Industry-leading Pareto FM’s bold vision for social impact is reshaping facilities management
From the start, Pareto FM’s (Pareto) ethos was different. Equipped with the instincts, insights and values needed to understand and contribute to the rapidly evolving world of work, the company was founded to revolutionise the workplace sector. The company’s emphasis on promoting diversity of talent and culture defines its idea of today’s ideal workplace. Pareto strives to deliver a great place to work, every day, no matter the challenges placed in its way; building temperature that works, breakdowns that are quickly rectified, and clear financial planning of re-active and planned asset management. By placing people first, Pareto can achieve these attributes which sound simple but are so often poorly delivered, thus creating a work environment that is productive, safe and cost effective. The company’s dedicated site team, multiple site delivery, on site engineer, and mobile support service provide a bespoke delivery service in line with each client’s requirements. Pareto’s Operations Director, Colin Kimber, sits with us to discuss the success and evolution of this ten-year-young start-up. “Most start-ups don’t make it past three years, so for us to turn ten years old this year is fantastic,” he opens.
“Andrew Hulbert, Founder of Pareto, entered the facilities management (FM) industry through the academic route. On starting his career, he worked for a small organisation where he enjoyed being close to customers and agile in his approach to their needs. When that company was acquired by a larger corporation, Andrew immediately felt restricted by bureaucratic procedures, and customers could no longer get exactly what they wanted. Consequently, he decided to establish his own business, starting with a single contract and then expanding from there. Three years in, I joined the start-up as Senior Account Manager, since the company had become too large for Andrew to manage on his own. What I liked about Pareto from the get-go was its culture of open curiosity and honesty, which empowered me to highlight development areas for the company to focus on, leading to open discussions with my colleagues to support my responsibility of driving business growth. As we grew, I was promoted to Associate Director, I eventually ended up in my current role as Operations Director.
Reputation and recommendation
“Initially, our operations were London-centric, but as we expanded, we began offering our services beyond the city. Our growth has primarily been driven by our reputation and recommendations, and we only established our sales team about only about 18 months ago. We have always been very different in the marketplace by making efforts to live up to our tagline: ‘changing the face of FM.’ To do so, we have consistently prioritised our customers and high employee and client engagement, all while focusing on our social impact. In other words, we leverage our platform and position in the industry to maximise our positive impact. Doing so was relatively easy in our early days due to our small size but as we grew, it became more difficult, prompting us to implement a structure to support these values,” he elaborates.
Colin’s arrival at the company was instrumental in driving its community initiatives, with a particular focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). “Previously, I worked on EDI alongside various voluntary organisations, but quickly noticed that although we did a lot of good work, our initiatives were not as impactful as we had hoped. At Pareto, we wanted to challenge ourselves and champion initiatives that have a permanent positive impact on the people around us. Thus, we implemented a more concrete structure, and I created the Inclusion Committee within Pareto to start shaping our approach to EDI. So far, it has proven successful, and we have achieved great things in this area. For instance, we secured funding for a voluntary organisation in the LGBTQ community to march at the London Pride in 2019, even managing to position in between two of the larger organisations. The FM industry was represented by 140 people that day.
Social impact
“Additionally, when the Black Lives Matter movement came to the fore a few years ago, we were the only company to publish a statement publicly expressing our
position on the subject. We have also released a statement around International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Beyond our extensive work around gender, we are actively working with our neurodiverse colleagues to better shape their working experience. By embracing our social impact, we have created a customer base that is, for the most part, very like-minded and wants to work with us to share best practice and benefit from our strengths in this area. In the last couple of years, we have further developed our initiatives, creating our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach. We refer to this approach as ESGM, because we believe the Measurement part is important. When thinking about the social element of ESG, most people understand that it is the right thing to do, but there is not a great deal of data to support it. There is a plethora of statistics around gender and race, but not enough when it comes to aspects such as sexual orientation or neurodiversity. To address this, we have started gathering more information about everything we are doing to support our overall ESGM strategy,” he explains.
Supporting clients
Pareto’s commitment to ESG practices would not be complete without a dedicated focus on sustainability. Indeed, the company not only strives to reduce its own impact on the environment, but also that of its customers, with whom it collaborates extensively to minimise their footprint. “We have compiled a comprehensive library of case studies that showcases all of the social impact and ESG initiatives we have undertaken in the past, making it accessible to all our customers. This way, they can see if there are any projects that align with their own objectives and if we can assist them in achieving those goals. In addition, we identify opportunities for improved environmental sustainability and share them with our customers. If they are interested, we can then broker a deal with the provider or manufacturer, creating a mutually beneficial procurement process. On the side of that, we actively share our best practices because we believe in creating a better world and workplace for everyone. Sharing our knowledge helps others reach this common goal. Upcoming changes in legislation have caused a general shift in perspective. Currently, we are heavily focusing on our journey towards Net Zero. As a service provider, our Scope 1 emissions are actually our customers’ Scope 2 and 3. Therefore, we need to operate in a way that supports our clients’ needs from a legislative perspective,” Colin highlights.
Employee engagement
Clearly, Pareto’s honourable social work and focus on sustainability set it apart from competitors in the FM industry. But, as a fairly young start-up, the company’s success also relied on other factors, as Colin points out: “Throughout our journey, we have remained dedicated to attracting the most amazing talent available in the industry. By encouraging our employees to be their authentic selves, we have created a culture where they are free from restrictions and empowered to achieve more, be more creative, and feel a stronger connection to our organisation and their roles within it. When interviewing candidates for a role with us, I emphasise to them that Pareto will always offer a platform for those who want their voice to be heard and strive to make a difference. We are not a company that simply hands out instructions and sends our staff to work. Yes, we have infrastructure in place, but we value flexibility and allow our employees to make their mark, thereby taking the company to the next level. Everyone at Pareto is linked by a common, genuine enthusiasm about their jobs. We all come to work each day to challenge ourselves and seek out opportunities to improve and find better ways to serve our customers.”
Only ten years in, Pareto is already making waves in the FM industry through its progressive values and dedication to customers and talent alike. The company’s commitment to sustainability, social work, and partnerships positions it well for continued success in changing the face of the workplace.