This week in our “5 Questions with…” series, we put the spotlight on Steve Vincent, Head of Property & Facilities at Gill Group. Steve gets engaged and excited because of the diversity of the property portfolio that he manages. Read his story to find out what interests him the most at Gill Group and how his role will evolve in the near future.
Q.1 – What excites you most about Gill and your role here?
What excites me most about Gill is the contrast and balance between people and process. I spent a large part of my career in education, an environment that is deeply people‑centric, relationship‑driven and community‑focused. Moving into a business that is highly process‑ and data‑driven has been both challenging and energising, and I find that blending those two cultures delivers the best outcomes.
My role is particularly engaging because of the diversity of the property portfolio I manage. Each site has its own challenges, risks and opportunities. Managing that variety – while ensuring compliance, reliability and future readiness – keeps the role dynamic and allows property and facilities to genuinely support business performance rather than sit in the background.
Q.2 – You are relatively new to this industry. What interests you most?
What continues to interest me is how property and facilities can move beyond “keeping the lights on” and actively influence organisational success within the Gill group. Planned works, a reliable infrastructure and efficient services have a direct impact on productivity, safety, wellbeing and culture.
Continuous improvement, whether it’s completing work on live production sites, improving compliance, optimising assets, or driving value through external partnerships, there’s always scope to do things better. Many aspects of my role partner with the culture at Gill, where quality, innovation, adaptability and exceptional service is at the heart of everything we do.
Q.3 –How do you see technology impacting your role over the next 5 years?
Let’s forget the AI route, that’s too scary.
Manufacturing is evolving to become more agile, data‑driven and resilient. There’s a shift toward the smarter use of data to improve efficiency, quality and decision‑making across the whole operation — not just on the production line.
Supply‑chain disruption over recent years has highlighted the importance of reliable infrastructure, well‑maintained facilities and adaptable sites that can respond quickly to change.
Manufacturers such as Gill will continue to grow as they invest not only in technology, but also in their people and workplaces -creating environments that are safe, efficient and capable of supporting innovation and change.
Q.4 – Who has inspired you most throughout your career, and what did you learn from them?
The person who has inspired me most throughout my career is Mr Nigel Groves, Vice Principal at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College. He took a chance on me early on, initially as a part‑time member of staff, and over time promoted me three times through the organisation to Director level.
What made his leadership so influential was the trust he placed in me. He gave me the space to learn, allowed me to make mistakes, and encouraged me to understand why decisions were made not simply to accept them. He actively welcomed challenge, provided support when it mattered, and gave me opportunities well beyond my comfort zone.
Under his leadership, I was trusted to lead several multi‑million‑pound capital projects on live sites, experiences that shaped my confidence, judgement and leadership style. The lesson I took from this was clear: when people are trusted, supported and challenged in the right way, they grow — and so do the organisations they work for.
Q.5 – Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people.
When I was at school, I wanted to be a pilot. Due to a combination of circumstances, that career path never quite happened, but my passion for aviation has never left me.
Over the years, I’ve spent many hours flying single‑engined private aircraft and have also dedicated time in a Boeing 737 flight simulator. Aviation continues to fascinate me not just for the experience of flying, but for the discipline, precision and reliance on systems, procedures and teamwork. Just waiting for the moment when someone says “is there anyone on board who can fly a plane”.
