Fond farewell to PFM

Author : Tim Fryer

17 January 2013

A slightly alarmist headline as PFM is going nowhere thankfully – but instead it is I saying farewell to it, and our readers, as this is my last week at the editorial helm.

Even in my relatively short tenure (two years) there have been many changes at Premises and Facilities Management. Most significantly on a personal level was the tragic loss of our Publisher, Peter Middup, a year ago. On a more superficial level (literally) the printed magazine underwent its first redesign in nearly two decades, and from that perspective I hope I leave the magazine in good shape. Expect this new brand identity to filter through to this newsletter and the website in coming months.

In the broader commercial workplace I have sensed a continued shift towards recognition of the importance of facilities management – or at least some of the activities that collect under that umbrella. Through legislation or fiscal penalty or necessity most companies now take health & safety, energy management and environmental performance more seriously, and more often than not it is the FM that the board turns to manage such issues. However I would fall short of claiming that all businesses fully appreciate the value of a forward-thinking and well-qualified FM – that is a step many have yet to take.

So I leave the world of facilities management at an interesting time and I wish all of our readers an exciting journey ahead. For me the real joy of working in this sector has been the people who inhabit it. It really has been an enjoyable experience to have had the pleasure of meeting so many people from different walks of life within the FM sector.

I wish you all, all the best

Tim Fryer