World FM Day 2022: Leading a sustainable future

The theme of World FM Day 2022 – leading a sustainable future – is so appropriate. It recognises the role of FM professionals as agents of change in this vital area. 

I am pleased the ability of workplace and facilities managers to lead change has been recognised more and more over the past two years. The sterling work of FM staff, from cleaners to engineers, has been vital to keeping operations working and then preparing for the return to the workplace that we are now seeing gathering pace. 

The government estate (including schools and hospitals) consists of more than 136,000 built assets, but the public estate is much more than bricks and mortar. We are custodians of significant areas of rural estate, with the Ministry of Justice managing a diverse estate with a wealth of priority species and habitats, while the Ministry of Defence is the largest owner of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in England. 

Operating at this scale means we have an opportunity to address climate-related risks to public services whilst making a significant positive environmental impact through proactive management of the estate. Combining this with the local knowledge and leadership of our workplace and facilities managers provides huge potential for the changes we make to be a real force for good.

Over the past four years two of the winners of the IWFM’s Workplace and Facilities Manager of the Year awards have been managing the government estate: Moses Ayoola of Queen's Hospital, Romford, and Laura Birnbaum of HMCTS. 

We will be marking World FM Day by celebrating the role of the FM profession, and showcasing its wider contribution to the economy and society as a whole. We can be proud of the contribution the FM profession has made over the past 12 months and, yes, I believe we can look to the future with confidence and ambition. 

I am proud of what we have delivered, and on this World FM Day I will be joining colleagues around the world by celebrating FM.

Janet Young is Government Head of the Property Profession