We are about to lose the services of Steve Inch, Executive Director of Development and Regeneration Services, who is leaving the Council at the end of the month to pursue other interests.  Steve has been a great friend over many years and it will be a sad loss to both the Council and the city.

In recent months many other colleagues from within Cordia have opted for early retirement and there seems to be a large number of farewell presentations coming up.  For those leaving I wish them every success and I really do hope that the weather picks up for their first few weeks and months of freedom.

Yes, we must be in the Glasgow Fair because the rain has been "pelting" over the last few days!

Well the World Cup is finally over, the vuvuzelas have stopped and although the final ended up a bit of a kicking match, the best team won.

This started me thinking that many of our staff will be heading off to the sun or having a well earned rest at home.  Although many of our services continue to operate during the summer, particularly home care, I hope all of you manage a well earned rest, even if you are not heading off to the sun. 

The World Cup in South Africa seems to have been a great success and we in Glasgow also have much to look forward to, with the Commonwealth Games in 2014.  The next 4 years will fly by but we will have constant reminders of what lies ahead when we see the impact of the huge infrastructure projects as they develop.  We already see the extension of the M74 and the building work which has started at the National Indoor Sports Arena and velodrome complex in the east end - and there's much more to come after that.  Here's to the next 4 years.  Enjoy your summer.

It's the last day in June and our accounts for our first year of trading are just being finalised and checked by our auditors before we send them off to Companies House to be logged and retained.

The accounts show that we have had a very good first year, exceeding targets in most areas and delivering good financial results to our owners, Glasgow City Council.  I think we all know that funding for the public sector is going to be targeted over the next few years and Cordia as an organisation will face new challenges as we head into that period.  I hope to have the continued support of staff to ensure the future success of Cordia.

Many of our staff will be heading off on holidays during the summer period. I hope they have a great time, good weather and return refreshed and rested.

 Last week I attended presentations from three of the Change Teams from Phase 2 of the Cordia Way. Once again, fantastic teamwork and creativity displayed and some great ideas for service improvement and cost reductions.

I was delighted to hear that Glasgow’s Chief Executive, George Black, has been awarded a CBE for his contribution and service to Local Government. Well done George.

On Monday I spoke at the Scottish Diet Conference and judging by the level of press interest, it would appear as if I was rather controversial.  I was speaking about the downturn in secondary school meals over the last 8 years, much of which can only be attributed to the legislation on what we are allowed to serve in our city's schools.  I hope that my comments were taken in the right context and that the powers that be accept there is a problem in parts of Scotland and initiate a review of the situation.

None of us are getting any younger but it's always pleasant to celebrate birthdays.  I've just left a little presentation to 2 of our Area Operations Managers who have reached the big 50 this week.  It's always good to reflect on what these individuals have contributed to the business over many many years and rewarding to hear of their continued commitment to the future.  Many happy returns and keep up the good work.

I am about to go on annual leave for 10 days, but don't worry the Blackberry is on so I will hear what's going on at Cordia.

The problem surrounding the volcanic ash coming from Iceland has certainly made its impact on Cordia.  As I write this blog on Tuesday 20th April at 10.45am, we have 37 staff who are stranded abroad.  We sincerely hope that the ash clouds disperse quickly and that their airline carriers put in place plans to bring them home as soon as safely possible.  In the meantime, it's all hands on deck to cover for our colleagues and my thanks to everyone for their help and support.

One minute we're celebrating the Easter holiday break and the improvement to the weather and the next, we're watching this massive cloud of volcanic dust coming down from Iceland.  As frightening as this is, we also have to consider the resulting travel chaos.  Of course, this may well impact on our staff who are returning from a well-earned Easter break.  Let's hope they all get back safely.

The first of April saw the transfer of Glasgow Cultural Enterprises (which ran Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, City Halls Candleriggs and the old Fruitmarket) to Culture and Sport Glasgow.  From that date we have taken over the operation of all catering and bars in these venues and the existing staff have TUPE transferred to Cordia.  A warm welcome to Ross McKenzie and all his staff and I look forward to visiting the operations in due course.

The Staff Recognition Awards held at the City Chambers was a fantastic night, recognising and celebrating great contributions from staff across the whole organisation.  Our overall winner, Amos Parker, is a janitor at Scotstoun Primary School and unfortunately couldn't attend the awards presentation.  A couple of days later Brendan Murphy and I popped  out to the school to present him with his trophies and certificate.  The Head Teacher was so proud of his achievements that she had gathered the whole senior school to be in attendance.  What a lovely occasion and it's great to get the opportunity to see at first hand the difference our staff make to the lives of individuals and the running of our city.

Well it's the first of April and, all joking aside, it's great to reflect on our first birthday and a really positive performance from all areas of Cordia.

We have exceeded financial targets, acquired more new business than we had expected, won 4 national and international awards for technology, started to see real benefits from the Cordia Way programme and fully bedded down the transfer and creation of one of Scotland's biggest businesses.  None of this could have happened without the support and commitment of our staff.  Although we may be working through turbulent times at the moment, I'm convinced that with everyone's support we will have a strong performance in 2010/11.  Thanks to everybody involved.

I have been really heartened over the last couple of weeks to read reports from two of our senior management team who have been 'back to the floor'.  It is clear that this programme, which is part of the Cordia Way, is having a major impact on our front-line staff who are hosting these visits and working with our senior team, and on the senior managers themselves.  They are building a far greater appreciation of the work that goes on in all our various disciplines at the sharp end.  Keep up the good work!

On the 25th of this month we host our annual staff recognition awards, to be held in the fantastic surroundings of the banqueting hall in the City Chambers.  Preparation is well underway, judging is complete and the finalists have received their notifications and invitations.  For those who have been shortlisted, you can already feel the excitement and anticipation growing.  It's going to be a tense night but a tremendous opportunity to recognise some of the stars within Cordia.

Yesterday morning I attended the official launch of the logo and brand of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.  It's a really impressive piece of work and is based on the three principles of sport - time, distance and measurement.  It's a very strong identity for Glasgow's Games and the start of a really exciting journey over the next 4 and a half years.

Once again our e-Router Blackberry software solution has won a major award.  Last week at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) held in St Andrews, e-Router was the overall winner of the Service Innovation and Improvement category.  This is the most recent in a series of national wins for e-Router and is a testimony to the tremendous skills of our in-house ICT Department.  Congratulations to all - onwards and upwards.

Last week Councillor Ruth Simpson, Chair of the Cordia Board, and I attended the National Conference for the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE).  I had been asked to speak on the formation of the LLP and the issues following it’s implementation on 1^st April 2010.

The LLP structure is clearly seen by many authorities as being innovative and possible solution for their own challenges. I received many expressions of interest for further information – watch this space.

The other day I had a fantastic 'Back to the Floor' experience at EquipU, formerly known as GGILES - our aids and adaptations operation based in Baillieston.  I spent some time out in the field with one of our Technicians, David, installing bathroom fitments in Carluke for one of our partners, South Lanarkshire Council.

I also spent some time with Mick from the Stores section, undertaking stock checks, and in the Recycling section with David.

These three experiences I have found to be enlightening and I am now much more familiar with the range of services that we deliver on a daily basis, the technology we use to support that and the enormous savings we make for our partners because of equipment recycling. 

My thanks to Gerry, Ian and Brian for organising these experiences, which came out of one of the early Cordia Way projects - another great example of their success.

As most people returned to work today amidst the snow covered roads and pavements, it would appear that this weather is here to stay. I’m conscious that over the festive period, many colleagues continued to provide first class services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – irrespective of the weather. My thanks to them and to all staff during the year.

2010 will bring new challenges and I’m confident that we will rise to meet these in the same way as we have done so before. I hope that 2010 will be a good and healthy year for you and your families.
Fergus

Tuesday afternoon 3.45pm Christmas week and it's snowing heavily in Glasgow.  I just wanted to wish all Cordia staff a very happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.  To those of you who are off over this period, I hope you enjoy your break and come back fully refreshed for 2010.  Of course, for many of our staff, who will be providing emergency cover to those most in need, we should not underestimate the importance of continuing to provide these vital services to the most vulnerable in society at this time.

2010 will bring many new challenges to Cordia but for now have a great time over the next two weeks.

The other day I completed the last of 13 meetings with the Change Teams in Phase 2 of the Cordia Way.  The level of enthusiasm from the staff was extraordinary and every time I meet one of the team members as I travel about, they are updating me on how their meetings are going and what projects they have decided to work on; and how they are really enjoying working with colleagues in other parts of the business and learning about the challenges of their jobs.  These encounters confirm to me the success that the Cordia Way is having and I can't wait until all of the projects present their proposals to the Board - it's nice to have these positive thoughts as I look out the window at the rain and wind lashing Glasgow.

I've just returned from Middlefield Residential School in Dowanhill Glasgow, where a retirement presentation was made to Catering Manager Anna Currie.  This was a lovely occasion for a lovely lady, who has dedicated the last 23 years of her life to public service in a very special location.  I had the opportunity to thank Anna for all that she has contributed and it was great to see that she had huge support from colleagues past and present.

Last night Cordia's e-router came second at the British Computer Society Awards, in the category of Best Mobile Product of the Year.  This is a phenomenal achievement and is a great example of the innovative solutions being worked on by our in-house development team and to all those involved in the project.

On Tuesday night Cordia was honoured at the National Business Awards in London, as a finalist in the technology section for our innovative e-router Blackberry operation, which was developed for Home Care.

1200 guests attended the awards dinner at Grosvenor House and, as a finalist, Cordia received a great deal of visibility.  We were treated to speeches from Evan Davis (Dragon's Den presenter) and Alistair Darling (Chancellor of the Exchequer).

Our e-router development has already seen us win many awards this year, and hopefully this will be added to, when tonight, again in London, we will hear if we have won the British Computer Society Mobile Product of the Year Award. 

Here's hoping and I'll keep you posted.

Fergus

This week saw the retiral of David Parry, Head of Operations for FM Services.  I have worked with David for over 27 years and he has made a huge contribution to all the various organisations during that period. 

I have to say that his farewell speech to staff at Blair Court on Monday has to be the most entertaining I have ever seen.  At the end of this he cut up his tie, "discarded" his business clothing and ended up wearing his running gear.  This is a passion of David's and he intends to complete 100 marathons by the age of 55 - quite a feat. 

We thank him for his many years of service and wish him well for the future.

Yesterday Councillor Ruth Simpson, Chair of the Cordia Board, and myself attended a presentation in the City Chambers to recognise the 120 organisations who have already signed up to support the Glasgow Living Wage.  This initiative, launched and led by Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of the Council, guarantees minimum earnings of £7 per hour.

It was a great opportunity to share with other organisations the benefits that the living wage brings to the citizens of Glasgow.

I'm sure this may feature in our next in-house newsletter.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet the first of the Change Teams for Phase 2 of the Cordia Way.  We had a chance to discuss some of the previous ideas which were featured in the staff magazine.

I was very pleased that the level of enthusiasm was as high for Phase 2 as Phase 1.  Over the course of the next 4 weeks I will be meeting with the other 12 teams and I am really excited about some of the ideas which have already been generated.

Encore Hospitality Services, our commercial catering arm, recently won the contract to provide all the banqueting to The Tall Ship, based on the banks of the Clyde. I popped down to meet the client last week and to have a look for myself at this amazing ship. It's a fantastic visitor attraction and well worth going to see. It will eventually be relocated next to the new Maritime Museum which is being built at the moment - you'll see the fantastic structure next to the Clydeside Expressway.

Last week we held the first of two lunches to recognise staff who have given over 25 years of service. The lunch was held in the banqueting Hall of the City Chambers and was a really happy occasion. We were very fortunate in securing the services of the Lord Provost (Cllr Bob Winter) and The Leader of the Council (Cllr Steven Purcell) who both spoke highly of the professionalism of the Cordia staff. A great day with good company, fantastic food and lots of fond memories. 

As we are 400 miles from London and have local Councillors and MSP's representing us, we sometimes wonder how close our MP's are to local issues. Earlier on this week I had a visit from one of Glasgow's MP's and our discussions focussed exclusively on local issues. We discussed everything from school meals to home care and I was impressed by the level of knowledge and interest in what are Glasgow issues. Keep up the good work and fly the flag for Glasgow.

.Next week is the annual conference of ASSIST who represent the FM providers, public and private sector, who deliver services to local authorities. I've been asked to speak on the development of our LLP, the Cordia brand and where we see ourselves growing over the coming years. Feedback from this session will be an important benchmark of our success thusfar. I'm looking forward to the session and the opportunity of hearing some other speakers including Lord Digby Jones (ex Director General CBI ), Colin Mair (CEO of Improvement Service) and Pat Watters (President of COSLA).

.The other day I spent an hour in a meeting with the Care Commission. As we have moved from a department of the Council to Cordia, our registration with the Care Commission had to be reassessed. This meant that they had to determine my 'suitability' to be in charge of such a large care provider. It was a fascinating discussion and one which gave me as an individual a clear perspective of how closely they scrutinise companies who undertake these vital services. The process gave me a great deal of confidence in 'the system' and that can only be a good thing for society.

I spent some time today in a Web Development Forum with colleagues from many parts of the business. It was great to hear their views on the website and to discuss ways in which we can further develop and enhance this important and growing aspect of Cordia's communication and consultation strategy. The Cordia website was developed in a very short period of time and it's now right that we review its' success and where we can make improvements. The ideas flowed at the session and it was great to see so many'non techies' contributing really good ideas. I'm sure you'll all see these develeopments in the weeks ahead.

The other day I had an enlightening experience when one of our part time staff who is in full time study shadowed me for a few hours. It was an opportunity for them to find out what I do and also for me to form a view on young students today. I was enthused by a very positive experience - this individual was so confident, articulate and socially capable. This is not too common for someone of this age and I was really impressed - so much so that it led me to think how we recruit this type of individual into Cordia and what they can bring to the organisation. A number of other Managers had spent some time with this individual and had exactly the same view - I was encouraged - watch this space.

Fergus

Hello

When Brendan Murphy (our Head of ICT and Marketing) started talking to me about blogs I had to quickly stop him and ask a really fundamental question - what is a blog? After a bit of geeky explanation and a quick look around the web I realised that a blog was simply an online diary.

I'm delighted to take the opportunity to write my blog and keep you updated on what I've been up to in my role ensuring that Cordia develops and progresses through ou first year of operation. Over the next while, I'll create regular posts and these will cover meetings, events and my own personal thoughts on things that affect us.

I'll try and blog regularly but bear with me as I'm new to this!

The best way to ensure you're kept up to date with my activities is to sign up for updated blog posts using the RSS button on the right of this page.

But for now, it's time to sign off. Tomorrow morning is an extended senior management meeting and I need to finish some final preparation for it.

Best regards

Fergus.