About Membership

Soo has worked in the cleaning and FM industry for over 30 years, working her way up from a cleaning operative in local schools when her children were little 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 at SC Johnson Wax at Frimley Green. 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 with SC Johnson Wax (now Diversey Sealed Air) at Frimley Green and continued with her qualification to become a BICSc assessor.

Since 2001 Soo has trained more than 300 managers, supervisors and cleaning operatives in PBICSc and CPSS skills and has opened four ATP training hubs for her employers, along with developing in-house induction training programs for her staff to lead them into BICSc Licence to Practice and CPSS 2.0.

Soo has continued her education with BICSc and has now qualified in delivering training and assessment for Accommodation Skills within the CPSS skills suite.  In 2011 she was elected onto the BICSc Council.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Mervyn joined the BICSc Northern Ireland Region in 2005 and has held key officer positions serving as Membership Coordinator, Press Officer, Public Relations and Chairman. He currently holds the positions of Regional Secretary and Treasurer.

Mervyn was a founding member on the Northern Ireland Cleaning Operative of the Year Awards and is still actively involved as a judge today.

Mervyn is accepted as a consultant in the FM industry with over 35 years experience and is heavily involved in training across all sectors of the industry.

He currently enjoys his position as Business Development Manager (Ireland) for the Zenith Hygiene Group, working closely alongside Michael Henderson MBE FBICSc.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Melanie has worked in the cleaning industry since 1983, initially supporting her way through college by cleaning, then progressing through various industry sectors such as food manufacturing, commercial cleaning, and industrial cleaning, before moving into facilities management.

On joining VINCI, Melanie encountered a facilities management company who subcontracted out all of their services. The lack of training, support, and passion towards cleaning by the subcontractors and VINCI Managers inspired her to create a framework to enable VINCI to self-deliver.  Melanie focused on innovation and recognition of achievements both internally and externally. Three years on VINCI now employ over 650 cleaning operatives.

BICSc gave the recognised standard and became the core element in VINCI’s delivery, utilising its methodology in their RAMS. VINCI now have a rolling programme of BICSc accredited training to ensure that all managers, supervisors, as well as cleaning operatives, are trained.

Melanie is a passionate supporter of BICSc and believes that she can contribute to its future, as a client in being objective, giving an FM business perspective and assisting in the development of a sustainable strategy to ensure an economically viable future and to remain a prominently recognised force in the delivery and advancement of cleaning.

Four out of five council meetings attended in 2017

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.

Four out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Brian is currently Chairman of the North East & Yorkshire Region, having been an active committee member for seven years. He is fully committed to the Institute and its ideals, and holds numerous BICSc qualifications and recognises the importance of using BICSc accredited staff.

Brian is an employee of Metro Clean part of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council having risen from Cleaning Operative to Area Supervisor during a fourteen year period of continuous personal development. His role is the improvement of systems and standards, and he recently helped Metro Clean achieve CIMS accreditation.

The skills, abilities and benefits Brian has brought to the Institute are:-

Experience; A breadth of knowledge gained in the cleaning industry at all levels.

Communication Skills; Brian writes and publishes a quarterly staff magazine that is distributed to 600 employees and manages the social media in use by Metro Clean.

Organisation Skills; Brian organises staff, documentation and operating systems reporting to senior management.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Chris has served on the Council since 2014 and has worked in the cleaning industry for over 18 years predominantly within the education sector for both public and private organisations. He now works in a supply and support services role promoting best practice and supporting clients to achieve best value in the cleaning industry.

Over the years, Chris has worked with some experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals and coupled with the training and guidance BICSc has provided during his career he is thankful for the skills and knowledge gained as part of the process. Learning and training are essential for self-development and driving standardisation and consistency throughout a business.  The cleaning industry is reliant on effective processes to ensure efficient service delivery through the use of well-trained operatives working as part of a team to achieve the desired results. Chris is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside BICSc Council to develop and promote the industry and the great work it delivers on a daily basis.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Lynn Webster has over 35 years in the cleaning industry. Her business, LWC Ltd celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2014 and is recognised for expertise in the cleaning and associated facilities industry. Lynn is proud of the business that she has built on the strong foundation of her skills and expertise. From its modest beginnings in accredited training and audit activity, the business has expanded and developed. Today it provides professional cleaning consultancy support to organisations across the retail, leisure, hospitality, healthcare and education sectors.

Professionally Lynn was proud to serve as National Chairman of BICSc 2009- 2011 during which it celebrated its 50th Anniversary; was rewarded by the Institute with the Sholom Gordon Award for outstanding contribution to the cleaning industry, she is one of the People 1st Top 100 most Influential Women in the Hospitality, Travel Tourism, and Leisure Industries, and is a Liveryman and Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company for Environmental Cleaners.

On a personal note, Lynn takes great pride in her family and actively shares their love of sports including cricket, football and rugby. She supports local charities with a particular affinity to cancer research and breast cancer awareness.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017

Sue has worked in facilities management in the UK and Ireland for over 35 years in the commercial, healthcare and education sectors. Her particular areas of expertise cover operational management, quality assurance, benchmarking, developing and implementing service solutions, market testing, contract mobilisation, and training.

For the last 15 years, Sue has been a Director of Desford Consultancy, a specialist company working within the cleaning and facilities industries. The company provides a range of services including management consultancy, quality assurance, interim management, and training.

Sue is committed to improving the standards and raising the profile of the cleaning industry and believes that the Institute plays a pivotal role in achieving these aims. Sue believes it is important for the industry to embrace all aspects of technology and innovation along with adopting environmentally friendly products and methodologies.

Sue has been an active member of the Institute for 25 years and is a member of the BICSc Council.

Five out of five council meetings attended in 2017