MITIE has been named the winner of the ‘Best Innovator’ award at the 2007 Airport Operators Association (AOA) conference, which has just been held in London. 

The awards were presented before an audience of senior executives from the aviation industry to highlight the role of the association’s 150 associate member companies, which include airlines, air traffic services, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, fuel companies, and retailers. The winning title was awarded to MITIE for its fire protection work at Heathrow Terminal 5, who was appointed as the single specialist fire-stopping supplier for the phase one works at T5.

At the same AOA conference MITIE welcomed Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, on to its stand where she met some of the company’s apprentices working at T5 and who are being trained up for management roles in the future. MITIE, whose exhibition stand featured a live Harris Hawk, also won the award for ‘Best Stand Design’, an accolade voted for by the AOA’s delegates.

Charles Aitken, Managing Director for MITIE's fire protection team, commented: “Innovation is an integral part of our work at T5 due to the size and complexity of the passive fire protection project. The wider T5 development has also been hugely innovative in terms of design, construction management, installation and safety. We are delighted to have won this award from the association that represents airports across the UK.” 

Phil Wilbraham, T5 Head of Build at BAA, commented: “We are very pleased that MITIE’s original thinking and resourceful solutions have been recognised by this award. The creative and practical way in which the team confronted the fire protection project means that all users of the building will have the safest experience possible.”

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About MITIE: 

For further information, contact: 

David Revis, Investor Relations and PR Manager, MITIE Group PLC
T: 020 7034 7306, M: 07979 702465, E: david.revis@mitie.co.uk 

Donna Fooks-Bale, Communications Manager, MITIE Property Services
T: 01454 275880, M: 07920 298127, E: donna.fooks-bale@mitie.co.uk 

For general information about the company’s activities please visit:
www.mitiepropertyservices.co.uk
www.mitie.co.uk

Notes for editors: 

About MITIE 

Delivering quality services to our customers has made MITIE one of the UK’s leading support services companies, delivering Facilities, Engineering and Property Services.

MITIE motivates people to deliver successfully; we employ more than 44,000 people, making us one of the largest employers in the UK. We ensure our 6,500 public and private sector clients are satisfied with their service delivery by recruiting and retaining the best people. MITIE’s unique share ownership ethos ‘Management Incentive Through Investment Equity’ (MITIE) encourages our employees to focus on delivering what our customers want. 

MITIE provides all of the Facilities Services that organisations may wish to outsource including Catering, Cleaning, Document Management, Front of House Services, Energy Services, Engineering Maintenance, Facilities Management, Landscaping, Grounds Maintenance, Pest Control, Security and Waste and Environmental Services. MITIE also offers Engineering and Property Services, improving buildings for its customers by providing Building Refurbishment, Fit-Out and Maintenance Services, together with Mechanical & Electrical Engineering. 

Our success in delivering sustainable growth, through responsible and proactive engagement with stakeholders, has enabled us to become a FTSE 250 company achieving annual revenues of over £1.2bn, with a national coverage that delivers locally.