FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Jane Thomas has been appointed to the new strategic role of Head of Decarbonisation at Fortem, a specialist property solutions business for the social housing sector.
With 17 years of experience in the energy efficiency sector, Thomas has led major domestic retrofit programmes across the UK and brings extensive expertise in government-funded decarbonisation projects, area-based delivery and community engagement.
In 2024, Thomas co-founded the Women in Retrofit Network, which quickly grew its influence across the wider green sector. She is now the CEO and Co-Founder of Women in Rising Green Skills, an organisation committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, opening pathways into green careers, and increasing the representation of women across the sector.
Strengthening Fortem’s ongoing commitment to delivering warm, safe homes for social housing residents across the country, Thomas’ appointment will support the company in pursuing its strategic goals of reaching £300 million turnover by 2028, recruiting over 100 apprentices and management trainees from local communities and achieving zero-carbon operations by 2030 – all while delivering on its ‘Every Home Matters’ commitment to social housing residents.
Andrew Brown, Director of Capital Works and Retrofit, said: “We are delighted that Jane has joined our Capital Works and Retrofit team as Head of Decarbonisation. She brings with her a wealth of experience in decarbonisation and improving homes. Working with Jane we will continue to ensure that residents have a positive experience of retrofit works and live in warm and safer homes.”
Thomas said her new role: “Fortem’s belief that every home matters align strongly with my own: wherever you live in the UK, you should have access to a warm, safe home. I’m committed to ensuring that everyone is included in the journey to net zero and can see how it can transform their lives for the better.”
According to the 2026 UK Facilities Management Market Research Report by askporter, facilities management professionals want clear, verifiable evidence of work being delivered, with teams that can communicate progress in real time. This requires technology that is affordable, intuitive, and quick to adopt.
Yet the report found that:
Over three quarters of FM professionals (76 per cent) experience operational inefficiencies caused by siloed software which results in a lack of real-time visibility.
Communications challenges lead to maintenance issues, with 73 per cent of teams being forced into reactive problem-solving on a weekly basis.
A worrying level of compliance gaps, with 44 per cent of admitting that half or less of their compliance tasks are tracked and automated within their systems.
Closing this gap requires the establishment of transparent and consistent communications using affordable software that gives FM teams the ability to track, evidence and improve their services.
This webinar provides a valuable overview of the main findings of the report by askporter followed by a panel discussion by FM thought leaders on practical, strategic solutions that can help close this communications gap.
To register for the webinar taking place 29 January 2026 at 11:00am click here.
