06/08/26
The people behind Peartree: Nichola Underwood
Julie Francis is a Divisional Director for Peartree Cleaning Services where she manages contracts across the Midlands, the North and Scotland. In her 36 years in the cleaning industry Julie has held a number of different roles and believes that the strong family values at Peartree, and their supportive culture has enabled her to deliver improvements for both clients and her team.
My journey in the cleaning industry began 36 years ago, as a part-time cleaner. Since then, I’ve made the most of our thriving industry and had many different roles across a range of contracts. I joined Peartree in 2013, as the Site Manager at Selfridges Manchester Exchange and was promoted to Regional Director in 2022, and then Divisional Director in 2023. I currently manage over 100 contracts across the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland, and have operational responsibility for seven managers.
In my role, no two days are the same. I’m constantly learning and trying to identify new innovations to help our industry and improve working practices. My job is essentially to build relationships with our clients and colleagues – delivering service excellence for our contracts and providing support for my team.
I love how flexible my job is, I have the autonomy to plan my diary and make sure that every week is different. Of course, there are challenges and moments when it’s all hands on deck, but we can handle anything when we work as a team.
The industry has changed so much since I started my career. When I worked as a cleaning operative nearly forty years ago all of the products we used came in 5 litre containers, but there’s been a huge shift to environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. At Peartree, we’ve switched to sustainable powder sachets for all of our core cleaning products.
Peartree’s strong family values are really important to me. All of my managers have come from the shop floor so they really understand the requirements of the job. I think it’s really important to nurture the next generation – if I spot potential in my team I’ll encourage them to progress their career. I’m always on the lookout for my replacement!
Stuart Conroy – Commercial Director comments: “Ever since Julie started with us in 2013 she immediately embraced all that we stand for as a company, and has made the most out of our personal development and training opportunities. She maintains collaborative, honest relationships with everyone she works with and has used her vast skillset to deliver improvements for our clients and operational staff.”
