FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Kevin Argent will be joining the University of Southampton on 10 October as its new Executive Director, Estates and Facilities.
Argent is currently Executive Director of Estates Development at University College London (UCL), where he has had overall responsibility for the £1.25 billion UCL Capital Programme, and delivered a number of major campus projects including the development of the UCL East campus on the Olympic Park, and the new Institute of Neurology/Dementia Research Institute development on Grays Inn Rd. Previous roles include Deputy Director Real Estate Development with the Metropolitan Police Service.
In his new role, Argent will take leadership responsibility for the university’s Estates and Facilities Directorate within Professional Services. He will be responsible for the successful delivery of the university’s planned £600 million investment in its campus infrastructure over the next 10 years, and will ensure the strategic development of the estate is in full alignment with its current and future academic priorities.
Speaking about the new appointment, Wendy Appleby, Vice-President (Operations) said: “Kevin will bring a wealth of valuable experience and an impressive track record of successful complex estate delivery. He will join us at a very exciting and important moment, as we embark on a major programme of estate transformation in support of our triple-helix University Strategy.”
Argent commented: “I am delighted to be joining Southampton at a time of great ambition and increasing reputation, and I look forward to playing my part in supporting delivery of its exciting new strategy.”
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.
