New Facilities Directorate in place
The new Facilities Directorate, led by Dennis Hopper, brought together Estate Services, Residential and Commercial Services (RCS) and Sport and Physical Activity (SPA) with effect from 1 August.
“The rationale for this merger was to improve consistency and service delivery and increase efficiency,” says Dennis. “We’re now looking at processes and services which are currently managed separately by each service within the Directorate, to see how things can be done more efficiently, including eliminating any unnecessary duplication.”
The new Directorate consists of four main services. The heads of these services and their responsibilities are:
Madeleine Aziz-Brook, Head of Campus Support Services, is responsible for the ‘soft’ facilities management support services such as security, cleaning, print and teaching support, etc, and other internal business support functions. Her remit also includes communications and administrative support.
Stewart Ross, Head of Commercial Services, has responsibility for sport and physical activity and has taken on catering, conference and event management, and sales and marketing for these functions.
Steve Gilley, Head of Estates, is responsible for the development and maintenance of the University’s estate, and for facilities-related health and safety and sustainability.
Ian Robertson, Head of Residential Accommodation, is responsible for managing the University’s owned and operated student accommodation. Supported by the Accommodation Services Manager, he also oversees the pastoral care, welfare and discipline of resident students.
These changes follow the retirement of Director of Estates Robert Sladdin earlier this year. Robert now spends two days a week providing advice and support during this transition periodand remains involved in a number of strategically important University groups and committees.
“Initially there will be no major changes to the way in which services are provided and there will be regular updates to ensure that future changes are clearly communicated,” continues Dennis. “The day-to-day contacts for the main customer facing services, such as catering, sport, conferencing and estates helpdesk will remain unchanged in the short term.”
A website for the Facilities Directorate will be developed within the year. For now, brief information about the revised structure, key contacts and services can be found at
www.leeds.ac.uk/facilitiesdirectorate
