I’m writing this on National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day. Apparently, the use of fermented fish dates all the way back to Ancient Rome — but really, who was the first person who thought anchovies belonged on a pizza? Was it Redro?

Scott Gimple, writer of The Walking Dead, once said: “You can do irrefutably impossible things with the right amount of planning and support from intelligent and hardworking people — and pizza.” I’ve never watched The Walking Dead, but Mr. Gimple clearly knows what he’s talking about.

In Facilities Management, we occasionally share pizzas together. I enjoy the pizza but even more so, I enjoy hearing what everyone is up to and how they are doing. It’s these moments — over a slice of pizza — that remind me how much can be achieved with the right people around the table. And for sure we have the right people! 

Looking back over the past year, there’s much to be proud of in Facilities Management. We’ve had many successful sustainability activations with staff and students, the energy efficiency programme continues to expand, with solar installations, LED retrofits, and smarter building management systems helping to reduce our carbon footprint. The Campus Renewal Programme is doing very well with exciting developments in the Central Campus Renewal Project.  Our security measures and people are working very effectively, and security trends remain stable. 

When I look at some of the things we have considered and implemented and especially the digitalisation projects we are developing, then I think we have our own “Redros” who have been daring enough to think beyond the expected and willing to take a leap into leading edge technology efforts. 

As we close the year, I want to acknowledge the hard work across our Facilities Management division in 2025. It’s been a year of high pressure, growing demands and important reflection on how we operate. 

As Scott Gimple says — you can do impossible things with planning, teamwork, and the right amount of pizza.