ABM, a leading global provider of facility, engineering, and infrastructure solutions, has strengthened its transport and aviation leadership with the appointment of Kelly Parish as Vice President, Transport & Aviation for the UK and Ireland. The move signals a strategic escalation of ABM’s ambitions across the aviation ecosystem and the wider transport landscape at a time of sustained growth and sector transformation.
Parish succeeds Jim Niblock, Managing Director for Transport & Aviation, who is retiring after an influential career spanning more than three decades. Under Niblock’s leadership, ABM expanded its aviation footprint to serve 17 airports and more than 40 airlines, establishing the company as one of the most trusted service integrators in the region.
A Strategic Leadership Shift to Fuel ABM’s Growth
Bringing over 15 years of experience in aviation, transport, and integrated facilities management, Parish joins ABM from her previous role as Director of Transport and Aviation at Mitie. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for ABM, which is actively enhancing its end-to-end service proposition across the aviation value chain and increasing its focus on multimodal transport integration.
In her new role, Parish will steer ABM’s growth agenda, supporting the company’s strategic expansion across transport hubs, airports, logistics environments, and customer-facing mobility infrastructure.
Strengthening ABM’s Position Across Aviation and Transport
ABM continues to broaden its service offering across the aviation sector. Its portfolio spans cabin secure cleaning, ground handling, special assistance, facilities management, engineering, bussing, airside logistics, security, and passenger experience solutions—positioning the company as a comprehensive service partner to airports and airlines.
Earlier this year, ABM deepened its partnership with Edinburgh Airport, securing a major contract to deliver integrated facilities management solutions. Such wins reinforce ABM’s growing influence as operators seek unified, tech-enabled service models tailored to rising passenger volumes, sustainability goals, and operational efficiency demands.
Parish’s leadership is expected to play a decisive role in extending these capabilities into the wider transport sector—where rail operators, mobility infrastructure providers, and logistics players are increasingly seeking specialised, integrated service solutions.
Leadership Perspectives
Richard Sykes, Senior Vice President and President of ABM UK and Ireland, emphasised the strategic significance of the appointment:
“Kelly joins us at a pivotal time in our company’s history. Her extensive industry credentials will ensure we continue to deepen ABM’s presence in our chosen sectors while evolving our world-class service. As we welcome Kelly, we also recognise the remarkable contribution of Jim Niblock, whose leadership has shaped ABM’s aviation success story.”
Sharing her vision for the role, Kelly Parish added:
“ABM’s reputation for excellence, innovation, and customer focus is truly impressive. I’m energised by the company’s growth trajectory and the opportunity to accelerate expansion across the transport sector. ABM’s core values—respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence—strongly align with my own. I look forward to working with our teams and partners to help define the future of transport and aviation services across the UK.”
A Forward-Focused Move for the Aviation Ecosystem
Parish’s appointment highlights a broader trend shaping the aviation and transport industries: the rising importance of integrated service leadership, resilience-building, and sustainability-oriented transformation. As airports and transport networks navigate digitalisation, labour optimisation, and operational complexity, ABM’s strengthened leadership structure positions it to meet evolving customer demands while shaping future mobility solutions.
