FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Following a comprehensive application and interview process, Louisa Clarke, Managing Director for the North and Scotland in Churchill’s cleaning business, has been appointed to the Veterans Advisory Board for an 18-month term.
The Veterans Advisory Board provides advice, insight and diversity of thought to the government on veterans’ issues such as employment, health and wellbeing, and transition to civilian life, and is chaired by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Johnny Mercer MP.
Clarke has valuable experience supporting veterans as they transition to civilian life and has spearheaded a number of programmes at Churchill, most notably signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019. Earlier this year Churchill was recognised with a Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. Churchill has also partnered with JobOppo, an employment service set up by veterans, for veterans.
One of Clarke’s main remits, along with her 10 fellow board members, will be to provide counsel around the delivery of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan.
The two-year plan was launched in January 2022 and key goals include improving support for veterans and their families, maximising veteran employability and improving access to social housing.
Achievements so far include more than 100 NHS England Trusts gaining ‘Veteran Aware’ status, and investing £1 million in funding for a new digital service for veterans to easily verify their veteran status.
Speaking about her appointment to the Veterans Advisory Board, Clarke said: “The Veterans Advisory Board provides advice at the highest level of government and it’s an honour to be appointed. I believe I have a lot to offer considering that facilities management employs thousands of veterans. I’ll do my utmost to highlight and address issues that veterans face in FM and across the UK.”
While some personnel are finally returning to the office – the great majority of organisations (up to 83 per cent) anticipate a hybrid mix of on-premises and working from home to continue for the foreseeable future.
This means that when it comes to providing access to the workplace, where once it was simply enough to maintain a welcoming reception for visitors, organisations today must also keep a close eye on access permissions in real-time to keep buildings safe and secure while ensuring they comply with compliance.
Pitney Bowes Smart Access Management in association with FMJ has produced a new White Paper which explains how to create a welcoming, actively managed environment for authorised people.
It explains how new Smart Access Management™ (SAM) delivers a complete, real-time and data-driven view of all your people, visitors and contractors, to help give you greater control and visibility.
To download the white paper click here.
