Finalists announced in European FM Awards

10 May 2008

Twelve finalists are competing for the four European FM Awards in 2008, presented at the Gala Dinner of EFMC2008, the only European FM conference and research symposium held this year in Manchester on June 10-11

THE SECOND EUROPEAN FM AWARDS once again focus on best practice across the countries of Europe. New this year is a category for European FM of the Year that recognises the extending role of individual senior facilities manager in multi national companies, and in FM service providers delivering support to companies across several international boundaries in the European region.

The existing Award categories reflect the core focus of the EuroFM network and the many national organisations that comprise its membership.
● European FM Researcher of the Year Award recognises important work undertaken at universities across the continent working to extend knowledge in FM theory and practice.
● European FM Student of the Year supports the academic institutions that teach FM courses to undergraduate students and the international perspective they give to their studies.
● Partners Across Borders reflects the growing need for FM services to be delivered to support organisations that operate internationally in an increasingly global business environment.

European FM of the Year
The European FM of the Year Award reflects a growing trend that sees senior facilities managers increasingly being required to absorb responsibilities for people and property outside their organisations national base. The first three finalists this award are:
PETER BACKSTROM, is the Johnson Controls’ Customer Business Director for EMEA region for a global telecommunications supplier, and joint Regional Executive for its operations in Sweden and Finland. He leads a large multicultural team and under his direction, he has generated a range of innovations resulting in management consistency across 12 countries. In Sweden and Finland he is responsible for coordination of the business and utilisation of resources, and acts as a central point of contact for Johnson Controls clients and staff.
SERGE DELON is Chief Operating Officer of Faceo. He has supervised the launch of a network of subsidiaries in 10 countries in Europe, set up a key account management division for Faceo’s Pan European clients, and is constantly developing a European business culture within the Group including sharing of best practice from each country from Faceo’s 1000+ operational sites. He has and established efficiency and energy saving strategies across Europe, and following the establishment of an Energy Champions programme in the UK, plans to extend this solution to other countries.
PETER DOHERTY is Regional Facilities Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle on the Nortel account, and he leads FM operations for Jones Lang LaSalle in EMEA. At Nortel he is responsible for outsourced FM services across eight countries and acts as an advisory capacity to Nortel’s real estate department for another 10 countries. He qualified as a building services engineer and achieved an MSc in FM. He has a team reporting to him across EMEA, and his innovations have delivered FM consistently and effectively across the region, and deliver efficiency and energy savings.

FM Researcher of the Year
The three finalists selected from a strong field of entries are:
KARIN DIEZ, from the University of Karlsruhe where she has developed a FM cost estimation model to help address the rising costs in healthcare sectors across Europe. The model allows FM costs to be allocated transparently to relevant cost drivers including cleaning, laundry, sterile goods, maintenance of medical equipment and building maintenance. Themodel estimates costs in relation to changes of primary performance portfolios. She is presenting her research at the Research Symposium in Manchester.
HERMEN JAN VAN REE is successfully combining his PhD research at University College London (UCL) with his role as Head of Research & Development at IPD Occupiers. At IPD Occupiers, he has developed new performance tools across the FM sector and published his research paper, Quality is Ballet. As Senior Research Fellow at the Workplace Innovation Centre at UCL, he has developed a model to assess and benchmark real estate organisations, as well as a model to uncover the value added impact of real estate and support services on organisational performance.
SVEN A TEICHMANN a PhD student at the International Real Estate Business School and IRE/BS Real Estate Academy, at the University of Regensburg, Germany, is conducting an international research study on best practice in integrated facilities management. Called, ‘Integrated Facilities Management in Europe – Definition and Controlling of Value Added Partnerships, Market Analyse and Trend Study’, he is analysing the integration potential of leading FM suppliers across Europe, and studying international market demand for FM.

FM Students of the Year
Brimming with achievement and ambition, the three finalists are:
MARCEL BROUMELS, 23, obtained a first degree in Hotel Management in the Netherlands before working on a second degree in Facility Management. During his third year he undertook a work placement at the Scottish Parliament for six months. As part of his studies he developed an interest in ‘Imagineering’ which formed part of his graduation project called ‘Experience Level Agreement’. His project is to be presented in Manchester as part of the Student Poster competition. He plans to continue his studies at the Imagineering Academy in the Netherlands.
WALTER BARON VON KOSKULL, 22, is a student at FH Kufstein Tirol University in Austria. His thesis is examining the effects of local district heating in small residential areas as a means to reducing CO2 emissions, as well as building and operational costs. He is currently project leader of a team of eight students working on a case study looking at energy concepts, energy accounting and real estate benchmarking for the province of Tyrol.
NORA ROTHACHER, 20, studies at FH Kufstein Tirol University in Austria and is planning a career as a FM consultant and project manager. She has undertaken work experience in Germany and participated in international study schools. She is currently working on a thesis on ‘Redevelopment of industrial landmarks’. She plans to ultimately work in Eastern Europe and has recently spent an exchange term in Riga, Latvia. With fellow student Daniel Wagon soner, she is submitting at poster on ‘Passive refuge houses in alpine regions’ about the refuge huts used by climbers and walkers Partners across Borders INCENTIVE FM with DELPHI are undertaking a European review of the FM structure at Delphi,the leading global supplier of mobile electronics and transportation systems. Incentive has already produced benchmarking reports on Delphi's automotive component manufacturing sites in Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the UK and is now looking at sites in Turkey, Morocco, Portugal and Poland. The objective is to drive down costs whilst improving standards with particular emphasis on compliance, headcount and cost effective purchasing.
INTERSERVE DEFENCE LIMITED and CSP with DEFENCE ESTATES: Interserve Defence has been providing land, property, asset and estate management services to the Defence Estates, the Ministry of Defence and Defence industries for over 15 years, and was selected as Infrastructure Support Provider (ISP) for Property Management and Capital Works across six military sites in Cyprus in May 2006. The contract covers airfields, communication facilities, accommodation blocks and administration centres in a three-way partnership between Defence Estates (the client), Interserve Defence and Cyprus Service Provider (CSP), a JV of six local and expert companies - Cybarco, Atlas Pantous, Giovanis, Telmen, Kyriakides and Thermosolar.
MICROSOFT with BUSINESS & FACILITIES: The programme to harmonise the real estate and FM provision across the Microsoft property portfolio in Europe has progressed since this partnership entered these Awards last year. More countries have been included in the programme, the supply chain has been rationalised and more economies made. The aim it to provide consistent and effective FM provision from one company in each country with the process managed by Business & Facilities and the Corporate FM Alliance who provide local expertise in each country.