of delivering services consistently and the opportunities the industry offered. That interest grew into an ambition to build his own business.

Building a Business From the Ground Up

Rob’s recollections of those early days provide a fascinating glimpse into how businesses were developed before the widespread use of mobile phones, digital marketing and modern sales systems. He remembers walking around business parks, visiting reception desks and collecting compliment slips to identify the people responsible for managing buildings. Armed with a name and telephone number, he would make contact, arrange a meeting and try to win the contract. Success depended on persistence, building relationships and understanding what customers needed.

When an opportunity came along, Rob would visit the building, assess the cleaning requirements, calculate the hours and equipment needed and work out a price. He learned much of what he did by doing the work himself, asking questions, and listening to people with more experience. That willingness to learn from others became another important part of his approach to leadership.

Rob speaks openly about the importance of surrounding himself with people who have different strengths and greater expertise. He believes that building a successful business depends on recognising talent, trusting people and creating the conditions for them to do their best work. These principles run through his career, from the young man taking responsibility for colleagues in the military to the entrepreneur learning how to win and deliver his first contracts, to the CEO responsible for leading 135,000 people today.

Leadership Philosophy and Industry Perspective

Throughout his career, Rob has remained close to the practical realities of the industry. His early experience of delivering services gives him an understanding of the work colleagues carry out every day and the responsibility that comes with serving customers. He is equally comfortable talking with a cleaning operative, a security officer or a senior business leader. For Rob, listening, being accessible and understanding the contribution of others are essential parts of leadership.

His story also reflects something important about facilities management itself. It is an industry that offers opportunities for people from many different backgrounds, where practical experience, determination and a willingness to learn can open doors to long and rewarding careers.

From his early years in the Armed Forces to building a business from the ground up, Rob’s experiences have shaped a leadership philosophy built around trust, responsibility, teamwork and respect for people. They also offer an insight into the individual behind the role, his motivations, the challenges he has faced and the lessons he continues to draw on.

The first five films in the CEO Insights series are available to watch now, offering a personal account of Rob’s early life, career and approach to leadership. Five further films will be released in November, continuing his story and exploring more of the experiences and perspectives that have shaped his journey.