Jeff Dewing, CEO of Colchester, Essex based facilities management company, Cloudfm Group, has been recognised as one of the best in the business after being named as a finalist in the 2022 Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
Jeff has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Disruptor of the Year’ category in recognition of being a pioneer for change – from turning a whole industry on its head, to his refreshingly candid and people-first approach to business. Through continuous technological innovations, Cloudfm has become one of the most disruptive facilities management companies in Europe.
Here are some reasons why Jeff Dewing is an entrepreneurial ‘disruptor’ of the facilities management industry:
Refusal to give up
Jeff has been through it all. His journey from East End lad to self-made multi-millionaire has been turbulent – he knows what it’s like to climb up the ranks and have it all, to then hit rock bottom and have to start over with just £7.60 in his bank account and a family to feed. After bankruptcy Jeff refused to give up. He reflected on his mistakes and eventually started a new business Cloudfm Group from his garden shed turning it into a £70M company turnover within a few years.
Then there’s the pandemic which was a whirlwind for most businesses. Covid caused revenues to fall by 95% from the first lockdown, with monthly sales being slashed from £6M to £200k. They had to quickly restructure and through being agile they’ve bounced back and are projected £250M turnover by 2026.
Doing the opposite
Rather than going for the usual route of finding a niche element of a market or creating a new one, he had an overwhelming desire to fix a £200billion facilities management industry that most people within it agreed was broken. He was driven by the “lies and deceit” that were traditionally endemic within facilities management from experiencing the malpractices first-hand like people fiddling with the numbers and making false promises. Jeff turned it on its head and decided to make things more transparent with the aim to restore trust in the industry.
They are now one of the most disruptive facilities management companies in Europe spearheading the technological revolution and work with various world-leading organisations. Cloudfm is a Queens Award winner for Innovation (2019) and named one of the UK’s 2021 most innovative property technology creators and a global leader in IoT enabled predictive maintenance by Gartner.
Forward-thinking leadership
Jeff holds the ethos of putting people before profits at the core of Cloudfm. He feels rigid rules and barriers are outdated, instead empowering employees is the best way forward. The foundation of a company is built on great people, and he believes that giving employees what they want and, more importantly what they need, actually benefits leaders more than employees. He focuses on looking after employee’s mental health as well as developing and building their resilience through various programmes and monthly check-ins. He gives employees the freedom to structure their day, from implementing hybrid working, enabling people to work from anywhere in the world and encouraging flexibility to work around their needs. He has reduced his 7 offices down to 2 and calls them ‘hubs’ rather than offices, reinventing the spaces for the purpose of optimising 3 things – collaborating, solving problems & having fun.
Commenting on the award: “I am honoured to be shortlisted for the awards this year. ‘Doing the opposite’ is a belief I embody in every aspect of my life, especially business. We’ve gone against the grain to restore the trust back in the facilities management industry and transform the future of the workplace by changing what it means to be a leader by putting authenticity, vulnerability and transparency at the fore. Even despite having to make some tough decisions due to the major impact of the pandemic we remained upfront and honest throughout these challenges upholding our values. I am particularly proud of the hard work and dedication from every single member of the Cloudfm team. We are back on the upward hill, better than ever with an even stronger sense of togetherness.” – Jeff Dewing, founder & CEO of Cloudfm Group
Jeff is one of the business leaders to have been shortlisted from over 5,300 entrants across the nation – the most the awards has ever had. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the highly coveted accolade, which acknowledges and champions the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.
