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The Royal Parks awards OCS facilities maintenance contract 

Posted on by ameliaroberts

The Royal Parks charity has announced the tender results for its facilities maintenance contract.

The charity, which manages London’s historic Royal Parks and other important green spaces in the capital, has awarded a five-year, multi-million-pound service contract to international facilities management company OCS.

The contract, beginning on 1 October 2023, covers ‘hard’ facilities maintenance* services across all eight Royal Parks and Brompton Cemetery.

This involves skilled works to manage the parks’ infrastructure, including fountains, buildings such as public toilets and offices, footpaths, statues, monuments and street lighting.

OCS will deliver planned preventative maintenance to protect and prevent the decline of park assets and infrastructure, as well as unplanned reactive repair work.

The new contract will guarantee that all staff from current contracts will be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation.

Through the contract, The Royal Parks will continue to deliver the highest service delivery standards, incorporating current industry standards and good practices, including around sustainability.

“We are delighted to award this contract to OCS. The work OCS will deliver will help us conserve and enhance the important national heritage within London’s eight Royal Parks for everyone to enjoy.”

Darren Woodward

Director of Estates and Projects, The Royal Parks

William Heaney, Managing Director, Technical Services, OCS, said: “We are thrilled to be awarded this prestigious, long-term contract with The Royal Parks to deliver a full complement of hard facilities management services.  

“Our shared vision of service excellence, sustainable, inclusive workplaces and continuous improvement provides the platform for a strong, successful, and impactful partnership.  

“We look forward to delivering a seamless transition of services and embracing the special environments which The Royal Parks have entrusted our organisation to maintain.” 

Leading international facilities service provider OCS appoints Gary McGaghey as Group Chief Financial Officer

Posted on by ameliaroberts

OCS, a leading global facilities service provider, is delighted to announce the appointment of Gary McGaghey as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Gary brings a wealth of experience and expertise to OCS, having successfully built market-leading finance teams for private and publicly listed companies. His appointment – which follows the successful merger of OCS Group with Atalian’s UK, Ireland, and Asia operations in March 2023 – comes at an important time for the group, representing another significant step towards OCS realising its mission of becoming one of the world’s best international facilities service providers.

As the Group CFO, Gary will work alongside OCS’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Rob Legge and the group’s supportive investors, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, to deliver an ambitious organic and acquisitive growth agenda.

Gary has over 30 years of experience leading finance teams across the FMCG, Beverage, Pharma and Digital Marketing industries. He joins OCS from Williams Lea Tag, where he was Group CFO and successfully delivered an ambitious international M&A strategy under a private equity ownership structure similar to that of OCS.

On top of his expertise and track record, a key factor in Gary’s appointment was his alignment with OCS’ culture and values. OCS is committed to supporting businesses and wider society by improving people’s lives at the most fundamental levels.

Rob Legge, Global CEO of OCS, commented: “I’m delighted to welcome Gary to the OCS team at such a pivotal stage of our growth journey. Gary’s impressive background and extensive experience in building market-leading finance teams make him such a valuable asset for us as we strive to achieve our ambitious growth targets and deliver on our ambition of being the best for our people and the places we serve.

“Our people are at the heart of our business, and our success will depend on a leadership team whose stewardship reflects this ethos. Gary’s alignment with our values and his impressive financial expertise makes him a perfect fit for OCS. We are delighted to have him on board!”

Gary McGaghey, Group CFO of OCS, commented: “I’m very excited to be joining Rob and the rest of the team at OCS at this pivotal time for the group. It has always been clear to me that a business’s success lies in its employees’ collective effort and working together. I’m only at the start of my journey with OCS, but I’m very encouraged to see how our 100,000+ colleagues are at the heart of our customer success.

“The facilities services industry plays an often underappreciated, but critical, role in keeping businesses operating, people safe, and entire communities running. I’m hoping that my previous involvement in delivering growth across a range of industries which OCS serves will help us achieve our ambitions.”

Our first 100 days: An update from our Group CEO

Posted on by ameliaroberts

It’s been 100 days since we set out on our journey to bring our two impressive teams together to form the new OCS, and I’m encouraged and excited at the progress made so far and the opportunities ahead for us. I am pleased to reflect on our progress so far and check in on our vision and mission towards becoming the best facilities services business in the world, making people and places the best they can be. As we develop our plan, the main areas of focus and prioritisation are investment, team collaboration, cultural integration, our responsibility towards ESG initiatives and the continuation of excellent service for our customers and end users.

Bringing our two previously family-owned businesses together closely will be the key to our success. We have enormous experience and expertise within our newly formed organisation, and we’re focused on bringing those teams closer together physically, technologically and above all, culturally. Part of our brand launch (later this year) will help to embed our TRUE Values throughout the organisation. Our values guide what we do, how we operate, how we interact and, importantly, how we show up and deliver each day. Trust, Respect, Unity and Empowerment (TRUE) are at the heart of OCS, and I’ve made it my mission to deliver that message at every opportunity.

You may have heard the term ESG. It’s a widely used term in business and stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. ESG is an accountability mechanism on which we are measured as a business. ESG covers every aspect of sustainability, from environmental to financial sustainability, all things people and community and how we, as a business, are aligning to global initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – as well as the governance of our organisation and how we ensure that we’re operating in a way that aligns to our values. Look out for further updates on our ESG strategy and progress which will include our Net Zero targets.

Investment in our organisation is vital, and we’re looking at all business areas to see where investment is needed and how that investment will help towards our vision and mission. Making people and places the best they can requires real effort in areas from training and development to innovation and technology – and you have my word that we’re committed to this being part of our ethos and an essential ingredient for our success.

Speaking of success, I’ve already witnessed much of this during the first 100 Days of our transformation, be that teams working together, contract awards, the continual progress of our Apprenticeship and Learning and Development schemes – or the positive feedback that we’ve received from a wide range of customers, which pleases me hugely. But we’re not always judged on our successes. More likely is that we’re judged on what we’ve not done well or where we could improve – and so I’d ask you all to continue the good work in bringing our teams together and doing all you can to help us come the best facilities services business in the world.

I want to thank everyone for their efforts so far, and for what we’ve achieved in such a short space of time. I look forward to updating you on further progress and key milestones of our exciting journey together.

Rob Legge, Group CEO

Gill O’Riordan Commences as ISIA President

Posted on by daireleonard

OCS are thrilled to announce that Gill O’Riordan, Director of Strategic Solutions has commenced her Presidency of the Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA). This is an outstanding personal achievement for Gill and everyone here at OCS Ireland is incredibly proud to call her our colleague.

OCS has a long and proud association with the ISIA and we are privileged to have the serving ISIA President and recent outgoing President, Lorraine O’Neill, Director of Security Services, in our team, pictured above with OCS Ireland Managing Director Aine Mulcahy.

The ISIA has been representing the needs of the private security industry for over 40 years and is the only trade association representing the full spectrum of companies in the private security industry.

OCS awarded a 3-year contract with the Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge

Posted on by emmacook

Delivering the best services

International facilities management service provider, Atalian Servest, part of the OCS Group, have been awarded a three-year contract at the prestigious Wellcome Genome Campus.
Atalian Servest will deliver cleaning, washrooms and waste segregation services at the scientific research campus based in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. The contract manager will oversee the daily running of the contract with support from the senior operations team.

“We were looking for a Facilities Management company who could provide a bespoke service at our multiple-building site. From the outset Atalian Servest have worked collaboratively with our team to deliver a best value solution with a strong sustainability focus.”

Jen Waterfield

Senior Procurement Partner at Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Genome Campus is home to some of the world’s foremost institutes and organisations in genomics and computational biology, committed to delivering life-changing science with the reach, scale, and imagination to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.
Jen Bates, Sector Managing Director, Atalian Servest, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Wellcome Genome Campus. Our local knowledge and expertise in delivering services to similar clinical environments means we have a sound understanding of the client’s requirements, and look forward to supporting them at their Hinxton site.”

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

Posted on by ameliaroberts

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.

Women in Security ISIA Award Winners 2022

Posted on by daireleonard
OCS Ireland were proud recipients of this years Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) Women in Security Award.

OCS Ireland is unique within the Security and FM Industry as our senior leadership team has an equal 50% female representation. Additionally, our business is led by a female Managing Director, Aine Mulcahy and our Security Division is also led by another successful and professional female Lorraine O’Neill, Director of Security Services.

OCS work hard to be the employer of choice for women seeking a new career or opportunity within the security industry and all FM sectors. We do this by investing in our people and identifying existing female talent within the organisation.

Well done to everyone involved and congratulations.

Birmingham 2022 appoints OCS as Official Provider of Facilities Services for the Commonwealth Games

Posted on by emmacook

OCS Group UK has been selected to provide security services for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Named as the Official Security Personnel Provider, OCS will provide services including screening, vehicle search, patrols and response teams at Alexander Stadium, Sandwell Aquatics Centre, NEC campus hotels and the Games Family Hotel Accommodation. Over 1,100 OCS colleagues – all SIA licenced and extensively trained – will help to keep Birmingham 2022 safe.

Bringing people together

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in 19 sports across 14 competition venues from 28 July until 8 August 2022. As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion.

A big part of Birmingham 2022 is to ensure it is a Games for everyone. During the build up to the games next year, OCS will be visiting over 100 schools and will be working closely with Birchfield Harriers Athletics club to promote sport and to support athletes of the future.

“It’s great to have OCS on board as they join us as our Official Security Personnel Provider for Birmingham 2022. They are well known for their sports and entertainment experience, in particular for the NEC, which is hosting a number of our sports including boxing and para-powerlifting. This pedigree makes them an ideal partner to help us deliver not only a safe and successful Games, but an enjoyable experience for all.

In addition to providing security services at competition venues, we’re delighted to work together with OCS on our community engagement activities, using an exciting and engaging approach to educate and inform young people.”

Nick Knight

Security Director at Birmingham 2022

Jeremy Dicks, Director of Venues and Events at OCS said: “We’re delighted to provide security services for this high-profile multi-sport event, working in partnership with Birmingham 2022 to deliver a safe and secure Games for everyone. We’ll be recruiting locally and using our experience at Premier League stadiums and the NEC Group to provide expert training and the latest support systems. We’re also excited to provide 400 volunteering hours to support school visits as part of the Commonwealth Games’ volunteering programme.”

Darren Hall, Chief Operating Officer at the Commonwealth Games Federation, said: “We’re pleased to welcome OCS to the sponsor family. Their talented workforce and established experience in many local Games venues will benefit Games organisers but, most importantly, ensure a safe, welcoming, family-friendly Games for everyone.”

Evolving training practices to provide the best experience for our customers

Posted on by emmacook

Using innovative training to improve customer experience

Delivering an enjoyable experience is critical to the success of a destination venue, so OCS has created bespoke customer service training for our colleagues to add value to the services we provide.

Our new EVOLVE Guest Services Certificate Programme covers topics ranging from engaging with customers to overcoming difficult situations. Created internally by our Learning & Development team, the course was designed specifically with our shopping centre, leisure destination and airport customers in mind and is accredited by Corndel Business School.

David Wheeler, Head of Learning and Development, says: “The EVOLVE Guest Services Certificate Programme demonstrates our continued investment in our people and our ability to capitalise on the expertise we have in the business.”

The programme was piloted with a ‘train the trainer’ course and is now being rolled out across the business, delivered by operational colleagues to team members on site.

Sean Williams, Corndel’s Chief Executive, adds: “We believe the programme will make a positive difference to participants and the customers they serve.”