Facilities management has spent years accumulating new responsibilities. In 2026, the question is no longer what the role is expected to cover but whether organisations have the leadership and culture to deliver on all of it at once. Ahead of his session at FM Today and Tomorrow 2026, Ronan McDonnell, Operations Director at SOS Group, shared what separates the organisations embracing that shift from those falling behind.

For McDonnell, 2026 is the year integrated thinking becomes non-negotiable. "Technology, sustainability, workplace experience and resilience are increasingly interconnected, and each has a direct impact on how effectively a building or service performs. Most organisations understand the direction of travel. The real difference is in execution." Introducing technology only creates value when it improves visibility, supports the workforce, or enables better decisions. Sustainability demands the same integration. "It has to become part of everyday operational thinking rather than sit alongside it as a separate objective."

On why a room that brings together FM providers, occupiers, workplace leaders, and technology specialists matters, McDonnell is direct. "Facilities management works best when challenges are considered from more than one perspective." When those views come together, ideas get tested against operational reality. "The strongest outcomes are achieved when clients and service partners have a shared understanding of what they are trying to achieve. That is increasingly where FM is heading: away from transactional relationships and towards genuine partnerships built around shared outcomes."

Asked what the FM leader of 2027 looks like, McDonnell is clear that operational credibility remains the foundation. "You cannot lead strategically if you do not understand how services actually work on the ground." What is changing is breadth. Leaders need fluency across data, technology, sustainability, and commercial performance, while remaining capable of bringing people with them. "FM is fundamentally a people business, and judgement, communication and leadership will become more important, not less."

His prediction for the year ahead is equally grounded. "I think we will have seen a significant move from collecting operational information to using it far more effectively in decision-making." FM leaders will increasingly be expected to interpret data and recommend next steps, not simply report what has happened.

After more than 30 years in the industry, what draws him back to events like this is simple. "What I enjoy most is the openness of the FM community. Events like this give people an opportunity to share what is working, speak honestly about what is not and hear how others may be approaching the same issue differently. Those conversations are often where the most useful ideas come from."

Ronan McDonnell will be speaking at FM Today and Tomorrow 2026 on 4th November at the Crowne Plaza, Santry. Full details and registration are available at fmawards.ie/conference, and subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed on speaker announcements and agenda updates.