From Office Boy to Industry Leader

One of Paul Thrupp’s favourite pleasures in life is the static caravan in Somerset that he and his wife Debbie visit regularly.

It is near the sea, and they walk their dog, Arfa, on the beach every day.

Paul said: “It's just a different way of life. We love it down here. Having a caravan has probably extended my life by about 10 years because it took the stress out of work, because I could even work down here. It's been a worthwhile investment.”

Family comes first, though Paul also loves golf and football. He has five grandchildren, is a season ticket holder for Birmingham City and has a 21 handicap at golf.

Paul joined the industry as an office boy in 1977 and has since chalked up a wide range of achievements and roles.

He first worked at the global facilities management company OCS for 11 years, leaving to set up a Birmingham branch for Pall Mall, which gave him the confidence that he could succeed in the wider industry.

Paul returned to OCS as Regional Director for the Midlands in 1990 and eventually became a Statutory Director within the OCS Midlands & North business, which he describes as ‘quite an achievement’.

He went on to help win the OCS contract with the NEC, which was the largest single site contract the company had ever achieved.

Paul said: “It was a wow for us. I was particularly proud to lead the team that mobilised it and be there for six and a half years as the Account Director.

“My first ever show was Madonna and, having never operated a concert before, it was quite an eye opener.

“I’ve been involved with hundreds of shows since then. We've done them all. From the biggest, which is Spring Fair and which covers every single square of the NEC complex, to Horse of the Year. I enjoyed my time at the NEC, working with many great people, and I'm proud to see they've still got the contract.”

Paul also worked with the Federation of Window Cleaners (FWC) for 14 years, which included the shift away from the use of ladders to the safer water-fed pile systems

He worked alongside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to improve health and safety within the cleaning industry, which included the industry getting its own pages on the HSE website.

Paul was also Chair of the British Cleaning Council (BCC) from 2019 to 2021, representing the cleaning, hygiene, and waste industry during the Covid pandemic, which led to a Cleaning Excellence lifetime achievement award.

He explains: “Rather than recognition of what I'd achieved, the award was recognition of what we achieved as a council and an industry.

“Without the cleaning industry, we wouldn't have come out of Covid in good shape. It would have gone on a lot longer and there would probably have been lots of reinfection. The cleaning industry should be particularly proud of how it worked during Covid and what it achieved.

“Because of the pandemic, there was an opportunity that I think we seized to really shout about the industry and what we do. We did have some challenges though, including a row of media interviews at five o'clock in the morning!”

Paul is now the Chairperson for the Independent Washroom Services Association (IWSA) and Commercial Director for Wills Security Services Limited.

He said: “It's all been about the people. It’s very much a dynamic industry, no two days are the same and, of course, you've always got the challenge of improving the environment. Adding value and dealing with decent people has always been the appeal for me of working in this sector.”