Ruby McGregor-Smith, chief executive of Mitie Group PLC, was named on the New Year Honours List for 2012 and will be honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to business and diversity in business.
Ruby joined Mitie, the FTSE250 outsourcing and energy services company, in 2002 and was appointed as CEO in 2007. She is one of a small number of women holding the position of Chief Executive in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 and is the first Asian woman to be appointed in such a role within that group of companies.
Since joining, Ruby has overseen Mitie grow its revenues from £0.5bn to £1.9bn, continuing its 24-year track record of consecutive revenue and earnings growth. She has also embedded into the business, her strong belief that responsible business practice should sit at the heart of corporate strategy and is fundamental to business success.
This ethos has not only benefited Mitie’s now 62,000 employees in countless ways, but Ruby has become a national spokesperson on issues which include: diversity in the workplace and on corporate boards; women in business; work life balance; sustainability; reducing energy consumption; providing opportunities for the long-term unemployed; apprenticeships in the UK; entrepreneurialism; growing businesses in recession; and many more.
Ruby’s vision to make Mitie one of the largest integrated facilities management providers in the UK has come to fruition. Over this time she has also grown Mitie’s employee base, from 23,000 people in 2003, to over 62,000 people in 2011 - making it one of the UK’s largest private sector employers.
Ruby McGregor-Smith said: “I am truly honoured and humbled by this award. I am passionate about promoting opportunities, entrepreneurialism and diversity in the UK, and delighted to have made a contribution and been recognised with such an honour.”
-ENDS-
For further information, contact:
Mitie
John Telling, Group Corporate Affairs Director
D: +44 20 3123 8673
M: +44 7979 701006
E: john.telling@mitie.com
Erica Lockhart, Head of Investor Relations and External Affairs
D: +44 20 3123 8675
M: +44 7979 784488
E: erica.lockhart@mitie.com
Notes for editors
Ruby McGregor-Smith, Chief Executive Mitie Group PLC
Key dates
| 1963, 22 February | Born in Lucknow, India |
| 1965 | Emigrated to the UK |
| 1975-1979 | Bentley Wood High School |
| 1979-1981 | Lowlands Sixth Form College |
| 1982-1985 | Kingston University (Bachelor of Economics) |
| 1985-1991 | Qualified as an accountant training at BDO Stoy Hayward |
| 1991-2000 | Worked at Serco Group Plc in a range of operational & financial roles |
| 2000-2001 | Worked at SGI|Babcock International Group PLC |
| 2002, December | Joined Mitie as Group Financial Director |
| 2005, September | Promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Mitie |
| 2007, March | Appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Mitie |
Other professional roles
Ruby is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Michael Page International PLC, appointed to the Board in May 2007. She is also Chairman of Audit Committee, Member of Nomination Committee and Member of Remuneration Committee.
Personal Details
Married to Graham McGregor-Smith since 1990. Two children, a daughter aged 15 and son aged 13.
Images
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitie_group_plc/sets/72157624702797360/
What is Mitie?
We’re the strategic outsourcing and energy services company.
What does that mean in practice? We manage facilities, energy and properties for our clients across the UK and beyond. We work with our clients in three ways; some take full advantage of our whole range of expertise, others may only need one aspect of what we do:
Strategy and consultancy
+ Facilities and energy management
+ Service delivery
Our strategic input can add value at the highest level by helping clients to manage their assets, while our practical management expertise can save customers money and reduce their carbon emissions. We work with a vast number of clients in every industry across both the public and private sectors and deliver the broadest range of services that can be found in one place: from integrated facilities management to engineering maintenance to lifecycle energy management and much more.
There’s a lot more to Mitie than you probably think. We’re a big company with big ambitions – a leading FTSE 250 support services business, with more than 62,000 people, revenues of £1.9bn, and a reputation for being the best.
