FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Calibre Building Services’ Sales Director, Brian Venton and Operations Director, Paul Soares explain to Sara Bean how a client-centric approach and careful leadership has helped fuel the growth of the FM services provider
Brian Venton Paul Soares
With a recent spate of mergers and acquisitions within the facilities management market, it looks likely clients will be seeing some more consolidation in the FM services sector. But alongside the corporate services providers, it’s important to highlight the activities of some of the smaller suppliers in the sector. For instance, FMJ has been charting the rise of hard services provider Calibre over the past two years – a period which has seen the company ascend from a revenue of £15.4 million in March 2023 to £26.5 million by March 2025 – a remarkable 72 per cent growth within two years.
I sat down with Sales Director, Brian Venton and Operations Director, Paul Soares to discuss how Calibre has solidified its position in the market – landing some high-profile contracts, including One Embassy Gardens, (developed around the new United States Embassy on Nine Elms), 8 St James Square, 58 Victoria Embankment and Aldwych House.
Calibre was founded in 2011 by Matt Mabey and Steve Welch, both of whom had previous experience in property management firms – including Status Building Services. According to Venton during this period there was a big drive within organisations to cut budgets, as the economy was emerging from a global financial crisis and there was pressure to service buildings on a budget, something which the founders resisted.
Says Venton: “You can’t do engineering on a spreadsheet, you need to take a client focus, requiring good communication and a willingness to get the job done, no matter what happens, to help build a good reputation.”
Previously both Venton and Soares careers’ included working for FM corporates, including Mitie, ISS and EMCOR but they were drawn to joining a smaller firm where, as Soares describes it: “You get to be creative with what you do as a manager, and you get to influence change in a much more direct way. For me, that’s the biggest difference, in a corporate setting the road has almost been paved for you, and you are pushed to do the same things that have been tried and proven.
“In a company like Calibre, we get to be creative and really think outside the box. It makes a massive difference as you can alter processes and procedures and the way you work to make a real impact.”
CALIBRE SERVICES & CLIENTS
The company primarily operates across London, the South East, and the Midlands, offering a wide range of services including FM, Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) and fabric-based maintenance. It also provides project management services across a range of areas; from chiller replacements to boiler upgrades, electrical, power and lighting and BMS upgrades to the installation of complete new high-volume low-speed fan systems. The firm also offers energy and sustainability management, including carrying out energy audits, surveys and supporting clients in reaching carbon net-zero goals.
As Soares describes it: “We deliver ‘hard everything’, within the FM services and energy industry, although we do delve into soft services via closely managed suppliers and offer electrical test and inspect services as well as PAT testing with a preferred supplier managed by the Calibre in-house team.”
The sectors covered by Calibre include commercial office buildings; education and health, including schools, colleges and student accommodation, hospitals and other public sector buildings. They also provide facilities management and maintenance for industrial sites and work on infrastructure, transportation, heritage and listed buildings projects.
An important facet of the company’s growth is in being good at developing its existing client base. For instance, in July Calibre secured a three-year contract extension at Monument Place, a grade A office space in the heart of the City of London where the team has been on-site since November 2013, from the building’s initial construction phase through to the original handover.
Says Venton: “We’ve got a strong operational team and have good references in all the sectors we operate in. That old phrase people buy people first is key, so we select the right individual to put in front of each client. But I think what is unique with us is the management structure we have established.”
