IFMA finally announces plans for new facilities management chapter in United Kingdom

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has approved a petition for the formation of a regional chapter within the United Kingdom. Talks about the chapter have been ongoing for some time. The people behind the creation of the new chapter claim it will offer facilities management (FM) professionals ‘direct localised support that taps into the global industry in ways not currently available in the UK market’. The formation of the chapter, which joins 136 IFMA chapters across more than 100 countries, comes at a time when IFMA, through its collaboration with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), is driving formation of practice standards via the International Organization for Standardization and working to more tightly integrate FM with the larger built environment industry. Details of the collaboration can be found at define.fm.

The chapter’s mission is “to enhance, evolve and expand the knowledge of facility managers with a focus on the United Kingdom, while also providing pathways to career success for professionals within the industry.”

Petitioners, who included senior FM leaders and Fellows of both IFMA and RICS from around the country issued a statement claiming: “It is strategically important that IFMA be a leader in the FM conversation in the UK. A vital aspect of this is to utilise people in the field who work daily in this industry. The chapter will provide a voice and a mechanism to pool and channel that talent, especially at a senior level. The chapter will also act as a community for people to grow their career and gain skills and knowledge though resources IFMA provides.”

Commenting on the announcement,Kath Fontana FRICS, the recently elected to Senior Vice President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said: “The RICS-IFMA alliance is strategically important for the advancement of the global facility management profession and for the development of a more sustainable and people focussed built environment. I am delighted that the UK IFMA chapter has been established and look forward to working together collaboratively for the benefit of all our members and the wider facilities management community.”

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