Meet PPL’s Facilities team
Our Facilities team keep PPL’s HQ running – and ensure our recently renovated site in London’s Soho is as sustainable as it is sociable. Facilities Manager Ian Richardson, Deputy FM John Churchill and Facilities Co-ordinator Dwayne Marshall share more here.
What made you want to be part of PPL – and what were you doing before?
Ian: I’ve been in Facilities for a long time at several different companies. I worked at ITV for 18 years, Freuds PR agency, and just before coming to PPL I was with Arcadia, who used to own the big Top Shop flagship store at Oxford Circus, with our offices above the iconic shop.
John: I’ve been in Facilities for about 15 years and joined PPL just over eight years ago. My career history includes roles at a music college and an events centre.
Dwayne: Before working in Facilities I had quite a varied career, working as an electrician and in customer services and I moved internally within PPL from another team speaking to businesses about their licencing requirements into the Facilities team. Facilities is a world that brings those skills sets together. I’ve been at PPL for 10 years.
Tell us about a typical day in your role?
We’re always ready to deal with unexpected issues – from a power outage to a leak in the basement. Of course we have our daily tasks to perform when we are not sorting out the unexpected, such as routine maintenance, health and safety checks and making sure we have all of the supplies we need to keep everyone fed and watered, so we’re always spinning several plates at one time in our team of three. We’ve just been awarded a Gold Award from our health and safety consultants for the high standards we have achieved and maintained for the past year.
Ultimately, we’re here to make sure people are safe, looked after and that they have what they need to do their work safely and comfortably.
We look after the whole of PPL’s building here in Soho. Most of the building is occupied by PPL, with one floor being sublet to another company, so we are managing the relationship with them to make sure we have a happy tenant.
PPL was a finalist in the 2024 IWFM Impact Awards in the Workplace Experience Office/Corporate Environment category. What highlights from the office refurbishment helped with this recognition?
Our HQ was refurbished in 2022 – it’s much more collaborative and really designed to reflect how people work today. We’ve got a lot of drop-in rooms and booths where people can connect informally and desks are ready for a quick set-up when people arrive in the office, wherever they choose to sit.
Most people work in a hybrid setup, so we have arranged neighbourhoods so that teams can sit together on their core days when they are in the office. We are fortunate to have a big breakout kitchen/meeting/event space on the top floor which has become a real social hub. It’s brighter, vibrant, and has a lot of personality.
Social space at PPL HQ, where we regularly host events.
How did you build sustainability into the refurb?
It underpinned every decision. We replaced all the lights with LEDs – almost 300 of them. We don’t use gas in the building – all the heating and cooling comes from our electric air conditioning and we have point-of-use boilers and coolers which are extremely energy efficient.
We re-used and re-purposed old furniture wherever possible rather than replacing things. And where we did need to update furniture and technology, we donated our old items to charities in the music sector to make sure nothing was wasted. Our pathway to net zero is ongoing.
What are your top priorities right now?
Our aim is to blaze a trail for sustainability in the music industry. Whilst we are trying to do what we can, our staff have a part to play in helping us achieve our goals, from recycling correctly to not opening windows when the air con is on.
Within PPL we’ve made some great progress towards net zero. Our building was refurbished with sustainability at its heart. There’s not much we can reduce further within our own operations so we’re now looking to our suppliers to see what gains we can achieve there.
We continue to buy 100% green energy and we’re prioritising working with suppliers who use electric vehicles and also finding alternatives products that can reduce our plastic consumption.
What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?
We joke that we feel like the parents here at PPL. We run the house, the kids break it, and we fix it!
We’re here throughout the working week to help and support, and one of the best things about working at PPL is that people are always appreciative and respectful of what we do. That means a lot. All three of us have also been recognised with awards for our work, Dwayne was our Employee of the Year in 2023 and we’re proud of the high standards that we maintain.
It’s also been great to see our newly refurbished office and social spaces in the building come to life this year. We’ve hosted events for a number of external organisations such as Donmar Warehouse and the African Music Summit, and we always go above and beyond to make sure everything runs smoothly.
And finally, what’s a track that always makes you smile – and why?
Ian: It has to be Beautiful People by Barbara Tucker. It takes me right back to flinging myself around the dancefloor, it’s pure joy !
John: For me it’s God Only Knows by the Beach Boys, simply because it’s such a beautiful song.
Dwayne: I’d choose Under the Influence by Chris Brown. It always makes my friends laugh.
Article image (left to right): John Churchill, Dwayne Marshall, Ian Richardson
