Industry Panel: AI in the Cleaning Sector – Embracing Change
AI is here to stay but how can it be utilized to best serve a largely people-based industry? This expert panel will consider AI in all its guises and discuss how it can best be employed to enhance the FM, cleaning and hygiene sectors.
Session Speakers
Vanessa Goddess is a marketing strategist with 25+ years' experience, leveraging daily AI integration across Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Co Pilot for campaign development and strategic analysis.
Vanessa is Google AI-certified, creating operational frameworks and training materials for AI-enhanced marketing workflows, and is actively engaged with AI professional communities, translating technical capabilities into practical business applications and measurable productivity gains
Heather Downes is Head of Innovation and Product Development at Mitie, where she leads the strategy, development and deployment of innovative products, technologies and operational solutions across the business. With a focus on digital transformation, robotics, data intelligence, and service innovation, she works at the intersection of customer needs, operational excellence and commercial growth. Heather is responsible for identifying new opportunities, accelerating adoption of emerging technologies and delivering scalable solutions that improve efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and customer outcomes. Heather is passionate about transforming traditional service models into intelligent, data-led operations that create long-term competitive advantage and measurable business value.
Merci Marosi is the Co-Founder of Bubble Duck, a creative agency renowned for transforming digital marketing in the cleaning sector. Passionate about innovation, Merci focuses on integrating AI-driven strategies to enhance client success and engagement. Her work empowers businesses to embrace technology, fostering growth and adaptability in an evolving industry landscape.
Ceris Burns is Managing Director of CBAi and a CPD-accredited AI trainer specialising in practical AI adoption for cleaning and facilities management. With more than 20 years' experience working exclusively in essential industries, she helps organisations move beyond AI experimentation towards deliberate, ROI-driven implementation. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Environmental Cleaner, Ceris has worked with leading international organisations and industry bodies including ISS, GOJO, Mitie, Genesis Biosciences, and i-team Global. She founded CBAi to address a critical gap: businesses want to adopt AI but don't know where to start, how to prioritise or what readiness actually looks like, and her work gives them the frameworks to find out.
With over 20 years in the cleaning and facilities management sectors, Kevin has dedicated his career to operational excellence, innovation and business improvement.
Currently, as Head of Cleaning at Sodexo, his goal is to establish the business as the industry leader, leveraging sustainability, innovation and technology to shape the future of cleaning.
