Facility Management Association of Australia

Exhibition (May/June). These annual events create excellent opportunities for networking, knowledge-sharing, and recognising outstanding achievements within the industry. Business View Oceania recently asked FMA Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Burt, for his insights into facilities management, current challenges for FMA members, and what lies ahead for the FM industry. His responses were enlightening and positive. BVO: When was FMA established and what is the current mandate? Burt: “FMA commenced in the late 1980s as an association focussed on individual members within the industry being able to come together to develop their skills and competencies, and to better understand their role as a profession. Over a period of time, the mandate of the Association extended beyond just supporting and representing individuals, teams and organisations in their professional capacity, to looking at the industry as a whole – for example, making sure the industry has a voice with government and other decision-making bodies. Part of that is providing education and professional development opportunities to individuals and organisations – those in the delivery of facilities management and also people who might engage facilities managers to undertake work for them. “We currently have about 2700 members in both corporate and individual categories. About five years ago, the decision was made to engage with both individuals and corporate entities and to provide them with a value proposition. It was an important step forward for FMA to being the representative body for the entire industry. We recognise that it’s a very broad industry and that the opportunity to represent the interests of the industry is equally broad.” BVO: What are the biggest industry challenges today? Burt: “Key challenges at the moment include making sure that people understand what compliance looks like in buildings, because we’re a highly regulated industry. So one focus is how we, as an industry, influence what that compliance regime might look like. Another economy-wide issue is sustainability and the important role that our members play in tackling things like energy management and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s an ongoing challenge that keeps us right in the spotlight. “A third challenge, which has been highlighted FAC I L I TY MANAGEMENT ASSOC I AT ION OF AUSTRAL I A FMA Australia CEO, Nicholas Burt