A five minute chat with… Stuart Bellew

With over 20 years in FM and 30 in cleaning, Stuart has a wealth of experience to share

In the second of a series of five-minute chats with Q3 people, we hear from Stuart Bellew our COO about why, after three decades in the sector, he still loves FM and cleaning:

“Hi, I’m Stuart and I have been the Chief Operating Officer with Q3 since I joined the management team that created the business, over three years.

“My connection with the Facilities Management sector began at the turn of the millennium. I entered the corporate world of FM and worked for Sodexo and OCS before moving to Mitie in 2011, working first in sales and later in operations. So, I got to know the FM business from back to front, or perhaps that should be front to back!

“However, I had been working in the cleaning business for quite some time before that. In 1990, I had started my own cleaning business Called Hampshire Office Cleaners, and we built a lucrative niche tackling many of the jobs more established companies shied away from. No job was too difficult or too small and we always tried to satisfy a customer’s request. It was an important lesson I always remember when we are looking for new business today.

“Having worked for some of the biggest players in FM in the UK, it was refreshing to revert to working for a specialist SME, with a genuine focus on quality. The Q3 name in fact stands for Quality Service, Quality People and Quality Clients and it underpins our approach.

“Of course, just as there are pros and cons to working for big corporates, the same is true in SMEs. There are many positives to working at Q3. It is gratifying to know that my efforts are making a real difference, that we are developing individuals within the team and collectively seeing them and the whole enterprise grow and progress.

“Also, in Q3, everything is simply more personal. We know the members of our team by name, and this also applies to our clients. Communication and interaction is immediate and direct and not diluted by chains of command of helplines. Clients know they are dealing directly with a member of the senior team who has the authority and autonomy to make quick and important decisions. Being fleet footed and decisive has been particularly important during the last two years, as the pandemic has torn up the rule book for traditional ways of working.

“If there has been any positive upside to the Covid19 disruption, it is that it has highlighted the critical importance of cleaning and put it right back in the spotlight. As a result, we have been able to move the emphasis away from margin and price and focus attention on the importance of cleanliness in the working environment.

“I suppose the most valuable aspect of working at Q3, is the fun, positive culture. Ensuring people have some fun in the working day is so important for ensuring personal wellbeing and keeping everyone motivated. Over the last two years, fun has been the essential ingredient to combat the disruption and uncertainty people have felt during lockdown.

“Outside work, I believe in the philosophy of a healthy body leading to a healthy mind, so I indulge in martial arts to maintain fitness. It also comes in handy when the board meetings get heated!”