Stuart McGregor speaks about the legacy of the two powerhouse businesses - BK Gulf Facilities Management and Al Ali Property Maintenance company (API), his professional journey that spans two countries, his leadership style and management philosophy.

A New Step

“I am delighted to be able to announce BK Gulf Facilities Management (BKG) is to merge with Al Ali Property Maintenance company (API),” says Stuart McGregor. “With both Emirati Power Houses Dutco and Al Ali Properties as joint and equal shareholders, the new business will be branded as BKA Facilities Management LLC (BKA).”

“This is a truly exciting time for us and the whole team is hugely motivated to deliver on our shareholders aspirations. API has, for the past 3 years, been one of BKG’s largest and most forward-thinking clients. To now be a shareholder and part of our strategic and decision-making process is fantastic.”

Strong Legacy

“Dutco owned BK Gulf Facilities Management was established in 1998, driven mainly by clients of sister company and major MEP Contractor BK Gulf LLC,” says Stuart as he looks back at the legacy. “These clients wanted a similar, exceptional service to that of the MEP installer to maintain their MEP assets. From MEP maintenance, the business developed into a fully integrated Facilities Management company offering not only MEP Maintenance but Soft and Security services also. BK Gulf Facilities Management has grown over the past 25 years to become one of the most recognized major Fully Integrated Facilities Management companies in the UAE."

"Al Ali Properties is one of the largest privately owned property developers and property owners in the UAE with a vast history in supporting the growth of the UAE particularly in Dubai. With an excess of 80 developments in Dubai, from high rise commercial and residential towers to low rise retail and residential mixed-use properties to Villa complexes, API brings an enormous wealth of property management and knowledge to the existing BK brand."

Business Strategy

"Our focus and our strategy will continue to be on customer service and effective delivery with new integrated targets around energy reductions in our client’s buildings. With zero net emission targets in existing properties, set by the UAE Government and to be achieved by 2050, we are steering our new business on a focused course of supporting our clients to achieve these required reductions over the coming years. We will collaborate with one of the Dutco’s existing businesses namely, Dutco Over Technologies LLC (DOT) that completely compliments integrated facilities management. This business enables real time data capture of energy consumption versus building performance in any operational existing building. DOT’s unique technology allows us to optimize the use of the building's plant and equipment to continuously drive down energy costs without large capital investment requirements from the property owner - a service other FM providers are unable to offer. And this isn’t another ESCO licensed company. This is real time data, captured consistently throughout varying daily and nightly environmental conditions that enable changes to be made to the way a building is operated to save energy based on that data. So, owners and operators can make informed decisions, rather than ESCO based theory decisions to achieve energy consumption reductions. We will focus on our shareholders' properties first, and we will exercise our full suite of Internet of Things (IOT) to showcase the opportunities IOT can bring to the efficient operational delivery and effective control of building assets before expanding this throughout our entire portfolio of clients." 

"Another consistent key aspect of our strategy & approach will be to continue to focus on customers who understand the true value of facilities management. We will continue to be selective in our approach, and not chase contracts that focus on lowest price, we refuse to compromise on our quality and delivery of service."

"So in summary, our approach is to be selective as well as customer focused. To offer exceptional service to those who want it, and to be value adding in respect of efficiency and productivity through use of technology to continually seek to drive down our cost, and therefore clients cost. This is why we are so pleased to have API as part of our shareholding. We now have two very like-minded shareholders who understand the benefits of properly managing and maintaining their properties."

Approach to The Built Environment

"The Built Environment refers to the total collective that contributes to the environment we live in. The Buildings, the distribution systems, roads, bridges, transportation systems, everything that touches all aspects of our daily lives. The role of us as a Facilities Management Service provider is to ensure that all of these elements of the built environment are maintained, cleaned, work effectively and efficiently to ensure the longevity of all of these aspects, as well as efficient energy consumption and the aesthetics of the environment. All of this contributes and ensures the well-being of the people who work, shop, commute through, receive medical treatment in, or simply live in their environments that we maintain. I have mentioned in many discussions previously that I am disheartened  when clients choose to focus on the lowest price of a service provider, rather than seeing and understanding the value we add to the environments that their facilities create. Of course, we need to be competitive and cost effective to a client's budgets, but we won't allow ourselves to be driven to a price that means corners are cut and service quality levels are reduced. We would rather politely decline to participate and focus on someone who does understand."

"I honestly believe that no one turns up to work looking to do a bad job or deliver poor service but as with any business, we cannot operate at losses; this would be very short lived. And therefore, if a price is too low, the service provider can only reduce the quality of performance through reduced service or inexperienced / untrained and therefore, cheaper staff; which ultimately impacts the built environment in the long run. I won’t allow us to be in this position."

Human Resource Strategy

"I believe our brand is well known in the market and hence we tend to be approached by a wide range of talent even when we are not in recruitment mode. With the merger with API, many employees will move across into our new business and this will give us the opportunity of retaining the best resources to serve our customer needs."

"Retention is an important aspect of any Business, but particularly in an FM business where our people are our service delivery. Everything we do is about people, how they perform, their experience and training, and their motivation. Of course we get employees who are also looking for the extra 1 or 2% increase in salary package in the market who jump from company to company, but mostly we have long serving employees who are committed to our business and provide loyal service to our customers. If I’m being honest, retention is something we should focus on further and in the new Business employee engagement will be an important part of our strategy."

A New Home

"Since conception our FM Business has been based in Jebal Ali, within the Dutco compound comprising of numerous and various companies owned by Dutco that deliver a vast range of services to the Construction, Infrastructure, Marine, Steel, Civil Defense and Logistics Industries. This era for us has now changed and we have relocated to be more central in Dubai. We have moved into offices in API Business Suites located on Sheikh Zayed Road, next to Al Zahra Hospital. The relocation has enabled us to fit out an office suitable to our needs with room for expansion as needed. A fresh office for our fresh business."

A Leader’s Vision

"I started my career with an indentured apprenticeship in Balfour Kilpatrick, part of the Balfour Beatty Group in the UK, and interestingly where the UAE brand BK originated - Balfour Beatty were Dutco’s partner here in the UAE for many years. I graduated from South Bank University, London as a mechanical engineer and first joined BK Gulf in Dubai in 1992." 

"I returned to the UK in the late 90’s and worked in a number of large MEP contractors achieving board level status some 20 years ago. I also owned my own contracting business for many years in the UK before deciding to come back to Dubai 10 years ago when I rejoined BK Gulf, and worked again with many familiar faces from my previous time with them. The rest is history, good history, and I find myself now with this exciting new challenge of leading this Joint Venture Business."

"As a leader, I like to think I operate in a very open and collaborative manner. Our people are empowered to deliver what they are employed to do, and I don’t need them asking permission for anything that is in their remit, I simply expect them to perform their roles." 

"I believe Leaders do not have a monopoly on ideas, business direction, suggestions, and hence look for all our people to have the confidence to contribute and speak up when they have an idea or suggestion. I’m very open to ideas, I do listen to our people, and I take on board their views. When needed I’m very happy to make decisions. I truly believe it is better to make a bad decision to progress rather than be stagnant in a business and make no decision."

"I have a number of quotes on my wall that I’ve used in Business since my early 30’s (a few years ago), a few examples are:

“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got”

“Surround yourself with good people” I believe I am as good as the weakest person surrounding me.

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do”

But I guess you would have to ask our staff if my perception of my management style is how I perceive it
to be," Stuart signs off with a smile.