This episode is all about sustainability in the built environment: what it costs, what it's worth and why it's now winning (and losing) tenders. We're joined by Alan Stenson, CEO of Neutral Carbon Zone.

Alan's route into sustainability is anything but typical. A classically trained actor, his first big role was Telemachus in the 1997 TV epic The Odyssey, long before Christopher Nolan's version hit cinemas. He moved into sales, started his first business in the hairdressing industry, then set up Ethical Nation in 2006, back when nobody wanted to pay to talk about their carbon footprint. Today he helps businesses of every size, many of them in FM, understand exactly where their emissions come from and what to do about it. Mark doesn't make it easy for him either, playing devil's advocate on some of the biggest arguments online.

In this episode we talk about:

* From playing Telemachus in The Odyssey to running a carbon consultancy
* Selling sustainability before anyone wanted to pay for it
* Why "when you think emissions, think pound signs"
* Why your cleaning contract has a carbon footprint
* EV targets, solar car parks and the car park that charged a whole community
* Devil's advocate: is carbon actually the problem?
* AI, data centres and whether technology will save us
* Why FM is ahead of the curve, and why firms are losing tenders over carbon
* The one quick win every business should start with

If you enjoyed it, please like, comment, share and subscribe. There's plenty more to come this season.

00:00 Welcome & introducing Alan Stenson
01:22 From The Odyssey to net zero
03:31 Watching Tom Holland take on the story
05:26 What acting taught him about control
06:31 Sales, hairdressing and a first business
07:24 2006: launching Ethical Nation
09:11 Selling sustainability when nobody wanted it
09:48 "What about us?" The turning point
11:10 Old buildings, new buildings and London
12:40 Embodied vs operational carbon
14:25 Why your cleaning has a carbon footprint
16:44 Is net zero too expensive?
17:46 "When you think emissions, think pound signs"
19:47 Targets without a plan: the EV problem
21:37 The car park that charged a community
22:46 Solar car parks and a Yorkshire ferreting field
25:08 So why don't we do it?
26:12 What lockdown showed us
28:06 Climate change and the cost of living
28:32 Devil's advocate: is carbon actually bad?
31:18 Why some voices want you divided
32:24 Aviation, F1 and your online footprint
34:16 AI, data centres and hidden energy costs
36:07 Buildings that power themselves
38:12 Will AI solve climate change?
39:55 Have industries held back technology?
41:39 "I call them magpies"
44:16 How is the UK really doing?
45:36 Then vs now: losing tenders over carbon
46:45 Why FM is ahead of the curve
47:50 Why your recycling bins might be 0.01%
48:59 UK coal, gas and offshored emissions
53:25 Do planning laws hold us back?
54:47 Making sustainability core to the business
55:30 The Procurement Act: winning on value
56:09 The quick win: baseline your footprint
58:13 Wrap-up and how to reach Alan
59:10 Mark's final thoughts

This episode is sponsored by UK Protection Ltd and Bidwells.

UK Protection Ltd are specialist security experts working across the UK, providing manned guarding, event security, vacant property protection, security audits and close protection. Leading luxury retailers trust them, and they also run raid training for retail teams, taught by former specialist police officers. People first, every time. Find out more: https://www.ukprotectionltd.co.uk

Bidwells is a leading UK real estate advisor. It works in the sectors that will shape the future: science and technology, sustainability and modern living. It was the first property consultancy in the UK to become a certified B Corp. Its 600+ experts manage over £5.2bn in property assets and advise on more than 4 million acres of UK countryside and coastline. It has been doing this for nearly 200 years and still works with many of its original clients.

If you want property advice built for new technology, climate change and the people who use your buildings, visit Bidwells: https://www.bidwells.co.uk

#facilitiesmanagement #fmx #netzero #sustainability #builtenvironment #carbonfootprint #tenders #bidwells #ukprotection #careers

Get in touch in the comments below or head to...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fmx20_25
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-facilities-management-exchange/
Email: reuben@fm-exchange.com

This episode is all about experience: in policing, in business and on the front line. We’re joined by Andy Fairbanks, founder and CEO of UK Protection Ltd, the man who took a chance and hired Mark during the Covid lockdowns.

Andy joined the police almost by accident, after a chat with two officers at a careers fair. He went on to earn one of the first close protection licences in the country before leaving policing to build his own security business. Today he leads a team protecting retail and high-value sites across the UK, and he doesn’t hold back.

In this episode we talk about:

• How a careers fair chat turned into a career in policing
• Why experience is draining out of frontline policing, and what the Henry Nowak case tells us
• AI, robots and which jobs are really at risk, including who’ll clean the robot factory
• Why plumbers and electricians could be the next millionaires
• Politics, business certainty and the real cost of the National Insurance rise
• Andy’s plan to run the NHS like an FM contract, still free at the point of use
• The race to the bottom in security and cleaning, and why “pay cheap, get cheap” still holds
• Being the victim of your own success, and the officers who held the line during armed robberies

If you enjoyed it, please like, comment, share and subscribe. There’s plenty more to come this season.

00:00 Welcome back & introducing Andy Fairbanks
01:30 From police officer to security CEO
01:57 How a careers fair chat led to joining the police
03:05 Close protection and the move into private security
03:40 Falling out of love with policing
04:55 “You don’t make the law, you enforce it”
06:51 The experience gap: the blind leading the blind
07:33 Policing in the age of TikTok
09:25 The Henry Nowak case: what went wrong
13:07 What you can’t learn in a classroom
14:18 The policing doom loop
15:28 Mark Rowley: “We dropped the ball”
17:23 Why are police chasing non-crimes?
19:37 Where’s the common sense gone?
20:35 Why the fun’s gone out of work
21:16 The end of the 30-year career and Gen Z
22:39 Why retention beats recruitment
23:36 Which jobs AI will take first
25:30 Who’ll clean the robot factory?
27:55 How UK Protection uses AI
29:14 Four plumbers, eight electricians, 80 influencers
30:18 The truth about data centres
31:50 Could AI really destroy us?
34:25 Sponsor: Bidwells
36:24 Politics, Covid and business
38:13 The over-promotion problem
40:59 Why business needs certainty
42:52 The National Insurance rise and price conversations
44:49 The race to the bottom
46:34 Is the cost of living crisis man-made?
48:59 Should MPs do six months on minimum wage?
49:57 Should ministers be paid like CEOs?
52:24 The loneliest place you’ll ever be
52:54 How FM has changed in 20 years
55:44 The merger everyone’s talking about
1:00:02 Andy’s plan for the NHS
1:04:15 Cleaning, security and the value of consistency
1:08:11 “We’re risk managers, not guards”
1:10:18 Pay cheap, get cheap
1:12:20 Victim of our own success
1:14:14 Range Rovers, axes and real bravery
1:15:31 Wrap-up & a part two?

This episode is sponsored by Bidwells.
Bidwells is a leading UK real estate advisor. It works in the sectors that will shape the future: science and technology, sustainability and modern living. It was the first property consultancy in the UK to become a certified B Corp. Its 600+ experts manage over £5.2bn in property assets and advise on more than 4 million acres of UK countryside and coastline. It has been doing this for nearly 200 years and still works with many of its original clients.
If you want property advice built for new technology, climate change and the people who use your buildings, visit Bidwells: https://www.bidwells.co.uk

#facilitiesmanagement #fmx #bidwells #security #policing #leadership #AI #ukprotection #careers #business

Get in touch in the comments below or head to...
Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/fmx20_25
LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-facilities-management-exchange/
Email: reuben@fm-exchange.com

This episode is all about the next generation. We're joined by Olivia and Sophia from Frocester Group, two 19-year-olds we met at the Workplace Event who are just starting out in FM.

Sophia joined Frocester Group straight from school at 16, when the business had just four employees. She completed a business administration apprenticeship and has since moved from the service desk into operations, and now into fire. Olivia studied psychology, criminology and law at college before joining Frocester in September as a marketing apprentice. She now runs the company's social media and events.

In this episode we talk about:

- Going straight into work at 16 vs going to college first
- Why picking up the phone (and meetings) can feel so daunting for a new generation
- Being young and female in a male-dominated fire and security world
- The barriers young people face: qualifications, experience and the cost of university
- Why apprenticeships and hiring based on a conversation, not a CV, work
- Leadership, culture and growing with a family business

If you enjoyed it, please like, comment, share and subscribe. There's plenty more to come this season.

00:00 Welcome back & introducing Olivia and Sophia
03:07 Olivia's route: from college to marketing
04:17 Sophia's route: straight from school at 16
04:48 Work vs further education
07:12 Competing as a smaller business: it's all about relationships
08:12 Sophia's apprenticeship and early days on the service desk
09:49 Why picking up the phone is so daunting
13:10 Meetings, nerves and the love of email
14:53 Industry events & ending up at the wrong one
18:50 Career progression: from service to operations to fire
20:25 Young women in a male-dominated industry (and golf days)
21:45 Olivia's marketing apprenticeship
26:03 Biggest challenge: organising events
28:58 The challenge of being heard
30:41 Is Gen Z really work-shy?
31:00 Sponsor: Bidwells
32:12 Responding to the critics: "Cinderella's shoe didn't fit everyone"
34:28 How hard it is to land a first job
36:12 Youth unemployment and the qualifications barrier
37:18 "I don't want to see your CV"
39:20 Covid, interviews and alternative routes
40:54 Is university worth the debt?
45:30 Why universities should offer degrees in FM, fire and security
47:08 Difficult clients and subcontractors
48:41 Building a thicker skin
51:01 Rapid growth at Frost Security
52:05 Family culture, ski trips and team spirit
55:06 Why good leadership matters
57:02 Wrap-up

This episode is sponsored by Bidwells.
Bidwells is a leading UK real estate advisor. It works in the sectors that will shape the future: science and technology, sustainability and modern living. It was the first property consultancy in the UK to become a certified B Corp. Its 600+ experts manage over £5.2bn in property assets and advise on more than 4 million acres of UK countryside and coastline. It has been doing this for nearly 200 years and still works with many of its original clients.
If you want property advice built for new technology, climate change and the people who use your buildings, visit Bidwells: https://www.bidwells.co.uk



#facilitiesmanagement #fmx #bidwells #totalpestcontrol #nextgeneration #apprenticeships #firesafety #security #careers #genz

Get in touch in the comments below or head to...
Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/fmx20_25
LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-facilities-management-exchange/
Email: reuben@fm-exchange.com