{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/abm-jacobsen-retirement-president-roles","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/abm-jacobsen-retirement-president-roles.md","title":"ABM COO Rene Jacobsen to Retire as Two Presidents Named","headline":"ABM's Rene Jacobsen to Retire as COO; Richard Sykes and Mark Hawkinson Named Presidents","description":"ABM COO Rene Jacobsen retires after 14 years and hands over to two new presidents, Richard Sykes and Mark Hawkinson, effective November 1, 2026.","section":"Leadership","published_at":"2026-10-28T20:19:19+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-28T20:19:19+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Rene Jacobsen will retire as ABM's chief operating officer and serve as an executive advisor through February 1, 2027.","Richard Sykes, previously president of ABM U.K. & Ireland, becomes President, Facility Solutions, effective November 1, 2026.","Mark Hawkinson, previously president of Technical Solutions, becomes President, Engineering & Infrastructure Solutions on the same date."],"companies":[{"name":"ABM Industries","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000ind/abm-industries","website":"http://abm.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"GlobeNewswire","title":"ABM Announces Executive Leadership Changes","url":"https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/28/3390741/799/en/abm-announces-executive-leadership-changes.html"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Leadership","ABM Industries"],"body_markdown":"ABM chief operating officer Rene Jacobsen will retire after 14 years with the company, and Richard Sykes and Mark Hawkinson will take newly created president roles effective November 1, 2026, [GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/28/3390741/799/en/abm-announces-executive-leadership-changes.html) announced on October 28, 2026. Jacobsen will stay on as an executive advisor through February 1, 2027.\n\n## Jacobsen's Retirement and the Two New President Roles\n\nJacobsen joined [ABM Industries](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000ind/abm-industries) in 2012 as executive vice president of the West Region. He later led the Business & Industry group, which the company describes as its largest segment, and was named chief operating officer in 2020. The company said Jacobsen helped lead ABM through a period of strategic and operating progress, including expansion of its technical capabilities and geographic footprint.\n\nSykes, previously senior vice president and president of ABM U.K. & Ireland, becomes President, Facility Solutions, reporting to President and CEO Scott Salmirs. He will oversee cleaning and maintenance, support and ancillary services, parking and transportation, and landscape across the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland. Sykes joined ABM in 2023 and previously held regional CEO roles across Europe, APAC and the Americas at facility management provider ISS.\n\nHawkinson, previously president of Technical Solutions, becomes President, Engineering & Infrastructure Solutions, also reporting to Salmirs. He will oversee technical services and infrastructure capabilities including engineering, HVAC and mechanical, and energy and power. Hawkinson has held leadership roles at ABM for 20 years, currently overseeing facility infrastructure, mechanical, data centers, microgrids and energy solutions, as well as the ABM Performance Solutions platform.\n\n\"Richard and Mark each bring deep industry experience, proven operational expertise and strong client relationships to these new leadership roles,\" Salmirs said. \"ABM has a strong foundation and a clear roadmap for growth, and these appointments reflect the depth of our leadership team and are well-aligned with our future trajectory.\"\n\nJacobsen said: \"It has been a privilege to serve as COO and to have been part of ABM's story for well over a decade.\"\n\n## ABM's Scale Behind the Leadership Change\n\nAccording to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), ABM has more than 100,000 employees across the US, UK and Ireland and serves over 20,000 clients. The same records list full-year 2025 revenue of $8.7 billion, up 5% from 2024, and Q2 2026 revenue of $2.3 billion, up 8.4% year-over-year. ABM's leadership listing includes Salmirs as president and chief executive officer and Jacobsen as executive vice president and chief operating officer.\n\n## UK Framework Wins Preceded the Appointments\n\nIn October 2026, ABM was appointed to two lots on the UK Government Commercial Agency's Facilities Management and Security Services framework, giving public sector bodies access to its services, Yahoo reported. Earlier that month, Stock Titan reported that ABM extended its partnership with SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater, continuing engineering and janitorial services. In September 2026, Manufacturing Dive reported that ABM opened its Technical Training Center in Boise, Idaho, drawing on its Wgnstar acquisition, with about 500 participants expected annually.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}