Of all the routes into the commercial cleaning industry, Brian Higham’s may be the least expected. He spent three decades in financial services, but listen to him talk about standards, performance and people, and the connection makes perfect sense.
Brian achieved a BTEC National Diploma in Business & Finance, extended over three years at college to cover information technology, followed by further studies in Economic History. His career took him into consumer finance, where he rose to a senior position at Provident Financial and spent 30 years in senior management, working to FCA compliance standards. At Provident, he was responsible for 138 employees, leading recruitment, performance management and KPIs. He’s an expert at getting the best out of a large team, measured week in, week out.
Oculus invited Brian in during late 2024 as an administrator within the cleaning division. What won him over was the welcome. Everyone he met at interview seemed positive and genuinely pleased to be there. What Oculus got in return was immediate. By applying the people-management and performance disciplines built over 30 years, Brian improved performance and delivery across the division. Today he leads it as Cleaning Operations Director.
His focus is business retention and delivery, communicating with clients so they feel assured that Oculus is supporting their business and not just cleaning their buildings. Ask him what separates a truly professional cleaning operation from an average one. His answer is characteristically direct:
“The standards you set, the values you hold, and a service delivered to the highest quality – every time.”
Since joining, he is most proud of taking the cleaning division’s profitability and sustainability to record highs. He’s clear about where the industry is heading, away from mop-and-bucket delivery and towards solutions built on new technology and machinery that produce better results for clients. That takes investment and, in Brian’s view, it’s exactly that investment that keeps opening new opportunities for Oculus.
Away from work, Brian is a devoted Evertonian. He’s happiest watching Everton, a passion he shares with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whom he’s met on numerous occasions.
30 years of managing people and performance, now applied to keeping buildings clean and clients confident. The industry may be new, but Brian’s high standards aren’t.
