Bidvest Noonan

A leading provider of facilities services and solutions

Latest News

COP26: What Does This Mean for Bidvest Noonan?

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COP26 (Conference of the Parties, 26th event) will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from 31st October -12th November 2021. It is a global United Nations summit about climate change and will be attended by representatives of the 154 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year it will be attended by 190 world leaders, with the UK as president.

COP26 has been described by climate change experts as the most significant climate event since the 2015 Paris Agreement as we still have a long way to go to ensure global temperatures are less than 1.5⁰ C above pre-industrial levels. At COP26, it will be the first time countries must report back on their progress since they signed the Paris Agreement and set out more ambitious goals for reducing their contribution to climate change.

“These talks are vital as they will shape the world’s response to our biggest challenge: the Climate Crisis, and provide an arena for all countries, large and small, to share ideas, agree on goals and targets moving forward. It is time for world leaders to lead, show ambition and set an example for us all.”

John King, Environmental, Social & Governance Director, Bidvest Noonan

In 2021, Bidvest Noonan signed up to the Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) Low Carbon Pledge and we are proud to be one of c.60 companies that vowed to support this initiative. The Pledge commits us to a 50% reduction in our carbon footprint by 2030 through carbon emission baselining and setting Science-Based Targets (SBTs) by 2024. We are looking to implement initiatives to reach our goal well in advance of the 2030 target. Initiatives include reducing our buildings’ energy usage, reducing our fleet’s fuel usage, removing the use of single use plastics, moving to more sustainable fabrics in our uniform, and looking at eco-friendlier commuting options for our colleagues.

We would love to hear your ideas around reducing your impact on the environment by sending your stories and pictures to [email protected].

Tips from our ED&I council #WorldMentalHealthDay

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To mark #WorldMentalHealthDay, members of our ED&I council came together to share advice on identifying early warning signs of deteriorating mental health and what to do if you are struggling with your mental wellbeing.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It can be negatively impacted by such things as worrying about family members, dealing with uncertainties, or poor work/life balance.

It’s very easy to miss some of the early warning signs of mental health issues as they tend to develop over time. Some of the most common signs to look out for are:

  • Long-lasting sadness or irritability
  • Extremely high and low moods
  • Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety
  • Social withdrawal
  • Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

If you are experiencing problems with your mental health, what can you do?

Talk to someone

Although conversation may seem insignificant, it is extremely necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle and engage in different thoughts and emotions. This can be talking to someone about a problem that’s troubling you or just having a general chat. Communication helps achieve a better state of mind.

Talking may not always feel good, but it is always part of the healing process and will benefit you in the long run. Talking to someone who will listen without judging when you’re feeling down or frustrated gives you the freedom to express yourself.

If you are uncertain about talking to someone in person, don’t forget there are many organisations that provide a phone service or an online service. 

Our ED&I Council has compiled contact details of organisations that might be in your area. Click on the link below:

Helping Hands Flyer

Learn about mental health and wellbeing

Reading or researching verified mental health information can help improve your wellbeing. Attending a programme or enrolling in a course can also help. There are many courses available that can assist an individual and introduce coping strategies to help with their mental health experiences.

One of the programmes available across Great Britain and Ireland is ‘Living Life to the Full’. This is a course that covers topics around low mood, stress, and resilience. It was developed by an accredited CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) practitioner who is also an expert in education and training. Dr. Chris Williams, Emeritus Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry University of Glasgow, is frequently recommended by health practitioners and is available online.

Aware, a charity in Ireland and Northern Ireland has been delivering the ‘Living Life to the Full’ programme. See here:

Aware (Ireland) | Living Life to the Full (llttf.com)

Living Life to the Full – Aware NI (aware-ni.org)

Spread the word, small suggestions on how to help a friend or family member can make a big difference to them when they are feeling down or experiencing low mood or anxiety.

Life is a journey, sometimes it’s blue sky and sunshine, admiring the view from the peaks. Whereas sometimes it seems far harder, a struggle which feels constantly as if we’re going uphill with storms, and it can feel lonely and cold. – LLTTF.com

Helen Emerson, Dania Gohar, Tammaryn Steers – Bidvest Noonan ED&I Council Members

Bidvest Noonan appoints Charlotte Marshall as CEO for its business in Great Britain

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In a move designed to increase the strength and agility of its operations, Bidvest Noonan has named Charlotte Marshall as CEO for its business in Great Britain. 

Marshall, an accomplished business leader, has over 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles and has a proven track record for building successful services businesses. Most recently, Marshall was SVP General Manager, Western Europe for Iron Mountain, with responsibility for operations in more than 12 countries, including the United Kingdom.

The appointment follows the group’s recent investment in a new operating structure that saw the development of separate leadership, operations and support teams for Bidvest Noonan’s businesses in Great Britain and Ireland. 

Bidvest Noonan recently cemented its leadership position in the facilities services market, expanding its footprint, service profile, and expertise with the acquisition of the Axis Group and Cordant Services. Today the group employs more than 27,000 people and has annual revenues of over £700 million.

Group CEO Declan Doyle said, “I’m delighted Charlotte has joined Bidvest Noonan. Charlotte has the vision, energy and skill set needed to take our business in Great Britain to the next level. I have every confidence that Charlotte will deliver success for Bidvest Noonan, our people and our clients”.

Commenting on her appointment, Marshall said, “I am thrilled to join Bidvest Noonan and lead its business in Great Britain at such an important time in its development. Bidvest Noonan is an exceptional business with strong fundamentals and an outstanding team.  I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues to support our clients and continue Bidvest Noonan’s success”.

Chief Business Officer Fintan Connolly added, “Charlotte’s appointment and our new structure will enable us to accelerate our growth and increase the value and support we deliver to clients. Charlotte shares our passion for delivering innovative solutions and exceptional customer experiences. I’m looking forward to working with Charlotte to build on the success we have achieved”.

Introducing Sunrise, our CSR programme

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In our business, we have always strived to be an ethical and sustainable company. This means doing our best to minimise our impact on the environment while maximising the good we do in the societies where we operate.

We want to be bolder and more innovative and continue leading the way in our CSR initiatives. That is why our CSR community has launched Sunrise. Sunrise will focus on four key areas where everyone can contribute to make an impact: Workplace, Environment, Community, and Marketplace.

Watch this short video to learn more:

Spearheaded by John King, Environment, Social and Governance Director, the committee is made up of a variety of Bidvest Noonan colleagues across each of our business units, who are passionate about corporate social responsibility. Their varying ideas, insights and experiences will help drive our ambitious plans forward.

Sunrise will see us launch an array of communications, engagement plans, campaigns, and reward and recognition incentives, to make it easier for everyone to get involved and for us to work together for a better tomorrow.

Bidvest Noonan announces its new operating structure

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Following the completion of an acquisition plan that brought Cordant Services, the Axis Group and Interact into its business, Bidvest Noonan has announced its investment in a new operating structure.

This new structure will see the development of separate leadership, operations and support teams for Bidvest Noonan’s businesses in Great Britain and Ireland.  Each business will be led by a CEO who will assume full responsibility for managing the business in the relevant geography.

Cormac Sheils, a highly experienced senior executive who has been part of the group’s senior leadership team for over eight years, has been appointed CEO of Bidvest Noonan in Ireland.

Commenting on his appointment, Sheils said, “I am excited to take on this new role and I’m delighted to have the support of a very strong and experienced management team. I know that working together, we will take this business from strength to strength. Our plan for Ireland is clear, we are a market leader for a range of single and bundled service solutions, and I am determined to protect and develop our market position.”

The group will name its new CEO for Great Britain in the coming weeks.

With revenues of over £700 million and employing more than 27,000 people, Bidvest Noonan has become a leading player in the UK’s facilities services market and is the market leader in Ireland. Today’s announcement signals Bidvest Noonan’s commitment to delivering exceptional service and value to clients in these territories.

This new structure will allow Group CEO Declan Doyle to lead a newly established team focusing on strategy, governance and transformational activities for the group. This new team will enable the group to grow its leadership positions, develop new service lines and enter new sectors and markets.

Commenting on the announcement, Group CEO Declan Doyle said, “our new operating structure will enable us to build the in-country infrastructure and agility we need to take our performance to the next level. Our new operating structure will provide an excellent platform for our future growth, provide more opportunities for our people and enable us to deliver even greater value and support to clients“.

Chief Business Office Fintan Connolly added, “with our new structure in place we can increase our focus on developing our business and creating value for clients”.

Tessa Rossi on her passion for Microbiology and her role as GMP Specialist at Bidvest Noonan

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Tessa Rossi joined us recently as a GMP specialist to enhance our support to our life sciences clients. Our marketing team caught up with Tessa to learn about her role and how her strong passion for Microbiology drives the essential work she does.

What intrigued you about this science-based career and why you choose this path?

I have loved science, specifically biology, since my childhood years. This love and passion grew as I decided to pursue a degree with dual majors in genetics and microbiology. Since the first day of the microbiology course in my first year, I was simply mesmerised by how quickly microbes adapt and how these invisible beings are more numerous than anything else on planet Earth. I am just fascinated by the complexity of biology, by how something that we cannot even see can have such a significant role in every aspect of our lives, and how our understanding of these small organisms can allow us to change our world completely and ultimately save lives.

Tell us about your journey that led you to Bidvest Noonan.

After I completed my master’s degree I was fortunate to get an opportunity as a research scientist in a fast-growing medical device company in South Africa. In a brief period of time, I learned so much regarding the regulations governing the design and development of medical devices, the rigorous testing required for these products, and the requirements to ensure that quality products are delivered to patients. What really stood out to me in this role was how multi-faceted it was, with my daily tasks ranging from working with the design engineers to compiling regulatory documentation to manufacturing and testing the products. I became the lead research scientist and was able to work with a great group of fellow scientists to provide truly innovative solutions to our clients. It was truly such an interesting starting point and it awakened in me a very keen interest specifically in the life science industry. 

After moving to Ireland, I started a position as a QC microbiologist at a biotechnology company. As the site was still very new at the time it was a very fast-paced environment that offered great learning opportunities and required constant adapting to the rapidly changing environment and daily testing requirements. 

I was already aware of the significant role and presence that Bidvest Noonan has in the life science industry and have seen them in action at pharmaceutical sites. I was therefore very keenly interested in the innovative and high-quality services that they offer to their clients and I was really keen to see how the knowledge and experience I gained from my previous roles could add value to the business and contribute to this ever-changing field.

GMP Specialism is critical in the Life Sciences sector; Tell us about your role at Bidvest Noonan?

As a GMP Specialist, my daily activities range from compiling GMP training to doing site visits, to doing research on solutions to challenges that arise daily across the various sites that we are involved with. A crucial part of my role is to ensure that all our staff understand GMP principles and practices and are fully GMP compliant before they even start with any of their duties in GMP environments. This includes ensuring that our procedures, practices, and services are also in line with the most up-to-date regulatory guidelines and requirements. I am also involved with visiting various sites to fully understand their processes and procedures and to determine how we can optimise our contribution to providing the highest quality service delivery to our various clients accordingly. As the life science industry is constantly busy and changing, there are always challenging arising and I embrace the opportunity to research potential solutions to cleaning, GMP regulatory queries, and other service delivery challenges that allow us to offer scientifically sound, informed solutions and innovations to our clients.

The service that we provide is absolutely essential, and as such, I consider my role as an incredibly important one to ensure not only that our business is providing the best possible service, but to allow staff to understand the importance of their daily tasks and ultimately providing our clients with the certainty that they can trust us to make their product quality and safety our number one priority in every single task we undertake. 

What do you enjoy most about the job?

What I enjoy most about my job is that I get to apply my knowledge about and passion for microbiology and GMP to real world, essential applications and practices every single day. 

I love that I get to work with so many different facilities and people, learn from them, and also provide them with a different insight into what we do. One of the highlights so far has definitely been the development of the GMP training programme, but I can honestly say that I learn something daily and that it is great to work in a business with such diverse expertise and such a desire to be the best.

You seem to be really passionate about microbiology. How does it reflect on your role?

My passion for microbiology and my thorough understanding of GMP requirements allow me to offer unique insight into the services our company offers. I have a keen desire to always keep learning and to stay up to date with the latest developments in my field. I am therefore determined to constantly keep adapting training, procedures, and practices to the latest requirements and to provide clients with innovative approaches to optimise our service delivery that is supported by the latest technological and scientific developments, advancements, and data. My enthusiasm and ability to work in fast-paced, high-pressure environments will allow me to really make the most of this role.

It has been an unusual year for the Life Sciences sector. How has the pandemic impacted your team and what does the future look like in the sector?

Every single person has been affected by Covid-19 to some extent or another. It has certainly affected the life sciences sector very significantly – hospitals most of all. It has also affected other GMP environments that had to adapt to using fewer personnel, circulating personnel in a safe way, and most importantly increasing some safety measures to keep the virus out of these critical environments. 

The majority of these measures have always been in place in GMP areas, but the current circumstances resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic have certainly highlighted the importance of these measures and have significantly increased the awareness of safety procedures. Within the life science industry, various companies had to rethink their personnel monitoring and control strategies to limit the spread of the virus. Gowning requirements had to be increased in some cases to ensure protection of the environment against the virus (e.g. the use of face masks in areas where it may not previously have been a requirement). 

Personally, I believe that many of these measures will last well into the future, as it has almost forced improved safety and contamination control even more than what previous control measures may have done. It has also made personnel more aware of how their actions affect not only their own safety but also the safety of those around them and maintaining this awareness is definitely essential in the ongoing contamination control and safe execution of tasks in the life science industry.