Ireland’s €2.7bn facilities management sector put under the spotlight at awards ceremony

Facilities managers from across Ireland gathered at Dublin’s Mansion House in March to praise the stars of their sector at the Facilities Management Awards 2024.

Now in its 10th year, the awards on March 13th were hosted by comedian and author Colm O’Regan and attracted 400 guests. A staggering 120 entries had to be whittled down to 26 award winners at the gala presentation.

The overall excellence in facilities management award went to the Sensori FM team at Astellas. The facilities management leader 2024 award went to Vincent Hickey, a director in Aramark Property and past chair of the Irish Property & Facility Management Association (IPFMA) and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) Property & Facilities Professional Group.

The citation for Sensori said the team “embodies innovation, technical proficiency, and a deep alignment with their clients’ environmental, social and governance goals. This award recognises their outstanding contribution to the facilities management sector, showcasing their role as a progressive, client-focused and adaptable team.”

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Hickey’s prestigious 35-year career included being a founding member of the IPFMA, and key to its amalgamation and successful integration into the SCSI. “For the past 35 years, our recipient has been recognised as a leader, an innovator and a mentor for countless graduates, young SCSI surveyors and minority groups,” the citation said.

He remains strongly involved with the SCSI, promoting best practice, sharing insights into the FM industry, but above all, creating a community for property managers and facility managers in Ireland through networking events and workshops. “Vincent Hickey is regarded as a true leader in every sense of the word and is incredibly passionate about the FM industry.”

Ireland’s FM market is vital to the country’s economy. It was estimated to be worth €2.73bn in 2023, and is expected to reach more than €3bn by 2028.

The awards were judged by a distinguished panel of facilities management experts drawn from across the industry.

Judging coordinator was Alex Magee, programme chair for the newly developed BSc (Hons) in Facilities and Building Services Management at ATU Sligo. He said: “The applications submitted were truly impressive, standing as a testament to the remarkable dedication and commitment of their authors to the field of facilities management.

“Each document showcased a high standard of professionalism and expertise, reflecting not only the qualifications of the applicants but also their deep-seated passion for driving innovation and progress within the industry.

“It was evident that each candidate possessed a genuine desire to contribute to the continual improvement and advancement of facilities management practices, demonstrating a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the field. Their enthusiasm and drive were palpable, promising great potential for making significant positive impacts in their roles.”

Fellow judge Patrick O’Sullivan, director of support services at telecoms giant Eir, sang the praises of the awards night for rightly rewarding talent. “The awards night was an immense success, everything about the venue was perfect. I noticed an increase in quality this year regarding layout, information and supporting facts. I thoroughly enjoyed judging once again and would welcome the opportunity to do it again next year if required.”

The Irish wing of Paris-headquartered food services and FM provider Sodexo had a blistering night, taking home no fewer than four awards. It won total FM service provider of the year, facilities management CSR initiative of the year and best people development in facilities management. In addition, general services manager Michael Galkin was named FM service provider professional of the year.

Marian Cronin, business development director, was buzzing with enthusiasm. “The team were really delighted. It’s brilliant to be shortlisted, but to take home four awards tonight is fantastic. We’re over the moon and we can’t wait to go back and tell the rest of the team the fantastic achievement we’ve had and the fact that they have been the ones that have made sure we’ve been able to take home these awards. I would highly recommend the FM awards. It’s the pinnacle in terms of awards for what we do in our industry, and to be able to sit in a room with our competition and be able to celebrate what we do day-to-day for our clients is fantastic.”

The awards night was a roaring success for the sponsors too. Les Sheridan, managing director at platinum sponsor Mitie Ireland, said: “Mitie has been a long-standing supporter as well as a platinum sponsor of the FM Awards in Ireland. The awards offer a platform to showcase what is best about our industry and how we support our valued clients each and every day through our people and tailored solutions.”

The property management company of the year and property management team of the year awards went to Wyse Property Management. Aimee Cafferty, managing partner, said: “We were delighted to be a part of this, delighted to be shortlisted. We won the two categories we were in – just to be even nominated and included with our peers is a credit to the team that we work with.

“It’s such a great night. It’s one of the best nights of the year. I’ve been coming to it for the past few years. Sometimes we’re winners, sometimes we’re not. It’s always a great night regardless.”

Gráinne de Mordha, director at gold sponsor BAM FM, said: “BAM was delighted to be a sponsor of the Facilities Management Awards this year. The event is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the best innovation, sustainable solutions, excellence in service delivery and the great people in our industry.”

The night wasn’t just a success for those who walked away with the silverware. Arlene Hurley, director at Henry Wiltshire, was pleased to have been compared with the best. “It is a great source of pride for us to be shortlisted for awards including property management company of the year.

“These achievements are a testament to our professionalism and customer-focused service, and is why we are the property management agency of choice for so many businesses, estates and landlords throughout Dublin, Leinster and Galway.”

And Sarah Martin, marketing manager of shortlisted firm Grosvenor Services, said: “This year’s awards were a wonderful showcase of some of the amazing talent in our industry. An excellent event overall – we’re already looking forward to next year.”

Speaking at the awards, Kevin O’Driscoll, director of partnership programmes at Business River, said: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2024 sponsors and professional partners, which include Mitie, Tork, an Essisty brand; Sodexo, H&J Martin, Synergy Security Solutions, Williaam Cox, CBRE, Western Hygiene, Berka Solutions, Sensori FM, 360 Works McKeon Group, SOS Group, ISS Ireland, Thorntons Recycling, Kärcher Ireland, BAM Facilities Management, Contico, LMC FM, Bailey Hygiene, Tech Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Aramark Ireland, EWL Electric and MKF Property Services. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.

The FM awards will be back again next year. It’s such a vital service, celebrating its successes must never be overlooked.

Full list of judges

• Alex Magee, (judging coordinator) ATU Sligo
• Mark Mobach, professor at Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen & The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
• Patrick O’Sullivan, director of support services, Eir
• Professor Michael Pitt, professor of facility management, University College London
• John Smith, sustainable infrastructure and facilities manager, An Post
• Conan Wade, group property and facilities director, Oasis Group
• John Cunniffe, director, G4S FM Ireland
• Brian Fitzpatrick, facilities manager, Hibernia Real Estate Group
• Daniel Wilson, senior facilities manager, Applegreen
• Jodi Artis, head of facilities management, Savills Ireland
• Brianna Yeung, sustainability program manager, KSN Horizon
• Gillian O’Connor, corporate operations senior manager, Gilead
• Aidan Turley, director of facilities management, St James’s Hospital

Full list of winners

Overall excellence in facilities management (sponsored by Tork, an Essisty brand)

Winner: Sensori FM Team at Astellas

Facilities management leader 2024 (sponsored by Sodexo)

Recipient: Vincent Hickey

Workplace & estates team of the year (sponsored by Mitie)

Winner: Circle K Ireland

Workplace & estates manager of the year (sponsored by LMC fm)

Winner: Dalata Hotel Group – Paul McGuinness

Total FM service provider of the year (sponsored by Contico)

Winner: Sodexo Ireland

Specialist FM service provider of the year (sponsored by Thorntons Recycling)

Winner: Mastertech

FM service provider team of the year (sponsored by Williaam Cox)

Winner: Sensori FM Team at Astellas

Property management company of the year (sponsored by Synergy Security Solutions)

Winner: Wyse Property Management

Excellence in health & safety

Winner: Danone Nutricia

Workspace transformation award – service provider (sponsored by EWL Electric)

Winner: Apleona Ireland

Workspace transformation award – internal client (sponsored by ISS Ireland)

Winner: O’Brien Facilities

Best facility (sponsored by H&J Martin)

Winner: Analog Devices

Facilities management CSR initiative of the year (sponsored by Aramark Ireland)

Winner: Sodexo Ireland

FM project of the year – public sector (sponsored by MKF Property Services)

Winner: Sensori FM – Dublin Castle

FM project of the year – private sector (sponsored by Mitie)

Winner: O’Brien – Roof Membrane Upgrade

Cleaning service provider of the year – specialist (sponsored by Kärcher Ireland)

Winner: Ryans Cleaning

Cleaning service provider of the year – TFM (sponsored by Kärcher Ireland)

Winner: MCR Group

Property management team of the year (sponsored by SOS Group)

Winner: Wyse Property Management

Best people development in facilities management (sponsored by Berka Solutions & 360 Works McKeon Group)

Winner: Sodexo Ireland

Excellence in sustainability – in-house (sponsored by CBRE)

Winner: KPMG

Excellence in sustainability – service provider (sponsored by Tork, an Essisty brand)

Winner: BAM FM – Supporting Swords Pavillions’ Net Carbon Journey

Innovation in technology & systems – end users (sponsored by BAM Facilities Management)

Winner: Mitie Ireland – Mozaic

Innovation in technology & systems – providers (sponsored by Western Hygiene)

Winner: Fexillon

Client & service provider partnership of the year (sponsored by BaileyHygiene)

Winner: Salesforce Partnership with Acacia

Women in facilities management award (sponsored by Sensori FM)

Winner: BAM Facilities Management – Gráinne de Mórdha

FM service provider professional of the year (sponsored by Tech Refrigeration and Air Conditioning)

Winner: Sodexo – Michael Galkin