Johnson Controls appoints new Project Operations Manager for SA

BUSINESS

Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions has appointed Yasas Jayakody to their team as its South African Project Operations Manager.  In this position Jayakody will lead the Variable Projects Team, which consists of experienced project managers working on projects of varying size and scope at Johnson Controls South Africa.

Upon completion of his BSc in Construction Management through the University of the Witwatersrand, he gained experience with two renowned companies locally, and in the United Kingdom and Dubai. Currently Jayakody is completing his MBA in Real Estate and Construction through UK based Reading University.

“What attracted me to Johnson Controls as a global company, is their vast network of clients and presence in many locations.  I wanted to be part of this larger picture, as well as be part of the Variable Projects Team that operates across the various facilities management (FM) accounts that are in the Johnson Controls portfolio. I could see that it has a lot of potential for growth in South Africa and the possibility of expansion into the rest of Africa,” says Jayakody.

Jayakody, although locally based, he is part of an EMEA wide acting project Team and reports to the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Project Director Daniel Liebgen.  

Part of his duties as leader of the Variable Projects Team is to act as the point of contact for any project-related business in South Africa. This includes internal contact with the senior management team and existing accounts, as well as working very closely with the FM teams on existing FM projects. For Johnson Controls’ clients, it means that all the members working on their team have the same goal in mind and are able to deliver a smooth, seamlessly handed over turnkey project.  On an external level Jayakody will be building relationships with new customers throughout Africa.

Says Jayakody on his plans for his portfolio: “I will continue supporting our existing clients with service that not only meets, but exceeds their expectations.  I will lead and support my team to champion the growth of new accounts that have potential to become FM accounts and engage with all relevant stakeholders from an early stage. Our key priority is ‘customer focus’ - we have been doing this well and will continue to do so.”