iQ Student Accommodation
Darren Hicks is a seasoned professional in health and safety with extensive experience across various sectors, including building safety, leisure, and hospitality. As co-founder of the Building & Fire Safety Forum since August 2023, Darren collaborates with industry leaders to address regulatory changes and safety standards. Serving as Health & Safety Director at iQ Student Accommodation since January 2021, responsibilities include compliance with the Building Safety Act and designing safety case systems. Previously, Darren held significant roles such as Fire, Health & Safety Consultant for the Property, Leisure & Hospitality sectors, Chair and Co-founder of the Leisure Expert Panel, Operations Director at Chiltern Consulting, and Head of Safety at Virgin Active, among others. Darren's career began in the British Army and has encompassed various operational management roles focused on risk assessment and safety management.
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iQ Student Accommodation
Every day, iQ Student Accommodation provides the best home-from-home environment from which 28,000 university students can confidently make the most of the opportunities open to them. We believe that the right setting helps them to learn, flourish and to make the most of their time at university. As one of the largest providers of student accommodation in the UK, we operate 67 sites in 27 locations, with our most recent development having just opened in Glasgow City Centre. Our residents join us from all over the UK and from over 120 different nations. We put students first – delivering a range of safe, well-located and high quality accommodation. We believe that the right environment is important in how students experience university – not just through the quality of their rooms or the proximity to the university campus, but in the way students feel whilst they are living in the accommodation. This belief is at the centre of the business, and we build the student experience around it. We make it as easy as possible for students to make new friends by creating a sense of community through building design, leisure facilities, events and shared study and relaxation spaces. Parents have peace of mind knowing that we provide safe, comfortable and well-maintained environments for their children, including having management or security staff onsite around the clock. We are a more than 550-strong team, with headquarters in London and Manchester, and we are proud of our commitment to developing truly customer-centric teams – it’s why are so focused on building a winning team and culture, and investing in innovative training. Our dedicated site teams across the UK mean that we have a deep local understanding of our markets. With unrivalled training and passionate teams who enjoy having fun, it’s a very exciting time to join us.