{"id":22202,"date":"2024-06-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/?p=22202"},"modified":"2026-03-04T12:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:09:17","slug":"international-women-in-engineering-day-giorgia-baker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/international-women-in-engineering-day-giorgia-baker\/","title":{"rendered":"International Women in Engineering Day: Giorgia Baker"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Giorgia Baker, in her role as the Account Director on a variety of OCS\u2019s local government contracts from the City of London to Croydon, holds a pivotal position overseeing critical sites for Boroughs across London. Notably, she is responsible for managing key locations such as Courts and Police, The Barbican Centre, Royal Parks and other local Borough Portfolios.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Giorgia\u2019s career spans diverse industries and countries and she has worked with a high-profile customer base. To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day, we sat down with Giorgia to delve into her professional journey thus far, exploring the factors that have shaped her career as a woman in the challenging field of hard services.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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Giorgia Baker has enjoyed an illustrious career, fueled by her determination and foresight. Her career in facilities management spans 28 years, a journey that, like many other FM professionals, she fell into. Starting in estate management, she transitioned into property management, marking the beginning of her journey. She soon completed her IWFM qualification, formerly known as the British Industry Facilities Management qualification. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious IWFM chartered status, demonstrating her excellence as a professional and expert in the industry.<\/p>\n

However, Giorgia didn\u2019t start in hard services. After achieving great success managing a range of soft services\u2014from cleaning<\/a>, catering<\/a> and security<\/a> to pest control<\/a>\u2014and winning local awards in many instances, she decided it was time for a new challenge. Thus, she was drawn to hard services. \u201cIt was the natural next step for me to invest in something else and answer new questions. How does a building design work? How does the air conditioning flow? Where do you put the pipes? Where do you put the wiring? How do you deal with the exhaust waste in gas production? It also has a completely different set of legislative regulations. I felt drawn in and excited by the challenge to answer these new questions.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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The path to hard services was not easily forged. Being a woman in a male-dominated sector presented its challenges, but Giorgia faced them with an acute focus towards her goal. \u201cTo break through, I had to persistently knock on doors and create opportunities. Unlike those with technical qualifications, such as electricians, I didn\u2019t fit the traditional mould. Despite not being male or technically qualified, I immersed myself in learning beyond my day job. I became a fierce advocate, explaining complex concepts like boiler functionality and HVAC systems. Managing assets, considering life cycles, and navigating legal compliance\u2014all from a female perspective\u2014required difficult conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Undeterred, she soldiered on. She takes pride in her work and celebrates the diverse buildings she has managed. \u201cI\u2019ve had the privilege of working with some truly incredible buildings and spaces. I\u2019ve taken on global roles in the past due to the diverse career I have forged, earning the label \u2018globally experienced.\u2019 I\u2019ve managed office moves in Hong Kong virtually, I\u2019ve done and seen so much, and I feel proud and grateful for that.\u201d But one thing remains close to her heart: seeing her team thrive and grow. \u201cMy pride lies in team management and colleague development. Working with people brings me immense joy\u2014I thrive on developing others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her path to joining OCS was an equally interesting one. Having started her relationship with OCS, then Atalian Servest, as a customer, she was drawn in by the team\u2019s sheer dedication to work. Reflecting on the time, she says,<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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\n \u201cI really enjoyed the way we worked the contract together. It was an outstanding relationship. When you have the experience of working with people who go those many miles extra, there\u2019s something in it. There\u2019s something that draws you into that, and that\u2019s what led me to OCS. So far, it has been one of the best places I\u2019ve ever worked.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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For the future of the industry, Giorgia remains curious and ready to adapt, foreseeing many changes on the horizon. \u201cThe influence of AI in our industry intrigues me. We\u2019ll need to navigate this transformation and find ways to explain how AI and robots can effectively manage estates. Already, we\u2019ve seen cleaning machines making an impact.\u201d She also believes the industry still has loose threads to tie up in the aftermath of the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She is passionate about seeing more women in the industry flourish. When asked what her advice would be for women interested in hard services, she says, \u201cMake it your business to understand your business. Get qualified\u2014it opens doors to valuable networks and contacts. Attend everything you can, even if it\u2019s unfamiliar. Whether it\u2019s an emergency call-out or a planned preventative maintenance (PPM), dive into understanding the assets. The Institute of Workplace Facilities Management (IWFM)<\/a> is an excellent resource, and there are international counterparts now, including one in Australia.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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\n “Stay curious, get qualified, and actively engage\u2014it\u2019s your business to be involved!\u201d <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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Giorgia\u2019s journey is a beacon of inspiration for future generations of women in the facilities management industry. Her tenacity and focus have led her to a thriving career, weaving through the various pockets and sideroads of the industry, facing challenges and innovating as she went along.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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For International Women in Engineering Day this year, we sat down with Account Director, Giorgia Baker to learn about her illustrious path in hard services at OCS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":10000018681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[288,291,474,475,54,19],"tags":[214,53],"country":[],"class_list":["post-22202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-hard-services","category-international-days","category-international-womens-day","category-our-people","category-news-type","tag-hard-services","tag-our-people"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInternational Women in Engineering Day: Giorgia Baker - OCS - UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Giorgia Baker, Account Director at OCS, celebrating her career journey and achievements in the male-dominated field of hard services.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/international-women-in-engineering-day-giorgia-baker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"International Women in Engineering Day: Giorgia Baker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Giorgia Baker, Account Director at OCS, celebrating her career journey and achievements in the male-dominated field of hard services.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/international-women-in-engineering-day-giorgia-baker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OCS - 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