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Andron Facilities Management, which was established nearly 50 years ago by Ron Stewart and his son, also Ron, will soon be in the hands of their family’s next generation and its first female CEO.
Ron Stewart Jnr’s daughter, Cheryl Stewart, has now been named as the firm’s Chief Executive and on 1 June will formally take over the role from her father, who will retain an active interest in the business as Andron’s Chairman.
From a small carpet cleaning business serving clients in Aberdeen, the enterprise has grown into an industry-leading soft services specialist. Andron, which remains independently owned by the Stewart family to this day, now employs 2,500 people and serves nearly 1,000 sites around the UK, for clients including The Crown Estate London and JLL. Revenues have steadily increased over the past decade, from £19 million in 2015 to an anticipated £70 million turnover this year.
Cheryl joined Andron nearly 10 years ago and became a Board Director in 2019. Prior to that, she completed a degree in international business at Strathclyde University and a graduate sales and marketing programme at IHS in London.
Ron Stewart Jnr said: “Being a family business, succession planning is critical to secure our long-term sustainability and retain the reputation for excellent customer service that Andron has been built upon.
“Reflecting on the last 44 years, it’s hard to describe how it feels to see a company I started with just my father grow to the 2,500-strong team we have today. As you can imagine, it isn’t easy to step back from a role that’s been a massive part of my life, but I know it’s the right time for me, Cheryl, our team and our customers around the UK.
“Cheryl has been preparing for this position since joining Andron’s board of directors in 2019, and I have complete confidence that she’ll continue to lead the company in the right direction. Knowing that Andron will remain family-owned and managed gives me confidence that we’ll stay true to our values and our culture as we look to the next 50 years and beyond.”
Cheryl commented: “I grew up listening to stories from my dad and grandad about the early days of Andron. Their hard work and determination to build a successful family business from the ground up really inspired me and fuelled my passion for Andron, even before I joined the firm.
“Having this opportunity to continue their legacy is a tremendous honour, and I am committed to preserving the family values and ‘people first’ culture that has underpinned our business for the past four decades, serving our customers to the best of our ability each day.
“I am really excited about the future of our business. We are continuing to invest in people, sustainability, and technology to ensure we remain a great place to work for our colleagues and a trusted partner to our customers.”
As environmental protection demands unified action, transparency, and heightened awareness, Biological Preparations has launched an initiative to catalyse sustainability efforts within the FM sector.
FM businesses face unique challenges and heightened expectations of eco-initiatives from their clients. Yet, behind the scenes in FM businesses, many environmental initiatives, rollouts and even planning, are not broadcasted and transparent.
Have your say: Sustainability Trends in FM
The UK biotech company’s five-minute, anonymous FM-focused survey, offers FM professionals of all hierarchies with a platform to voice their perspectives and share their experiences. The results from this survey will then be analysed and presented as an industry-specific report, which aims to guide FM businesses helping them benchmark trends, gain clarity on industry challenges, and map out goals and metrics towards sustainability.
To share your experiences, please click here.
