Professional excellence in service delivery has earned Alpha Mead Facilities and Management Services Limited (AM Facilities), a recognition and award as the Best Facilities Management Company in 2014.
The recognition, which was given by the European CEO, is a leading subscription-based print and online publication delivered quarterly to c-suite executives in 28 countries throughout Europe, and is also for AM Facilities’ creation of more jobs for the good of the community and the nation as a whole.
Dawn Hall, the associate publisher of the magazine, explained in a statement in Lagos that the European CEO Awards recognise managerial and strategic excellence globally across several industries, in addition to honouring market innovators and those pursuing external and internal growth. The magazine also seeks to reward corporate entities maintaining industry share through strategic mastery and commercial insight, he said.
“The award follows a rigorous process of nomination and selection through criteria such as market capitalisation and sustainability, corporate governance structures and operational transparency, among other things, which saw AM Facilities and two other Middle East-based organisations in the final round, with AM Facilities emerging winner of the category,” Hall explained further.
Commenting on the award, Femi Akintunde, AM Facilities’ managing director, who is also the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Emerging Category), West Africa, said the award, more than being a recognition of AM Facilities’ professional excellence, was a testament that Africa was attaining maturation in global best practice, which, before now, seemed unachievable.
Akintunde is a chief exponent and a stickler for global best practice in facilities management services and at any given opportunity, he preaches practice, contending that it is the only key to Nigeria’s competitiveness in the regional, continental and global economy.
He therefore dedicated the award to the unwavering commitment of the AM Facilities team, and to stakeholders who had continued to repose confidence in the processes and standards of the organisation, as well as the clients, who had given the organisation opportunities to attract prestigious awards over the years, by entrusting the well-being of their assets to it.
“This award is very important to us because it, once again, places Africa, and indeed the facilities management industry, on the global stage. “Also, one of the criteria the organisers delineated is how much jobs recipient companies create in their communities. But for us, it is how much jobs the industry itself can create. We believe that if we continue to attract global attention through credible recognitions like this, it will be a move that is healthy for our market because knowledge will improve about Facilities Management practice on the continent, and we can retain the huge capital flight going into engaging foreign companies to come practice FM in Africa. This we believe will create more jobs. This, we believe, will also encourage healthy competition and improve the quest for excellence in FM service delivery. This is core to our vision to become the biggest and the best FM company in Africa.”
Among other recognitions, AM Facilities has been recognised by the Nigerian chapter of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA Nigeria) as the Best Corporate FM Stakeholder in 2012. It emerged as the Real Estate Support Service of the Year at the Real Estate Unite Awards 2013, and ranked 16th in the prestigious Nigeria Fast Growth 50 Awards organised by the Harvard Professor, Michael Porter-led All World Network, in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Alpha Mead is Nigeria’s first facilities management company with ISO 9001: 2008 by both UKAS and ANAB in the UK and US respectively. Since it opened business in 2006, the organisation has redefined the practice of facilities management in Africa. It is currently the African custodian of the FM Benchmarking, administered by the FM Benchmarking globally.
The company has also been raising awareness for FM practice in Nigeria through its annual FM Roundtable, usually held in commemoration of the World FM Day.
AM Facilities manages high profile clients such as Shell, Total, UACN, Nokia Siemens, Ericsson and Primrose Properties Limited. Major projects being handled include integrated facilities management for the Nigerian Stock Exchange; Twin lakes Estate; Ado Bayero Mall, Kano; Shell offices and residential quarters in Port Harcourt, Warri and Lagos; Ultimate Apartments; and Total E&P, among others.
CHUKA UROKO
