Meet Maddy Bishop, our Office Manager extraordinaire

While our team of environmental specialists are often setting out across the UK to manage asbestos reports, test for legionella, and conduct fire door inspections, it is crucial that they always have a stable base to come back to. It is Maddy Bishop, our Office Manager, who maintains that order, so let’s hear a bit more about her role and how she keeps the Summit machine well-oiled.

How did you get started at Summit?

Maddy joined Summit Environmental in September 2023 as an Office Administrator, supporting the business with enquiries, quotations and day-to-day coordination. Working closely with our technical teams, she quickly developed a deep understanding of how strong office management underpins effective asbestos management, legionella control, and fire risk management across the buildings our clients are responsible for.

As Summit has grown, so too has Maddy’s role. Today, she sits within senior management, overseeing office operations, supervising staff, and acting as a central point of contact between surveyors, contractors, and clients.

“I’m mainly operations and management now. I oversee the staff, organise diaries and make sure everything is running smoothly. It’s grown a lot from where I started.”

For our clients, this behind-the-scenes coordination is critical. It ensures surveys, inspections, and remedial works are delivered accurately, on time, and with minimal disruption to the people using your buildings.

What does your day to day look like?

Maddy’s day starts early, and even before she gets to the office, she is keeping an eye on the teams who are already out on site delivering asbestos surveys, legionella risk assessments, and fire door inspections.

“The site guys start earlier than me, so I have my phone on from eight. If there are any access issues or problems getting on site, I’ll pick that up and liaise with clients, contractors or escalate the issue.”

From there, her responsibilities span enquiries, key account management, financial oversight and quality control.

“I look at anything outstanding from the previous day, support the admin team with higher-level work, and manage our biggest clients to make sure all their projects are up to date.”

She also oversees expenses, invoicing, credit control and weekly KPI reviews.

“We have weekly calls to make sure everything’s on track. It’s a lot rolled into one day, but it means nothing slips through the cracks.”

This level of coordination is essential to delivering compliant asbestos management, legionella control, and fire risk management for complex property portfolios.

How do you maintain relationships with the guys on the ground?

For Maddy, maintaining strong relationships with Summit’s surveyors, analysts and contractors goes far beyond emails and phone calls. It’s about creating a culture where people understand each other’s roles and feel supported, whether they’re in the office or out on site.

“We’ve got a really close-knit culture. Everyone knows what Summit’s goals are, and everyone is very good at supporting each other if they’re able to.”

Day to day, Maddy stays closely connected to site teams, helping resolve issues quickly and acting as a bridge between office systems and on-the-ground realities.

“If the guys have issues getting on site or need help with access or scheduling, I’ll pick that up and liaise with whoever I need to, whether that’s clients, contractors or Mark.”

However, a big part of relationship-building happens during Summit’s regular staff training and team days, which are designed to break down barriers between roles and help everyone understand how their work fits into the bigger picture of building safety and risk management.

“Every month the team gets together and we’ll do something. Sometimes it’s training-based and sometimes it’s more team-building, but it always brings everyone together.”

One of the most impactful initiatives has been encouraging staff to learn about each other’s roles.

“At our Christmas Teams Day, everyone had to do a five-minute presentation about their job and then five minutes about something they do outside of work. It was such a good way of understanding what everyone actually does.”

For office-based staff, this insight into asbestos, legionella and fire safety work carried out on site is invaluable. However, the team days also remove hierarchy, helping staff connect as people rather than job titles.

“We did paddle tennis earlier in the year, and it didn’t matter if you were new or in management. Everyone was just on the same level, playing a game and having fun.”

Alongside technical learning, Summit also invests in personal development and wellbeing, reinforcing a culture of care.

“We’ve had sessions on public speaking, mental health awareness, and even financial planning. It’s not just about work, it’s about helping people progress in life as well.”

This combination of open communication, shared learning and mutual respect helps ensure projects run smoothly and standards remain high. We aim to build up this company culture so that our clients can enjoy better coordination, fewer errors, and consistent delivery across asbestos management, legionella control and fire safety services.

You’re looking for someone to join your team. What do you look for in an Office Administrator?

Attention to detail is non-negotiable.

“Given the nature of the jobs we do, it’s about saving lives. People need to really care about their work and understand why what they’re doing matters.”

Maddy looks for people who can assess information critically rather than simply passing it on.

“They can’t just think, ‘that’ll be fine’. They need to analyse it and question it if something doesn’t look right.”

The role also offers long-term development opportunities.

“I want someone who wants to learn, liaise with other departments, and build up their knowledge over time. There’s a lot of scope to grow if you’re willing to put the work in.”

This structured, hands-on training approach supports Summit’s wider commitment to excellence in property management and building safety.

Effective building safety starts behind the scenes, with experienced office management ensuring every asbestos, legionella and fire safety project is delivered correctly and compliantly.

For expert support to maintain the safety of your facilities, get in touch with Summit Environmental today.

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