Under the Spotlight with Rebecca van Niekerk

Tell us about your career journey and what led you into FM mobilisation

I’ve been fortunate to have had a very exciting career path. I started out as an Apprentice Diesel Electrical Fitter on the South African Railways. As one of the first female apprentices, I learnt a huge amount. I moved to the UK before I was able to qualify, but the technical understanding I gained proved valuable when I moved into a building services helpdesk role, which kick-started my career in facilities management.

From there, I progressed through roles in finance, cleaning, FM, compliance, sales and projects. Each experience helped develop my skills and understanding of the industry, all of which have come together in my current role. When I moved into mobilisation, I knew it was the ideal environment for me to thrive.

What does your role as Head of Mobilisation involve?

My role is to oversee the FM mobilisation process, act as the first point of contact during the transition and develop our mobilisation strategy and resilience.

Every mobilisation is different. A multi-site total facilities management contract requires a different approach to a client bringing a single service into one location, but both need the same attention to detail across the key areas.

I use a standard, scalable toolkit as a starting point, but tailor each plan to the client’s needs. Ideally, a mobilisation takes six to eight weeks and focuses on maintaining continuity of service.

Our mobilisation mission is to deliver seamless mobilisation of facilities services, inspire client confidence in Anabas, and minimise risk and disruption to core services. The plan is built around that objective, covering key areas such as people, services, finance and supply chain to ensure everything is ready for day one.

What does a successful FM mobilisation look like from a client’s perspective?

Quite simply, no noise. That means no avoidable disruption or surprises, everything being seamlessly coordinated and the client being kept informed throughout.

One client recently shared some feedback that really summed it up for me.

“I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my personal thanks to everyone involved in the mobilisation of the contract. I know that there has been a lot of hard work taking place ‘behind the scenes’ but, from the client’s perspective, the transition has appeared seamless this week. I look forward to working together over the course of the next few months tailoring the service further.”

That is exactly what we aim to achieve. When a client can focus on their own business because the transition has been handled effectively, we know we’ve done our job well.

How do you bring teams together to deliver a successful transition?

A clear plan establishes what success looks like, while clear roles and responsibilities ensure everyone understands their part. Identifying risks early and agreeing how to manage them helps keep everyone aligned.

It’s important to involve operational teams and support functions from the outset to create an environment where people feel able to raise concerns and work together to resolve issues. We hold regular internal and client meetings to review progress, address challenges and remove any barriers.

Ultimately, successful mobilisation comes down to shared ownership. Everyone needs to be working towards the same outcome, with the right people, equipment and training in place to ensure we’re ready for day one.

How has mobilisation evolved as client expectations have changed?

There’s much more focus on workplace experience across the industry and on making coming into the workplace worth the commute.

Safety, compliance and continuity of service remain essential, but we also need to understand how a workplace should feel and function, alongside the client’s vision and culture.

That means looking at how people use the building, how demand varies throughout the week and how different onsite teams can work together effectively. Rather than planning each service in isolation, we need a joined-up approach that creates a better experience for everyone using the workplace.

What sets Anabas apart when it comes to mobilisation?

At Anabas, mobilisation is a core function, with a dedicated subject matter expert working alongside the operational team responsible for managing and delivering the services.

That partnership combines structured transition management with practical operational knowledge. It means we can focus on the detail of the mobilisation while ensuring the people who will ultimately deliver the service are involved and prepared.

Ultimately, success isn’t about one person controlling every detail. It’s about creating shared ownership and leaving the operational team confident, prepared and ready to take the service forward.

Can you share a mobilisation project you’re particularly proud of?

We once mobilised services for an existing client moving into a new location. There were significant and ongoing delays to practical completion, which meant we had to repeatedly realign our targets and plans.

Despite the uncertainty, we worked seamlessly together to deliver a successful mobilisation and adapted our approach as circumstances changed. Our flexible approach and regular communication meant we could keep our own activities moving forward while adjusting the plan to reflect the latest developments.

Following the mobilisation, the client’s Head of Global Real Estate, who oversees projects across their global estate, told us it was the best-led mobilisation he had witnessed.

That was one of my proudest moments. It was a fantastic accolade following a lot of hard work and demonstrated the value of flexibility, collaboration and clear communication.