Business and Industries
Randall’s story: a passion for sustainable food
Charlotte's story: From helpdesk operator to global project lead
When I graduated from the University of the West of England in 2013 with a degree in psychology, I really didn’t know how my future would pan out. One thing is for sure, I didn’t imagine that eight years later I would be project managing the global deployment of supply management initiatives for one of the world’s largest employers!
It all started after I left university… I did what most fresh graduates do, and that’s to find a job and start earning a salary quickly; a stop gap until I could find a suitable role in my chosen area of study. However, it didn’t happen quite like that; my first job ended up being the start of what has already been an enjoyable and successful few years in facilities management.
That first opportunity to present itself was a helpdesk operator role at Hereford Hospital in the UK. Sodexo ran the facilities management contract at the hospital, delivering everything from cleaning and maintenance to engineering and portering services. As a helpdesk operator, I was responsible for fielding calls from different departments across the hospital estate and then liaising with the Sodexo facilities management team to ensure issues were fixed as quickly as possible.
Sodexo’s FM approach at that point was more reactive than proactive; we’d be fixing issues that were reported and responding to client and customer calls. However, we soon took a different approach and figured we could reduce the number of reactive activities by planning. A role came up at the hospital for a maintenance planner, using the Maximo system to effectively manage the maintenance of assets around the hospital. I applied for the role and took the first step into project management.
During my time as maintenance planner at Hereford Hospital, the global Maximo system was upgraded and I became the project lead at the hospital.
This allowed me the opportunity to broaden my network at Sodexo, work with other project leads from across the business and get closer to the hard FM service experts who worked in our Service Operations function. I really became the person who connected the central expertise with the local operation, ensuring that my colleagues onsite were fully trained to use the system and therefore enhance the quality of service.
As I started to enjoy the world of project management within FM, I knew I needed a qualification, so I funded myself PRINCE2 practitioner to help build my credibility.
Being more exposed to the broader business allowed me to take my next career step when an opportunity came up to become the system deployment coordinator – and then manager – ensuring that the global Maximo system was deployed at all new and existing FM contracts at Sodexo.
This was now firmly in the realms of project management! My PRINCE2 qualification gave me the credibility I needed to successfully drive the Maximo project across many parts of the UK business; I was travelling to different parts of the country, getting a greater understanding of the business and being recognised as someone with an appetite to develop and grow.
During the 18 months or so that I was project managing the deployment of Maximo, I was both recognised by Sodexo and the broader industry. In 2015, I was named as Sodexo’s national “Rising Star” at the company’s annual awards ceremony and then, in 2016, I received the Highly Commended Newcomer Award by the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM), the professional body for FM in the UK.
My career was really beginning to take off and, at the end of 2016, I earned my next promotion as a global project manager working in the Global Service Operations team. In 2017 I formally qualified as a project management professional to get my Project Management Professional qualification and Sodexo supported me through further training, allowing me to successfully achieve my Agile Project Management Practitioner qualification. I also embarked on the IWFM Level 4 Diploma in facilities management through Sodexo’s IFM academy. It took 2 years to complete, was brilliantly run and gave me a really good understanding of FM through assignments and workshops.
Working in this role for the last four and a half years has enabled me to build my expertise in project management, become recognised as an expert in my field and helped me to build my credibility. I’ve had a great manager who has recognised my passion to progress and given me the opportunities to better myself. She has supported my development over the years and given me great exposure to global projects, which has enabled me to build my network. I’m constantly coming into contact with new people and I think the progression I’ve enjoyed in the past eight years is indicative of how vast a company Sodexo is and, importantly, how you can develop your career if you have the right attitude, ambition and willingness to grasp opportunities when they come to you.
As I get ready to embark on my next role at Sodexo, I’m excited about what the future holds. We have some fantastic opportunities at Sodexo to drive value for our clients and consumers through our supply management function. It’s an area of the business which is being invested in; and where there’s investment, there’s opportunity.
I’m pleased to say that I have recently been appointed into a brand new role as a regional product owner in our global supply chain management team. This is an exciting role for me as it enables me to capitalise on my project management expertise, while being part of something which is an intrinsic part of Sodexo’s strategy.
I’m proud to continue on my journey with Sodexo and I will keep taking the opportunities when they present themselves and the timing is right.
Find out more in this video:
Find out more about a career at Sodexo! Sodexo UK & Ireland
This article was created by Charlotte Miller, Global Project Manager, Sodexo.
