In our Meet the Team series, we celebrate the fantastic people who make our business what it is. This month, we caught up with Dan Blakeman who heads up our Facilities Management Team.
Dan, who has over 18 years’ experience as a property professional, has been part of our team for two years now. We grabbed some time with him to find out a little bit more about how he got into property, the influential figures who have guided him over the years, and how he likes to spend his spare time.
How did you land your first job in property?
I started out as a trainee facilities management surveyor at AMPM in 2006 (which was then part of the Walker Cotter Group). I had left university early, and getting a job wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be, I’ll be honest! I had just finished a job in a caravan assembly plant, was looking for some kind of career-based job, and saw a small advert in the newspaper that looked interesting. I applied and was lucky to get the role. Who even uses newspapers for job adverts these days!
I learned a lot in that first role, and still have a group of friends to this day from my time there.
How has the industry changed since you started?
There’s a lot more emphasis on compliance, and works being done to a safe standard, rather than just being done as quickly or cheaply as possible. The developments within the facilities management (FM) sector since the Grenfell incident have cast a great deal more focus on things being done right, rather than making assumptions on how buildings and equipment are meant to work.
There’s also been fantastic strides forward with regard to acceptance of people with different abilities and capabilities. There are so many different opportunities within FM that it really is a leader in being able to give options for all people.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
If it is a day where I’m out on site at one of our key client sites, it will be an early start to get up and out on site. Once a month I’m in Manchester, Cricklewood and Croydon, as well as various other site locations, so getting around tends to mean trying to beat the morning traffic! Once on site, I’ll complete my site inspection, review and sign off on completed works by our contractors, and chair a meeting with key client contacts on site.
If it is an office day, I’ll be working from our new offices on Newhall St in Birmingham, where the FM and Property Management team are working together on various daily tasks and bigger projects. We also have a hybrid working setup so there are days working from home, which I’ve been used to since my days as a field-based residential PM.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
As with many roles within FM, whilst there may be some continuation, no two days are the same really: you get to be out on site, meeting contractors and clients, overseeing projects and reactive maintenance, managing tender exercises, and everything in between.
I generally say that no one means to get into FM, and you just end up falling into it. Realistically the industry covers so many different aspects that there are so many roles and actions that seem unrelated: the focus is always on maintaining buildings and infrastructure and looking after client’s needs.
Who has been the most influential mentor or figure in your career?
I would say there have been many different people I have learnt a great deal from over my career – I’ve been fortunate to work with people from all aspects of life who offer different experience and advice, and have been lucky to always be able to learn something in each role I have had.
As a team in my first role, we taught ourselves how to be creative with Excel which has carried through my career! During my time in residential property management, I had to learn how to say “no” in the right manner to different stakeholders – an often-overlooked ability as people don’t really want to hear no very often!
Classroom based learning is always good, but working experience is, I would say, even more important in gaining real-world skills that can be applied throughout your career. That’s another way in which the FM industry is ahead of the curve, with lots of work-based learning options available at all levels.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Not sure on the best advice, but to this day I can recall one of the worst instances which I have tried to carry forward with me.
Years ago, I was discussing potential options for recruitment to a team manager position with a line manager, and I put forward a younger female candidate known to the company with relevant experience and qualifications. It was suggested that we should consider their age as a barrier as they were likely to be settling down with their partner soon and starting a family, which would bring disruption to the team.
Firstly, I was astonished that someone should be suggesting this as a problem, even if it was just an internal discussion. Secondly, I vowed to try and consider the needs of colleagues and those who I manage in the future, be open to different people when recruiting in the future, and know that family always comes first!
What’s been your proudest achievement, professional or otherwise?
Personally: raising two amazing boys who we love dearly, and who are bright, funny and just fantastic people to be around.
Professionally: I didn’t finish university, and sort of fell into FM, but I’m proud that I’ve managed to push forward with my career to be head of a team and be part of a team that is responsible for both team and company influence.
It isn’t always easy to show on a CV what makes you stand out from the pack, especially if you haven’t finished uni and these days when CVs are largely read by programs initially to weed out people who don’t fit a rigid structure. My strengths certainly are a wealth of knowledge and background in many aspects of FM, which mean I have lots of experience to draw on now I’m older and greyer, and benefit from being in front of people to show that.
If you weren’t in property, what other career path could you see yourself in?
My mum always said I should have been a vet, so maybe that? Although I have developed a slight allergy to cat and dog fur as I have aged, so probably for the best!
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Family time is most important. We’ve been very lucky to enjoy extended family holidays over the last few years, including skiing in Austria. Learning to ski in middle age is interesting, but so rewarding, and seeing our boys and nephew and niece all skiing together has been incredibly rewarding.
I’ve recently restarted playing golf and am introducing our boys to the game via junior lessons at Lea Marston. I could probably do with some more lessons myself!
I also play guitar, bass and sing backing vocals in a 90s indie/Britpop band in the Midlands – last year we supported an Oasis Knebworth tribute night in Digbeth and recently played to a packed crowd at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, where we played “What’s The Story, Morning Glory” in full. Music has always been a passion: I started learning guitar at school at 13, and it is rewarding to see the years of effort pay off.
