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ISS UK & Ireland has completed its country leadership team with appointment of Andrew Wilkinson as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its Office & Production business unit.
Wilkinson will take up the role on 1 September 2022, following a handover with Kevin Wildman, who has held the position on an interim basis since 1 January 2022.
The Office & Production business unit is primarily responsible for ISS UK&I’s private sector clients, including the banking, professional services, technology and production industries and its entire Ireland operation, which is based out of Dublin.
Wilkinson has a 30 year-strong, proven track record in senior strategic and operating roles, both in facilities management and broader industry. Most recently, he was Divisional Chair (North) of housebuilder Taylor Wimpey. As a member of the Group Management Team, he led the North Division, building homes and communities across the North West, North East and Yorkshire.
Prior to his role at Taylor Wimpey, Wilkinson spent 10 years at Sodexo, including his last role as CEO for Sodexo’s Schools and Universities segment in the UK and Ireland, delivering Integrated FM and Food services at over 600 sites across the region. During his time at Sodexo, he also held operational, strategic, and marketing roles in the Corporate Services segment.
Speaking about his new appointment, Wilkinson, said: “Now is a fantastic time to be joining a company that benefits from a long heritage in the industry, but is modernising and repurposing itself to meet the challenges of facilities management in the modern era.
“I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the CLT and across the business to win new clients and grow and develop the genuine, lasting partnerships ISS has with some of the UK’s most successful, and best known, businesses.”
This appointment marks the completion of UK&I CEO Liz Benison’s eight-strong country leadership team (CLT), which will deliver the company’s ongoing transformation under its OneISS strategy and drive the UK and Ireland’s return to growth.
Since ISS Group’s OneISS strategy came into effect on 1 January 2022, the UK and Ireland business has made significant progress. At ISS Group’s Q1 Trading Update on 3 May 2022, it was confirmed that ISS UK&I had reached its turnaround target nine months ahead of plan.
With the permanent leadership team in place, the company is now focused on playing its part in achieving ISS Group’s ambition to become the most respected global leader in integrated facility services and to strengthen its position as the global number one in cleaning.
Liz Benison, Chief Executive Officer, ISS UK&I, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Andrew to the company. We knew this was a crucial role to fill and it has taken some time to get it right. But in Andrew, I know we have a colleague with the skills, experience, and drive to take our Office & Production business unit where it needs to go.
“Of course, this transition will be bittersweet, as we will also be saying goodbye to Kevin Wildman. I am incredibly grateful to Kevin for agreeing to take on this role on an interim basis. Thanks to him, Office & Production was in safe, experienced hands while we conducted a comprehensive search and found Andrew. Kevin has also made a significant contribution to the wider business and the formation of the CLT.
“I look forward to working with Andrew and Kevin as they handover responsibilities, and with the country leadership team as we pursue our shared ambitions and return to growth.”
