FM FOR ISSUU

SALES
JOHN WATSON
Business Development Director,
Aramark Workplace Solutions
In late February of this year, we
welcomed John Watson as our new
Business Development Director for
Aramark Workplace Solutions.
With prior experience in sales and
operational roles across a vast range of
industries, John spent the past eight years
travelling between Ireland and the UK
within a previous Facilities Management
(FM) firm. He then based himself in Ireland
and joined the Aramark Northern Europe
team where he could put his experience
in a broad range of sectors to good use,
including Utilities and Tech-comms within
contracts ranging from single services to
full TFM solutions.
We caught up with the new Business
Development Director to discuss FY20,
how the FM business are meeting trends
and how we are differentiating from our
competitors.
What are you looking
forward to most about
your time at Aramark?
When I began my search for a new job, I
was keen to find a company with the right
cultural fit, where I felt I could add value
as well as develop and learn new skills.
During my discussions with David Barker
it was clear that Aramark was going to be
this company. Whilst the circumstances
of COVID-19 had an impact on my initial
few months working here, the team were
such a great (virtual) support to me and
thankfully things started to gather pace.
What do you enjoy most
about the sectors you are
working in?
I definitely enjoy the variety that FM has
to offer and the ability I have to work
across a number of different sectors, with
a wide range of customers. My favourite
sector to work in would probably be the
Tech-comms sector as it is typically fast
paced and has an ambitious attitude to the
solutions that are required.
Has FY20 been challenging
for our FM business?
FY20 has definitely seen an unprecedented
challenge to the FM business but the
response has been incredibly strong within
Aramark. We have been playing a strong
role in developing the global re-bound
strategy for the business. Our relationship
with our customers has been strengthened
with even higher levels of collaboration
and understanding which enabled us to
support their back-to-work policies on a
case by case basis.
How are the Aramark FM
business meeting current
trends?
Businesses now understand that people
spend a lot of time working and expect
more for their employers than basic
working neccessities. FM as a profession
is responding to this by creating a more
holistic approach to workspace and the
workplace on a strategic level as opposed
to the more traditional supplier-customer
relationships. As a business we are
putting a much stronger emphasis on
collaboration, making sure that Aramark
and our customers truly understand each
other’s strengths and objectives so that we
can plan, in partnership, to achieve much
more than was previously possible.
How have we
differentiated ourselves
from our competitors
this year?
Our international network has proven to
be an exceptional strength this year with
a coordinated and structured response to
the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this
unique collaboration we have been able to
put forward robust operational solutions
to our customers that have given them
and their people the confidence to be able
to open their businesses in the knowledge
that they are compliant with government
legislation and more importantly safe.
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