Abbey Maxwell, Head of Shared Services for duct cleaning and legionella risk experts Swiftclean UK, has an unusual task in that she combines managing the disciplines of human resources, marketing and processes in a single role.
At first, taking on three roles in one might seem a tad ambitious for anyone, especially so as Abbey Maxwell is a woman in what is still largely a man's world; that of building engineering services. However, it is a role that Abbey is relishing, and which is proving a more natural fit for her skill set and experience than might be expected.
In her ten years at Swiftclean Abbey has held several roles: Planning Manager, Service Delivery Manager, National Service Manager and Business Innovations Manager. Each of these roles has provided invaluable insights and intimate knowledge of the business, especially in managing systems and processes.
In several of these roles, Abbey led a staged transition to a more digitised system, keeping her team motivated and onboard during seasons of significant change. She has led both internal and external service delivery teams, ensuring that work was delivered in compliance with industry standards and to the satisfaction of clients. Here, she learned the importance of managing people as well as processes.
In addition to holding a Level 5 Operational Management Diploma, Abbey is also IOSH & CSCS trained, as well as ladder testing trained, and is a Face Fit Tester, helping to ensure safety for the Swiftclean technical team.
As well as an impressive track record within Swiftclean, Abbey also has influence on the industry as a whole. At Swiftclean's training centre, Abbey teaches the BESA Grease Hygiene Technician course, having first gained the qualification herself in 2018. This course is open to other organisations, which means that she is also helping to train Swiftclean's competitors and raise standards in the industry as a whole.
Abbey is actively involved with the BESA, (Building Engineering Services Association) the body which issues TR19® and TR19® Grease, the specifications to which ventilation systems and kitchen extract systems must comply. She has been involved with the Eastern Counties BESA group for several years, serving as vice-president before taking maternity leave. At the end of 2022, she became president for the group for the first time.
On returning from maternity leave, Abbey helped establish a culture of celebration of team achievements, forming a social committee and introducing an internal newsletter and intranet. As a passionate advocate for training and upskilling, as well as health & safety, it became logical for Abbey to combine her systems experience with her passion for doing human resources well.
Marketing is less of a surprise addition to her role than it might seem; Abbey sees it as a crossover from internal to external communications. With a BA in English Literature and Journalism, Abbey started her career as editor of a leading regional equestrian magazine, of which she was part owner. She has long been an advocate of strong, relevant, and consistent communication, both internally and externally. Few organisations combine marketing and processes, although here too, Abbey believes there is a natural link. How Swiftclean delivers its services is itself a message to the marketplace, while news releases and articles are the formal reports of what the team has achieved. Effective communication of their work and achievements has resulted in industry awards. Marketing also has a contribution to make in bids and tenders, helping to communicate industry leading processes and values to prospective clients.
Swiftclean itself has several strands to its award-winning service offering, providing expert services in ventilation cleaning, kitchen extract cleaning, fire damper testing, indoor air quality and Legionella control. All these services add up to one overall result, a clean, healthy, and safer indoor environment. Abbey also sees her three-fold roles as complementary, the overall result being one of marketing with integrity; the services on offer are exactly what they claim to be. Marketing clearly helps to bring new business to Swiftclean, but in order to fulfil work to the highest standards and retain clients for the long term, the company's service offering must be underpinned by a skilled workforce and robust processes.
Being a woman in the industry has, she says, mostly been a positive experience; although it can be tough to be taken seriously at times. However, her confidence in her skills and knowledge has served her well, as has acknowledging when she is wrong, learning from mistakes and striving, always, to be a better leader.
www.swiftclean.co.uk