Leadership interview series: Donna Constance

Our CORE Leadership Series gives a voice to exceptional leaders shaping the industry today.

Here, we are speaking with Donna Constance, Managing Director at Atlas Education. 

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your role and the mission of Atlas Education?

I’m the Managing Director for Education at Atlas, and my role is rooted in a very personal belief: schools should be places where children feel safe, cared for and able to thrive.

Growing up on a council estate in the Valleys, we had little money and life at home was tough, so school wasn’t just about learning for me, it was about warmth, safety and stability. That experience has stayed with me and shaped how I lead today. At Atlas Education, our mission is to create clean, safe, healthy environments that actively support learning and safeguarding.

We don’t see FM as a background service. In schools, it’s part of the fabric of care.

What motivates you most in your work as a business leader?

What motivates me is knowing that the work we do quietly impacts children every single day.

Clean classrooms, safe corridors, trusted adults on site, those things might seem operational, but they influence how children feel and how they learn. I’ve always believed that values aren’t something you talk about; they’re something you practise daily.

Seeing our teams take pride in that responsibility is incredibly fulfilling.

How has your leadership philosophy evolved over time?

My leadership style has always naturally been empathy-led, with the element of driving high performance enhancing with growing responsibilities.

I started my career as a cleaner, moved through payroll, recruitment, marketing and other sectors before arriving here. That journey taught me that every role matters — and that leadership isn’t about hierarchy, it’s about how you show up.

I’ve learned to lead by listening, by sharing the “why”, and by creating spaces where people feel genuinely valued. Inclusion, to me, isn’t a policy it’s a feeling.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing FM in education today?

One of the biggest challenges is balancing pressure, financial, operational, regulatory; without losing sight of the human impact.

In education FM, safeguarding isn’t optional and standards can’t be treated as tick-box exercises. My philosophy has always been; don’t just meet the standard, exceed it.

Children rely on these environments being safe and clean, and that responsibility has to sit at the heart of every decision we make.

How do you balance commercial performance with staff wellbeing and culture?

I genuinely believe the two are inseparable.

Our people are often the same faces children see every day. When teams feel heard, supported and respected, that consistency becomes part of the school’s safeguarding culture.

I’ve always tried to build environments where everyone sits at the same table, everyone brings value, and leadership is visible through action, not just words.

Have you had to make difficult decisions as a leader?

Yes, and often quietly.

Leading with values sometimes means holding your ground when not everyone sees the vision straight away. There have been moments where I’ve had to make tough calls to protect standards, integrity or safety.

I don’t shy away from those decisions, because in education especially, the stakes are too high not to act with clarity and courage.

What leadership lesson has stayed with you throughout your career?

I’ve always worked as though I was in the pay grade above, not out of ego, but out of ownership.

I don’t lead with “I can’t”. I believe we create our careers; they don’t dictate us. That mindset has shaped how I lead teams, encouraging agency, confidence and pride in contribution.

Leadership, for me, is about enabling others to believe what’s possible for themselves.

What legacy do you hope to leave — for Atlas and for the FM industry?

I hope Atlas Education is known as a business that led with heart, integrity and purpose.

More broadly, I’d like the industry to fully recognise that clean, safe schools are not a luxury, they’re fundamental to learning, wellbeing and safeguarding.

If my journey shows anything, I hope it’s that values are not a branding exercise. They are the engine of culture, performance and trust.