Ranking 16: Stuart Harrison, CEO of Emrill
Emrill’s continued success is a testament to Stuart’s leadership. Working with Emrill’s leadership team, Stuart has executed a robust business continuity plan to ensure the business is future-ready, positioned to innovate and embrace new technologies to better serve clients and meet the challenges of any eventuality, even one as significant as a pandemic. As such, Emrill has operated on the frontlines to provide a safe environment that minimises the risk of infection for the UAE’s residents and visitors without negatively impacting employees.
In 2020, Stuart launched ‘Safer Together with Emrill’ and ‘Happier Together with Emrill’ to create a culture of health, safety, happiness and positivity to adapt effectively to COVID-19’s challenges, successfully providing employees with a sense of community and the opportunity to discuss worries in an environment of togetherness, learning and development that provides value in the current climate. As a result of the company’s robust IT infrastructure and empowered team members, even during a pandemic, employee engagement practices have continued, adapting to the new normal and switching to a remote execution.
Under Stuart’s direction, Emrill has worked closely with clients, adapting cleaning methodologies and the delivery of world-class services to new applications. Stuart has been a confident and competent presence, and clients have provided positive feedback regarding Emrill’s strong foundation and leadership. He has been instrumental in the company entering new sectors, winning significant new contracts whilst prioritising Emrill’s people’s well-being and employee, client, and resident safety.
Emrill has created and nurtured value partnerships with customers, providing advice, recommending best practice, and delivering the full range of high-quality services required to meet the ever-changing government guidelines during the pandemic.
Operational successes include:
- 4.1/5 employee happiness rating
- Supported UAE authorities’ national sterilisation programme
- Continuous improvement support/world-class training programmes including COVID-19 prevention
- Launched 30+ innovations to drive efficiency/add client-contract value
- Broke new year’s Downtown Dubai cleaning record (2021)
- Consumption Tracker, IOT-based Plant Room Management
Health and safety successes:
- 18,287,874 safe manhours in 2020
- 62,769 hours of Health/Safety/COVID-19 training
- Launched Front Line Supervisor Training
- Leased dedicated safe/comfortable isolation floors/accommodation
Learning and development successes:
- Achieved CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation in 2021
- Launched People Development During the Pandemic – a shift to the virtual learning environment: a shift to virtual environment’ (PDDP), a flexible learning initiative offering virtual learning opportunities
- 84.6% employee satisfaction in delivery of online-learning programmes
- 314 virtual learning sessions
- Hours: 19,050:31 virtual training/23,637:41 virtual learning/144:52 eLearning (LEAD)
- 15 internal Emrill/5 external executive mentors
- 161% increase in mentoring sessions year-on-year
- Diverse range of topics (all levels): sustainability, environment, happiness/wellbeing, remote working tips, using online forms, facilitating online sessions, virtual meeting etiquette
- Increased employee confidence/knowledge in/about technological tools
Sustainability & Community Engagement:
- Awarded CSR Label – 9th consecutive year
- ‘Journey to Net-Zero’ grassroots sustainability initiative: reducing carbon footprint of residents/communities through energy-saving initiatives, waste reduction and adoption of paperless processes
- Shifted mindset to sustainable practices to minimise environmental impact of Emrill’s contracts, increase efficiencies and reduce client costs
- Reduction of landfill
- Expanded organic vegetable garden
Stuart has willingly and proactively shared knowledge and expertise, presenting virtually at key industry conferences and collaborating to raise national FM standards and promote international best practice.
