We've just welcomed a new manager to Estates and Facilities. He's Ben Iyere, he has a passion for excellence and making every day a better day, loves Paris, pink and is a real family man.
Read more about him in the latest Hello My Name Is... series.
Hello my name is… Ben Iyere, I live in Manchester with my wife and children.
What is your position? Domestic/Senior Facilities manager
Tell us about your career background. I started professional career as a Production Editor at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London in 2000 after graduating from the University of the Arts, London with a BA (Hons) and Post Graduate in Print Media and Publishing.
I moved to Facilities Management initially as a stop-gap measure at Kings College Hospital London as Facilities Manager responsible for both the Soft and Hard FM services but soon found passion delivering exemplary customer services translated from the Printing and Publishing industry where margins for errors is low.
Joined Sodexo at Central Manchester University Hospitals as a member of the Gold command to help mobilise the hospitals to one site and later became Facilities Duty Manager responsible for all the Soft and Hard FM operations across sites before transcending to Mersey Care NHS Trust, Liverpool as Facilities Site Manager in charge of all FM activities and successfully delivered patients focused activities, PLACE and CQC Inspections.
Worked for the Greater Manchester Police Force (Carillion Plc), responsible for the management and delivery of Hard & Soft FM services across the Greater Manchester Police Stations.
I have a Master’s Degree in Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management, a Certified member of the British Institute of Facilities Management (CBIFM) and Incorporate Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (ICIOB).
What are the best bits about your job? Making every day a better day.
What is the highlight of your career so far? Transferring from Printing and Publishing to Facilities Management which propelled me to greater heights.
Sum up your role in three words. Passion for Excellence
What did you want to be when you were growing up? Journalist - Integrity, industrious, observant, empathy, curiosity, critical thinking. I have a hunger for news - a burning desire to tell a good story, regardless of the medium or platform and a dedication to accuracy, fairness, balance and media ethics.
Who is your hero/heroine and why? Nelson Mandela because of his philosophies. Be the change you want to see, make people your priority, be authentic in what you do, anticipate situations, learn from a situation, align with people, lead with conviction, make the impossible possible “It always seems impossible until it is done”.
When you are not at work, how do you relax? Read books, travelling
What is your favourite place? Paris, France. A wondrous city for adults and kids alike. It has a global reputation as a centre of art, culture, fashion, gastronomy, history and architecture. They don’t call it the City of Lights for just any reason. Its beauty is etched in its pores and is lit up from within its core — from its culture and architecture to its history and food.
What would people be surprised to know about you? ‘Pink’ is my favourite colour