Proposal to use a new testing protocol to improve the cleaning of surfaces By Dr. Andrew Kemp Check out this insightful research report which explores a proposed new protocol for surface testing, helping organisations better assess cleaning effectiveness and identify contamination risks. It also includes a practical...
I have worked within the facilities management and construction industry for over 20 years. My industry experience spans a range of clients across both public and private sectors and includes multi-disciplinary knowledge in cleaning, engineering, and maintenance. Having delivered in a range of operational roles in the earlier part of my career, the latter part has focused on programme management, solution design, and strategic FM leadership.
My focus lies in continually evolving the FM service to be innovative, cost-efficient, performance optimised, and customer delighting. All of which are possible via engaged site teams bringing the product to life through the right training, application, and advocacy.
Through my time at ISS, I have developed a huge passion for promoting cleaning as a recognised career pathway and ensuring that professional training and product innovation is a key priority for our business, to enable our people to be the best they can be.
I am proud to be a member of the BICSc Council and play a part in supporting this fantastic organisation in their mission to raise the standards of cleaning education and building awareness of the cleaning industry.
Ste joined the team in 2025, bringing with him many years of experience in customer service and insurance. His approachable manner and commitment to delivering excellent support offerspeace of mind, ensuring clients feel well looked after.
Outside of work, Ste is a passionate actor and historical re-enactor with the Sealed Knot, where he combines his love of performance with a deep interest in history.
Matt joined BICSc in 2019 after graduating from university. Initially starting out as the Marketing Assistant, his aptitude and thirst for technology and his digital knowledge has played a major part in making sure BICSc has not been left behind in the online world which has been integral to building the BICSc brand. Matt has a keen eye for design and development and helps to work on the BICSc website, Virtual Training Suite and as Editor of BICSc magazine The Standard.
I started my career in the cleaning industry back in 1998 as an engineer, repairing the cleaning equipment for Cooper Cleaning, a family run cleaning company.
Whilst working for Cooper I moved into cleaning management on the ASDA stores contract. During this time, I suffered a road traffic collision, which kept me from working for nine months.
I was offered the opportunity to start on the journey into BICSc accreditation during my recovery starting with COPC stages 1, 2, and 3. Returning to work after a long layoff, I joined two schools as their site manager from there I have had numerous roles within the cleaning industry, from the general manager of a carpet cleaning company to area manager delivering DOC contracts and managing a specialist division covering carpet cleaning, stone restoration, window cleaning etc.
Then I joined Cleanwise Training and Management where my BICSc development took off. Training BICSc to most of the large companies at the time and having many of today’s senior management through the doors we became an award-winning training company. I progressed with CPSS after the change over from COPC, collecting professional training certs and health and safety certs.
Moving on to be QuEST Manager (quality, environment, safety and training) at Birkin services helping to establish them as an ATM before moving to manage builders clean division.
My present position is with Cleantec Services also tilted QuEST Manager where I have brought my vast knowledge gained over many years and experiences to help develop their training program and manage compliance through achieving ISO accreditation, safe contractors, CHAS.
As a corporate member of BICSc, I have been given the opportunity to be co-opted onto the council for which I am most honoured and hope to continue with my journey in this wonderful institute and help others to achieve recognition in our industry.
Amy is the Brand and Customer Marketing Manager for Kimberly-Clark UK and Ireland; she leads the washroom category and sustainability initiatives for the cluster and joined the business in 2017.
As a leading global manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark Professional supplies innovative and sustainable washroom solutions, hygiene products and industrial supplies across all sectors.
Jo is the International Sustainability Leader for brand and category at Kimberly-Clark. Jo joined in 2022, bringing a breadth of sustainability, marketing, and commercial ‘go to market’ experience gained working within the UK and internationally.
As a leading global manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark Professional supplies innovative and sustainable washroom solutions, hygiene products and industrial supplies across all sectors.
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Denise has over 30 years of cleaning and hygiene experience. A successful senior manager who has excellent communication, negotiation, and inter-personal skills, Denise can matrix manage and motivate her team to achieve quality results. Experienced in successful multi-site mobilisations in time and cost critical environments, and with a career that spans facilities services for local government, MOD, major food retail, shopping centres, cleanroom and blue-chip office facilities.
Kelsey, in addition to her role at BICSc, is a Youth Ambassador for Youth Employment UK. Â She has experience in the cleaning industry over a range of challenging frontline positions within the NHS during the COVID pandemic.
She brings extensive experience in site inspections, project management, and overcoming the issues faced in operational cleaning service and particularly training models.
From a financial director role, Neil joined the BICSc Senior Management team in 2015. He has a wealth of management expertise and has experience in hospitality and FM in numerous industries.
Neil’s passion is technology, especially when it can be used for efficiency purposes. Neil was the project lead on the creation of the BICSc CPSS Assessor app and, more recently, delivered the virtual training platform – to date over 130,000 candidates have registered.
Soo has worked in the cleaning and FM industry for over 40 years, working her way up from a cleaning operative to her current position as Technical Director for Birkin Services.
Soo first became associated with BICSc in 1992 when her then employer, OCS, placed her on a BICSc training course. From that moment on, Soo was hooked and started using BICSc best practice and applying the standards on every account she worked with. In 2001 she took her BICSc association one step further and completed more BICSc COPC skills and continued with her qualification to become a BICSc assessor.
Since 2001 Soo has trained more than 300 managers, supervisors, and cleaning operatives in BICSc skills, and has opened four training hubs.
Soo has continued her education with BICSc and is qualified in delivering training and assessment for skills within the Cleaning Professional’s Skills Suite. In 2011 she was elected to the BICSc Council and in 2023 she became the BICSc Council Chair.
In 2015 Soo entered the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners (WCEC), becoming a Freeman of the City of London in 2016 and in 2021 she became one of the first members of the Livery to be entered into the register as a Chartered Practitioner in environmental cleaning.
As Managing Director of Killis, I bring over 25 years of experience in the cleaning industry, leading one of the UK’s fastest-growing suppliers of cleaning equipment to the FM, hospitality, and cleaning sectors. I am dedicated to driving innovation, delivering solutions that help clients create cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environments.
Vikki Morris is a Chartered Environmentalist and a full member of IEMA, bringing over 20 years of dedicated experience within the hospitality, cleaning, and hygiene sectors. In her current role at Evans Vanodine International, Vikki leads the environmental and sustainability function, driving the implementation of ISO14001 management system and ensuring rigorous environmental compliance while steering the sustainability strategy and growth.
Her strategic initiatives include developing and executing the company’s sustainability blueprint – encompassing EcoVadis and Planet Mark certifications – and spearheading programmes to reduce carbon emissions, improve waste management, and champion greener energy use.
With a hands-on background spanning product usage, quality control, environmental management, and corporate stewardship, Vikki combines operational expertise with strategic vision—working with teams across the supply chain to further sustainability and challenge thinking.
Andrew is regarded as a global expert in disinfection research. His specialist areas of research are, surface and skin bio burden, and the efficacy of disinfection and decontamination.
He is a Fellow of the British Institute of Cleaning Science, and in addition to his current roles as Head of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Institute, he is an independent scientific advisor to numerous organisations and companies.
In December 2019, he was appointed as a UK Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) Ambassador for the International AMR Insights group based in Amsterdam. He also consults as the Infection Control Officer for multiple healthcare companies and clinics. He lectures on Infection Prevention and Control, at the University of Lincoln.
In February 2025, Dr Kemp was appointed as the Assistant Professor for Infectious Diseases transmission and Infection Control at the Belmont University College of Medicine.
Born and raised in Austria, living with husband and 3 kids in Switzerland since 2008. Loves travelling, hiking and yoga. Studied business administration in Vienna. Certificate of advanced studies “Sustainable Innovation” ZHAW Winterthur in 2024
Martina has worked for TASKI for 15 years and in total has worked in various positions at Diversey for 20 years. Working at TASKI headquarters in Muenchwilen, she leads innovation projects, manages the TASKI portfolio and works on sustainability within TASKI business. Together with the TASKI team, she is transforming the way the world experiences smart, sustainable cleaning.
Having worked in the service industry, for over 40 years, Lorraine has a broad portfolio of experiences including overseeing the Compliance and Health and Safety within a wide range of companies and sectors, from crime scene, healthcare, quarries, power stations, retail and office cleaning. Specialist in high level work e.g. abseiling etc.
Lorraine is committed to the ethos of health and safety and the benefits of training and developing staff at the right level, to ensure understanding.
Health and safety and the environment are her speciality and currently resides on the cleaning industry liaising forum, a committee set up by the Health and Safety Executive to oversee health and safety in the cleaning industry. In addition, Lorraine has organised SHADs (Safety and Health Awareness Days) with the HSE to spread the word.
Lorraine has a broad portfolio of experiences including overseeing companies in achieving accreditations in ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Investors In People (IIP), ISSA CIMS, and other safety accreditations.
Lorraine offers training and consultancy to all sizes of companies, to ensure they have a robust foundation to be able to grow with successfully and safely.
Nicky’s career began at Swallow Hotels, on the company’s graduate programme. She moved to John Deas & Company, the independent distributor that served the hospitality sector before joining Peter Grant Papers, now Northwood Hygiene Products. Today she is UK & European Sales Manager for the Professional Hygiene division at chemicals manufacturer, Evans Vanodine. She was elected Chair of the CHSA’s Accreditation Schemes in April 2024.
Craig is the Commercial Director for Kimberly-Clark Professional UK & Ireland, where he has held various roles across Sales, Product Management and Marketing over the last 15 years, both in the UK and across the EMEA region.
As a leading global manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark Professional supplies innovative and sustainable washroom solutions, hygiene products and industrial supplies across all sectors.
Zoe started her time at BICSc in August 2024 as a Digital Content Assistant through an apprenticeship.
Before joining the company, Zoe studied photography at college and gained a HNC qualification which gave her experience within the creative industry whilst also having studied Media at A-Level. Zoe enjoys applying the skills learnt from these courses into her content creation here at BICSc.
Having worked in logistics, construction, and business development I fell into supporting FM companies and in turn became an FM by accident, supporting clients including charities, education, private corporations, specialist services, logistics, and manufacturing among many others.
Along the way I’ve been tasked to find solutions for sites of my own, as well as supporting all levels from bids to procurement, suppliers to end users. One thing I’ve always found is that every part of maintaining an environment starts with the cleaning and support of people. As such I’ve worked to always inject support where it’s required and give the people what they require to deliver exceptional environments.
Having become a specialist in soft services by having to find solutions and support along the way I’ve also seen a lot of bad practice, and this is why I’ve joined BICSc, I want to make a difference and see cleaning in FM become the recognised skill that sets the benchmark for the future protection of the built environment at all levels.
I bring 18 years’ experience in FM services and 16 years’ experience in hi-level construction management to the role of Managing Director for Premier, this has included many large-scale contracts. I have overall responsibility and strategic oversight of the Premier brand that includes all in-house services, operations, and Premier People. Financial performance and building successful long-term partnerships with customers are also key to my role to ensure the continued growth and success of our business.Â
I am delighted to be able to join the BICSc Council as I would love to be able to have an influence on lobbying government to make funding available for training the next generation of soft service delivery which is currently lacking.
Hannah joined BICSc in January 2025. She is our Accounts Assistant working closely with the Head of Finance.
Hannah thoroughly enjoys working in accounts and has worked in many different sectors, managing financial accounts or working as part of a team. These sectors include construction, real estate, e-commerce and several charities. She has recently achieved an AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting.
Teresa joined BICSc in 2016. She is our Customer Support Team Leader and an account manager for the international Accredited Training Members. She is also responsible for the centres within the prison sector. As the account manager for BICSc international customers, Teresa arranges all the international trips for the training and verification team.
Prior to joining BICSc in 2016, she graduated in French and Italian and has always worked in customer services.
Dawn has been with BICSc since October 2019 and started as office administrator. Coming from a customer service background, it soon became clear that Dawn has a flair when dealing with customers and was promoted to Training and Logistics Advisor in early 2022 arranging online and face to face training and assessments.
James joined the BICSc Team in 2016 from a cleaning/engineering career. As a verifier and assessor, he works closely with BICSc members, both in the UK and internationally, helping them to achieve and maintain BICSc standards.
James has always worked with customers in various roles and joined BICSc in 2017 as a trainer and assessor. He works with existing BICSc members providing training on BICSc skills and standards for those that want to upskill their staff, but he also works with people who want to become BICSc members and kick-start their cleaning industry career with the Licence to Practice.
Maureen started her career in the cleaning industry back in 1992 progressing through supervisory and management roles in industries as diverse as transport and education. She joined BICSc in 2012 as part of the Training and Verification team. She is responsible for undertaking our Accredited Training Member centre audits, assessor approvals, assisting with new centre set-ups, and centre and assessor licence renewals.
Karina came to the UK back in 2009 for a few months but ended up calling the UK her home.
She is multilingual and worked as a freelance interpreter when she arrived, then moved on to working in accounts for various industries before joining BICSc. She has been with the company for nearly 10 years and looks after everyday tasks within the accounts department.
Having previously worked as a patient support assistant within healthcare, Claire joined BICSc as the cleaning operative in September 2022. In addition to her healthcare experience, she also holds a NVQ Level 2 in Hairdressing. As the cleaning operative Claire is the eyes and ears for the facilities department to ensure the BICSc buildings are not only clean but are also a safe environment for staff and visitors.
Lisa has been a member of the Customer Support Team since January 2018. Prior to coming to BICSc she has had roles within finance, customer service, and prison education teaching art and craft workshops within the prison environment.
Virginie, or Ginny as she prefers to be known, came to the UK from France 26 years ago to work as an au pair. She moved on to accountancy roles with several different companies prior to joining the BICSc finance team in December 2017.
As well as keeping a keen eye on the BICSc purse strings to ensure the best use of members’ subscriptions as Head of Finance, she is also part of the Senior Management team.
Samantha joined BICSc in 2011 as a part-time administrator looking after the trainers’ diaries. With a passion for helping others, she transitioned seamlessly into a customer support role organising audits and membership requirements. The experience and knowledge gained from working in that role gave her the background she needed to progress to a full-time position within the sales team and the role of Business Development Manager.
Sam works with organisations and individuals within the UK and overseas, providing invaluable information and support with their training requirements.
Jo has been with BICSc since 2012, prior to this she had been an account manager in several different sectors. Initially working as an account manager for BICSc, she moved to being responsible for the Customer Support Team for several years. Given her unparalleled eye for, and attention to, detail makes her perfect for the role of Compliance & Project Manager ensuring BICSc abides by the rules for our ISO accreditations, company compliance, and oversees several projects to ensure they are delivered correctly and on time.
When Diane joined BICSc in 2019, she bought with her a wealth of business experience from telecoms, banking, and more recently, education sectors where she was a school business manager successfully managing a £1.5m budget.
She has managerial responsibility for the trainers and verifiers, along with the facilities and Health & Safety management of BICSc Head Office. She is also a BICSc Assessor.
Prior to joining BICSc in 2019, Marion spent most of her working life in the banking sector in various roles including compliance, governance, organisational, and PA roles.
Her previous experience with organisation and planning makes Marion the ideal fit for the Communications & Event Management role at BICSc ensuring that all events BICSc are involved in throughout the year are well publicised to both members and non-members and that the events run without a hitch.
Karen has been with BICSc for over six years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from previous customer service roles from working both abroad and in the UK.
As our Membership Specialist she has an expert listening ear enabling her to assist our current and new members in getting the best out of their BICSc membership, both over the phone and via email.
Matt joined BICSc in 2023 in his role as the Digital Marketing Assistant, and graduated from the University of Winchester in 2024 with a Master’s in Marketing.
Matt’s passion for design and technology combined with his keen eye for detail is applied to the content creation and running of the BICSc social media channels. He also designs The Standard where he continues to bring fresh ideas to all articles included.
Nigel was a trainer and technical writer for a global software company and trained customers in places ranging from Australia to Romania before coming to BICSc as a skills trainer and course writer/presenter. With his love of technology, he is now responsible for compiling and producing the courses that run on the virtual training suite. Nigel is also key to keeping the CPSS Assessor and Cleaning & Hygiene Audit apps up to date.
Kelsey, in addition to her role at BICSc, is a Youth Ambassador for Youth Employment UK. Â She has experience in the cleaning industry over a range of challenging frontline positions within the NHS during the COVID pandemic.
She brings extensive experience in site inspections, project management, and overcoming the issues faced in operational cleaning service and particularly training models.
From a financial director role, Neil joined the BICSc Senior Management team in 2015. He has a wealth of management expertise and has experience in hospitality and FM in numerous industries.
Neil’s passion is technology, especially when it can be used for efficiency purposes. Neil was the project lead on the creation of the BICSc CPSS Assessor app and, more recently, delivered the virtual training platform – to date over 100,000 candidates have registered.
Denise has over 30 years of cleaning and hygiene experience. A successful senior manager who has excellent communication, negotiation, and inter-personal skills, Denise can matrix manage and motivate her team to achieve quality results. Experienced in successful multi-site mobilisations in time and cost critical environments, and with a career that spans facilities services for local government, MOD, major food retail, shopping centres, cleanroom and blue-chip office facilities.
Amelia started her journey into the cleaning industry as a cleaning operative in 2020, from there she became a supervisor and began training where she discovered a love for training and the industry. She joined our BICSc team in August 2023 as Assistant Technical Specialist and became a Youth Ambassador for Youth Employment UK.
Before joining the industry Amelia studied at university, she graduated with a degree in theatre studies and enjoys putting that knowledge to good use when training, because as the saying goes, all the world’s a stage.
Frank Veneman is the founder and director of the MBG Consultancy Group, founded in 1991, and has over 30 years of experience as a consultant regarding the technical and quality aspects of cleaning services. He has been a member of BICSc since 2002 when MBG UK was formed. Frank is currently the research coordinator at the Association for Cleaning Research (VSR).
Over the years Frank has contributed to the development of numerous standards and certification schemes within Europe, specialising in systems for monitoring and measuring technical quality and customer and client satisfaction. With his background as a biophysicist, he has worked on projects in over a hundred hospitals, next to numerous food production plants. As a result, he has years of experience as an auditor on infection prevention, as well as in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Process (GMP). However, his experience is not limited to these specialist areas. He also has experience in financial institutions, military facilities, police forces, universities and schools. He is the author of several books and numerous reference and training manuals and has contributed to several technical papers.
Frank is a strong advocate of investing in people and organisations. Going the distance pays off for providers, clients and staff. Skilled cleaning operatives and cleaning supervisors are pivotal to a smooth-running cleaning contract or in-house service.
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Godfred has been involved in Contract Management for over 20 years. His original contract management duties entailed delivering contract management on the TFL – London Underground Ltd contract. However, as both his role and his experience developed, he progressed to a General Manager role, delivering excellent customer satisfaction, building effective customer relationships, continuous improvement on service delivery, efficient staff management, recruiting and building a team of high-calibre staff, whilst coaching and developing managers, supervisors, and operatives to deliver highest standards on the contracts. Achieving and exceeding targets on KPIs; delivering targets on activities, zero tolerance on accident levels, and cost reduction. He manages and controls methods and processes effectively delivering customer satisfaction profitably.
Godfred gained valuable experience in services delivery on the TFL – London Underground Contract for approximately 20 years, having worked with Comatec, Blue Diamond, Dericheboug, Initial Rentokil, Mitie, and Interserve over the years, and currently with ABM.
He is educated in accounting, finance, and law and trained in Lean Leadership and Management programmes, which has sharpened his skills in critical thinking, analysis, budgetary control, negotiations, compliance, and accounts management.
James has worked in the cleaning and FM industry for over 30 years having held several senior operational and functional roles during his career.
He spent the first 20 years within the aviation industry, initially with BAA, then for 15 years with Servisair holding various positions including Head of Health and Safety, and Operations Director, before then moving to Inflight Cleaning Services as Operations Director in 2008.
In 2012 James moved to his current employer, ISS Facilities Services, as Operations Director for the Transport Business and became Managing Director of the Cleaning and Transport Business, with over 8,000 employees and a turnover of £175m, in 2017. After a successful 4-year spell, James took on his new role as Director of Product and Performance, Cleaning Services for the UK and Ireland in January 2022, where he is responsible for the lifecycle management of Cleaning Products and Services across the UK and Ireland.
Darrin has been working in the Cleaning Industry since 1983, directly after leaving school he started out as a Catering assistant in healthcare cleaning large hospital kitchens, then progressing to Cleaning Supervisor. Darrin then moved into Commercial cleaning with Cooper Cleaning managing cleaning of Building societies and banks in Northern Ireland.
After a few years Darrin moved into Retail cleaning managing cleaning of Tesco, Sainsbury and BQ for the Broadreach Group. He also had the cleaning services of Belfast International Airport and in 2004 won the UK overall Golden Service Award for the cleanest contract. After the acquisition of Broadreach Group, Darrin took a change of direction and moved in Aviation cleaning and catering working for Inflight Cleaning Services as General Manager over all of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Liverpool. Since then, Darrin has worked for some many large cleaning services providers including Aramark and Mount Charles as Director of cleaning.
Darrin is now employed with Mitie as their Head of Operations for cleaning services in Scotland. His role is to bring Innovative and sustainable cleaning while improving quality through BICSc training. Darrin has been actively involved with BICSc for 12 years and joined BICSc Council in 2019 as a Co-opted Member.
I have been in the cleaning/FM industry at Management/Director level for some 35 years; working in multiple sectors, including transport, health, retail, public and private sectors.
My passion for engaging with the workforce via training and development has always been a driving force in developing the teams that reported into me. BICSc has played an important role as it provides our Managers, Supervisors and Cleaning Operatives with a recognised worldwide skill base qualification.
As a BICSc assessor I remain at the forefront of training and development, which has enabled me to contribute in developing a highly skilled, motivated workforce currently at Vinci Facilities.
I am proud to be joining as a fellow member of the BICSc Council and look forward to using my platform to promote the rich diversity within our industry.
Please note:
This is to advise that the BICSc office will be closing for the festive break from Tuesday 23rd December 2025 at 5.00 pm until Monday 5th January 2026 at 9.00 am.
We’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your continued support throughout the year. It has been greatly appreciated by everyone here at BICSc.
I’ve been in the cleaning industry since August 2005 and just with the one company, ISS Facility Services. Back in the day, after being with ISS for a few months, the first external course I went on was a BICSc Assessor’s course, which was a week’s residential course and the knowledge gained stood me in good stead for the development of my career in our industry.
During the last 14 years, I’ve had a range of duties including in HSQE, Compliance and Operations roles, leading to my current position heading up the Cleaning Excellence Department for ISS in the UK. A role I’ve enjoyed immensely since early 2017. The areas my team focuses on can be broken down into seven:
I have two key interests:
Jill has 38 years’ experience in cleaning and facilities management currently as Facilities Manager, Cleaning Services at the University of Leeds, over the years she has managed facilities and cleaning services to varying complex establishments including hotel, nursing home, local authority, schools, colleges, shopping centre, airport and now Universities.
The University of Leeds has a complex in house facilities operation that includes over 300 cleaning operatives and 76 buildings.
She is passionate about promoting cleaning as a professional industry and always strives for continuous improvement and creative solutions through new innovations and development and as such keeps up to date with the industry and is currently an executive committee member of BACHE (British Association of Cleaning in Higher Education).
One of the key factors in the success of improving cleaning services throughout her career has been by implementing effective training through becoming accredited BICSc training and assessment centres and is totally committed to BICSc aim of raising standards of education, building awareness of the cleaning industry through professional standards and accredited training.
Yvonne has been working within the FM sector since 1995 starting as a pot washer and cleaning operative with Compass. After progression through the ranks in 2000 Yvonne became the General Manger for a large Healthcare Trust with Medirest, quickly progressing to Regional Operations Manager. In 2007 she gained further knowledge and experience working for Balfour Beatty as Head of Soft Services for Healthcare, Education and Blue Lights. In 2012 Yvonne joined G4S as a Soft FM Solutions Specialist working within in all sectors creating innovative service delivery models. In September 2015 Yvonne joined OCS as Head of Cleaning covering the UK, Ireland and Middle East a position she is very passionate about, Yvonne is responsible for ensuring the OCS model is delivered to the highest standards, using the latest technology and innovation and a bespoke training programme for their cleaning operatives.
Andy has worked within higher education since 1994. Andy became a member of BICSc in 2002 at a time when he was working as a Housekeeping Manager at Warwick University. Andy has consistently encouraged the delivery of BICSc standards.
Between 2010 and 2014 Andy was part of the Estates team at Warwick University where he continued to deliver BICSc training and assessment. During this time he was appointed as Cleaning Services Manager at Aston University in Birmingham. In 2016 he became the Facilities Officer and is now responsible for cleaning, portering, postal services and the campus wardens.
Andy has a CIPD qualification in Human Resources and during 2018 he also completed the BIFM level 4 certificate.
Andy will bring years of experience and knowledge to Council and is passionate about his new role as part of BICSc Council.
The cleaning industry is Andrew second calling after serving 16 years in the UK Armed Forces, so although a relative newcomer to the sector he brings a wealth of knowledge in regards to learning & development, team dynamics and behavioural change.
In 2015 he joined the ISS Cleaning Excellence Team and in doing so was exposed to so some of the most knowledgeable and experienced cleaning professional in the business, this accelerated his understanding and appreciation of the sector, as well as the obstacles that hold it back.
He is currently employed on the ISS PwC account as the Senior Operations Manager where he is responsible the 6 sites that makes up the London region as well as overall responsibility for Learning & Development, Standards, mobilisations as well as the Health, Safety and wellbeing across the 23 sites.
Andrew cares deeply about education, wellbeing and creating pathways for individuals who want to progress within the industry.
Soo has worked in the cleaning and FM industry for over 40 years, working her way up from a cleaning operative to her current position as Technical Director for Birkin Services.
Soo first became associated with BICSc in 1992 when her then employer, OCS, placed her on a BICSc training course. From that moment on, Soo was hooked and started using BICSc best practice and applying the standards on every account she worked with. In 2001 she took her BICSc association one step further and completed more BICSc COPC skills and continued with her qualification to become a BICSc assessor.
Since 2001 Soo has trained more than 300 managers, supervisors, and cleaning operatives in BICSc skills, and has opened four training hubs.
Soo has continued her education with BICSc and is qualified in delivering training and assessment for skills within the Cleaning Professional’s Skills Suite. In 2011 she was elected to the BICSc Council and in 2023 she became the BICSc Council Chair.
In 2015 Soo entered the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners (WCEC), becoming a Freeman of the City of London in 2016 and in 2021 she became one of the first members of the Livery to be entered into the register as a Chartered Practitioner in environmental cleaning.
I have been in the industry for more than 20 years and started my career within the cleaning industry. I completed the BICSc COPC stage 1 and 2 qualifications. The class, style, systematic approach to training, assessment and then certification, raptured me then and still does.
Our founding members were pioneers and built a structure that has withstood the test of time for 60 years. This has evolved over the years and has embraced sciences and technologies which have led the way in education.
I truly believe there is no other training solution out there which even remotely comes close to BICSc. The Institute values, develops and recognises our hard-working staff and members so careers can be built, and potentials unleashed. It is a privilege to see the colleagues that I train and assess receive their accreditations with pride.
The history and heritage of BICSc is something I am honoured to be part of, and I am proud to be a BICSc fellow member and Council member.
Lorraine has been a member of BICSc for over 16 years. She is also the current Chairman of the Employers Group for Cleaning Industry Apprenticeships.
Lorraine came to cleaning from a career in catering; BICSc was the first course she completed, and from the first day of chemical competency, she was hooked and wanted to train and assess to BICSc standards.
At the time there was no local branch meeting, so with help from BICSc headquarters, in 2005 Lorraine restarted the London & Home Counties region. It is now thriving with many events throughout the year. In 2013 she was honored to be made a Fellow of the Institute. 2013 was also the same year Lorraine became a member of the Worship Company of Environmental Cleaners and achieved the Freedom of the City of London.
In 2012 Lorraine became Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, training first aid, IOSH and NEBOSH courses along with all other health and safety courses. She has a passion for training, mentoring and coaching people, and therefore it has been a natural progression to turn this devotion into a career.
Health and safety and the environment is Lorraine’s specialty, and she currently represents BICSc on the Cleaning Industry Liaising Forum, a committee set up by the Health and Safety Executive to oversee health and safety in the cleaning industry.
Lorraine has worked in the service industry, across many sectors and has a broad portfolio of experiences including overseeing companies in achieving accreditations in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, Investors In People, and other safety accreditations
Three out of five council meetings attended in 2017
Lorraine is a cleaning and service matter expert with over 30 years experience within the industry. Her career has involved a mixture of senior operational and business development roles all in outsourced cleaning and facilities management sectors but particularly specialising in the technically complex healthcare and education sectors.
Lorraine was the only member of the private sector invited by Graham Jacobs of the NHS Workforce and Facilities to be part of the select steering group that developed the cleanliness section of the government’s Department of Health new PLACE ‘Patient Led Inspections Initiative’ which replaced the annual PEAT inspections. Following this work, she was invited to work with the DoH/AHCP PAS 5748 steering group (known as the Rotherham Group) which reviewed the PAS 5748 guidance published in 2011. This work was recognised when BSI submitted it for public consultation, and it was subsequently incorporated and adopted into the revised PAS 5748 (2014) edition.
Lorraine was a founder member of the ‘BSA Cleaning Advisory Group’ which advises and lobbies the government on cleaning related matters; this work has resulted in the launching of ‘The Responsible Cleaning Operator Scheme’ 2015 which was nationally acclaimed and endorsed by the UK Cleaning sector.
In February 2022 at an extraordinary members meeting, it was voted upon that Lorraine will serve as Chairman of the Institute until September 2023, this is additional year is due to the effects of the pandemic.
