ISS Eaton outlines plans for future growth

The conference held at Olympia in London's Kensington saw employees and suppliers come together. Managing director, Simon Titchener explained that continued success would mean adapting to meet the challenges ahead: "In order to grow, we have to ensure our service proposition changes in line with customer need. In today's climate and with fluctuating head-counts across client sites, it's about sharing risk, creating value and investing in new services that fit with customers' aspirations and work-styles. Change is inevitable as we move forward and we must embrace it." Three guest speakers also brought an interesting perspective to a range of relevant topics. Professor David Russell, of The Russell Partnership shared some valuable insights into the current shifts seen across food pricing; Owen Chappell, Safety Leadership Director, BP explained more about the importance of fostering a safety aware staff culture; and Atlantic rower, Martin Wood motivated attendees with a short film documenting his endurance experience at sea, in turn putting day-to-day hurdles into context. 2008 saw ISS Eaton retain 100% of its clients and a near doubling of turnover. Its acquisition of northern-based company The Catering People boosted its national offer and the company added that new account wins have helped secure profitability in the first two months of 2009. Concluding the event, Simon Titchener talked about moving the company forward: "Maintaining profitability means maximising business opportunities. By offering additional ISS Group facilities management services, we can demonstrate to customers that we're an integrated hospitality organisation and that they can rely on us to deliver much more. "By strengthening relationships across the board, we'll be better equipped to weather the storms ahead. Overall, this year is all about moving onwards and upwards."