I’m Cathy Ridley, founder and Group Chairman of MovePlan. Before I entered the world of business, I left my native Yorkshire to work as a long-haul stewardess with British Airways, allowing me to travel the world for four years as a 747-cabin crew member. This was wonderful training in service and a fabulous insight into the cultures of other countries – both of which were critically important when it came to running MovePlan. 

Today, I live in London. I still love to travel but I like to balance it with spending time with my family, doing yoga and learning to play golf. 

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

Inspiration came via redundancy. When I ended my flying career, I secured a job as a personal assistant at a prestigious London advertising agency. When the business moved into new, upmarket premises, I co-ordinated the project. Having gained a distinct appreciation of how stressful and time consuming it can be to organise a relocation whilst dealing with business as usual, I decided to use my newly acquired experience to start my own business. There was no end goal at the time, just a typically female decision to pursue an independent career whilst starting a family.  

Today, I have a clear goal of leading the MovePlan Group to be the highest quality provider of move and change management services, on an international scale.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

We are a somewhat unique business in our industry. By blending move and change management, we have carved a niche for ourselves that competitors tend not to be able to compete with. Most competitors offer a plethora of real estate services, or management consultancy, with move logistics or change management comprising just a small part, whereas for us, they are core competencies. This allows us to focus our time and effort on honing our procedures and ensuring they are rigorously implemented, with consistency of service on an international scale. That international presence has also been a key differentiator. We have grown at the invitation of our clients who like the way we do things and encouraged us to open operations overseas. 

I like to think of us as an alternative provider with rigorous procedures but the flexibility to work with virtually any business. Our size and structure enable both of these qualities.   

What plans do you have for MovePlan over the next 1, 5, 10 years?

One year

The immediate future is recovery! Like many businesses, the pandemic led to projects being put on hold and decision-making stalled. We are confident, however, that demand for change management will only increase as things open up due to new approaches to ways of working. Even prior to the pandemic, we saw an increase in this particular service line such that it now accounts for 35% of our global turnover. 

Looking ahead, from 2022 our goal will be to further strengthen our change management offering.  We will continue to grow our established bases in Europe, Asia and the US and we will look to consolidate our more recently established bases on the West Coast of America and Canada. 

Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

Plenty - but often you only realise it on reflection.  And happily, all those moments have turned out well. If you don’t have any you’d never learn or grow. I think of running the business like walking a tightrope.  Keep going and don’t look down, the wire doesn’t seem as high as it did at the outset.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a business owner? 

This is a massive question but if I have to put it down to one, the answer to many problems usually lies in the numbers. You can’t afford not to interpret financial results/sales data etc., it’s boring but true and absolutely drilled into me on my entrepreneurship course at the London Business School in 1986.

What’s the single most important decision that you made, that contributed to your business?

Again, there have been so many but one of the stand-out decisions was to open an office in Asia. Many international clients stem from relationships initially developed in Singapore or Hong Kong. I can think of many clients who initially engaged with us in Singapore and went on to use us as their partners all over the world. Asia also helped us get back on our feet after the global financial crash when our UK business was severely affected. The Asian businesses helped to replace turnover that was lost during the recession.

You have run your business for over 30 years. What do you think gives a brand longevity?

Unquestionably it’s people and their ability to deliver first class service. A client once asked me what the secret to recruiting our team was. Rather like breaking into a stick of rock to see what’s hidden inside, he wished he could see the secret ingredient that runs through them all – a pretty wonderful compliment coming from someone in one of the world’s most successful financial institutions.

In what ways will the pandemic impact your industry over the short, medium and long term?

The biggest impact the pandemic will have on the industry of the workplace is refocusing the emphasis from the company to the employee. Flexibility and choice have been ingrained into work culture over the course of the pandemic and that will have a significant impact on businesses’ real estate, culture, and employee experience decisions. 

In the short term our clients are facing the challenge of preparing for the return to office while accommodating for the various stages of restrictions being lifted, all while adapting to the ‘new normal’. It will take time for the industry to find a happy medium, which balances the needs and wants of the employee with government guidance. 

This push towards flexibility has, however, allowed us to catch up with the potential and possibilities created by technology. More choice, and disruption, enabled in no small part by communication tools, is allowing employers and employees to be more creative in their approach to work – creating vast opportunities to innovate and change the way they operate. As a result, companies like MovePlan should be central in supporting businesses in mastering their change.

Why is change management such a hot topic right now?

No one wants to miss a trick for future opportunities, nor do they want to get it wrong. Change management is the bridge between the strategy and actually implementing new working dynamics - without it, the process is immeasurably more difficult. 

As the focus shifts to the employee experience and wellbeing, ensuring that everyone, at every level of a business, is clear on the why/what/when and how of this shift and understands the goals and benefits is key to success. Change management is the mechanism by which that understanding is achieved, and its importance cannot be understated.

What is the value of effective change management for the c-suite, middle management and employees?

Properly implemented change management gives the C-suite, middle management, and employees a seat at the table. It gives leadership teams a platform to enact their vision and strategy in a structured way. It enables middle management to communicate change more effectively to the employees, in turn ensuring that those employees feel engaged and involved. 

Ultimately, it is important to look at the value of effective change management holistically. Senior leaders need assurance that the business objectives are being met, whilst employees need to be valued and heard. Middle management is a key group that bind these two together, bringing me back to my point on why change management gives everyone a place at the table.

What does the future of the office look like?

Choice, choice, choice! One size does not fit all and so every organisation needs to take stock of its individual goals and culture, as well as the evolving demands of their employees to ensure the right approach. There will be a long transitionary period of flexibility as we really settle on the future of work and test what people actually want from their professional environments - inside and outside of the office.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to say for sure where the chips will land. The office has taken a brave step into the big world. The possibilities are endless, but we must be aware of the risks as we forge ahead and take careful considerations to ensure the future of work, works for everyone.