Alex Magee, Programme Chair for Facilities & Building Services Management at ATU Sligo, has been announced as a speaker at FM Today and Tomorrow 2026. A Fellow of the IWFM with three decades of experience across FM, building services and asset management, Alex leads ATU Sligo's honours degree in the discipline and also sits on the conference's Advisory Committee.

Speaking ahead of the event, Alex said the pressures facing the sector are now converging. "What makes 2026 different is that technology, sustainability, workplace experience and resilience can no longer be treated as separate priorities," he said. "FM is becoming far more strategic, and organisations that continue to see it mainly as a reactive or operational function will find it harder to keep pace."

Looking ahead twelve months, he expects data and digital tools to move from discussion into everyday practice across maintenance, energy, compliance and investment planning. However, he cautioned that adoption alone is not the goal. "The real challenge will not simply be adopting more technology, but making sure FM professionals have the skills and confidence to interpret the information properly, question it where necessary and turn it into better operational and strategic decisions."

That emphasis on capability carries into his view of future leadership. "The FM leader of 2027 will need to be commercially aware, technically confident and very people focused," he said, adding that judgement, communication and leadership will remain essential as technology grows in importance.

Alex also highlighted the value of bringing providers, occupiers, workplace leaders, sustainability teams and technology specialists together. "You move beyond individual issues and start looking at how buildings perform, how people experience them, where investment is needed and how better decisions can be made across the whole lifecycle of an asset."

For Alex, these exchanges also inform how the next generation of FM professionals is prepared, linking what is happening in industry with what is taught in the classroom.

FM Today and Tomorrow 2026 runs from 9:00 to 15:00 at the Crowne Plaza, Santry, on Wednesday 4 November, with four themed sessions covering technology and AI, workplace experience, sustainability and retrofit, and leadership and skills. Early Bird booking closes on 9 October.

To book your place, visit https://fmawards.ie/conference