FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Vertas Group has formally been presented with the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Sustainable Development. The presentation took place at the company’s Ipswich headquarters on 3 December.
Vertas Group is the only facilities management company in the UK to receive this accolade in 2025, marking a truly historic achievement.
The award was presented by Clare, Countess of Euston, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, who is The King’s official representative in the county, in a ceremony attended by colleagues, partners, local dignitaries, and civic leaders. The event featured a showcase of Vertas Group innovation, including demonstrations of cutting-edge technology such as robotics and virtual reality, before the formal presentation of the King’s Award crystal and certificate to Group CEO, Ian Surtees and Non-Executive Chair, Duncan Johnson.
This recognition celebrates Vertas Group’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Over the past three years, the company has delivered transformative results, including:
- Achieving 22 per cent absolute carbon reduction in 2023/24, with significant decreases across energy use, water, travel, waste, and paper consumption. Since its submission, Vertas Group achieved a further 15.3 per cent reduction last year.
- Operating a chemical-free cleaning service, revolutionising industry standards with an environmentally friendly, water-based solution.
- Saving four million single-use plastics through a robust sustainable procurement policy.
- Diverting 99 per cent of waste away from landfill and prioritising reuse through donations, as well as maximising recycling to support a sustainable supply chain.
- Completed over 130 decarbonisation projects in three years, alongside multiple Net Zero school designs, with Suffolk’s first operational Net Zero school now under construction.
- Delivering more than 4,000 meat-free school meals per week since 2015.
Ian Surtees MBA, FIoD, Group Chief Executive Officer of Vertas Group, commented: “Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues. This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to creating a greener future and inspires us to continue leading the way in sustainable facilities management.”
Lady Clare, Countess of Euston, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, remarked: “It was a privilege to present the King’s Award for Enterprise to Vertas Group on behalf of His Majesty The King. Their commitment to environmental responsibility and positive impact on communities across the region sets a remarkable example for others to follow. I congratulate everyone at Vertas Group on this well-deserved honour.”
Wednesday 14 January at 11:00am
Building Management Systems (BMS) have long been used to control the heart of a building – monitoring and controlling its essential systems such as lighting, ventilation, heating and air conditioning. Facilities Managers want the best visibility to help detect and deal with concerns before they become issues.
This webinar brings together the experts from energy network provider, E.ON along with FM thought leaders to discuss moving from a reactive service to a proactive service. By identifying energy issues early and automatically, instead of occupants reporting issues, then potential faults can be identified early and remedied. The BMS does this before the problem occurs by using smart alerting and EMC support services.
Panel:
- Sara Bean: Editor FMJ (Facilities Management Journal)
- Nick Westlake: Energy and Service Delivery Manager at E.ON Control Solutions
- Sunil Shah, the author of IWFM’s Energy Management Good Practice Guide and MD of Acclaro Advisory
- David Cermak, Regional Facilities Manager for David Lloyd Clubs
To register for the webinar which will be taking place on 14 January 2026 at 11:00am click here.
