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Many people would seem tense at such a time. Not Garry Metcalfe. Having just announced the management buyout (mbo) of ABB ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Systems (UK), he is displaying an impressive sense of calm satisfaction and confidence.

His manner is even more striking given that there are no venture capitalists involved. He is both md and one of only three current shareholders in Inviron, the new firm that has been created by the mbo.

"Different people react in different ways," he muses. "It's a bit like if you ran into trouble on an airliner, you'd hope that the pilot, in spite of all the problems going on, is still rational enough to think about bringing the plane down. I much prefer to be sitting there, saying what are we going to do, let's organise this and do this."

His calmness is not foolhardy. It is the result of months of careful planning, a belief in the potential of Inviron and a confidence born from a lifetime of working all over the world. "Inviron begins life with a strong financial position and a creditable heritage," he stresses. "We remain one of the broadest service providers in the sector."

Metcalfe has led an interesting and varied working life. He joined ABB under its original guise of William Steward in 1987, having studied accountancy and following the career path of "classic public accounting auditor" for five years previously.

Attracted by the international aspect of the firm, his initial role was as a financial controller based in southern Africa in the power plant sector. "It's a strange co-existence between accountants and engineers," states Metcalfe. But he seems to have had no problem forming a synergy between the roles, quickly moving into project then general management, eventually running the UK power operations for three years.

  Not one to rest on his laurels, in 1991 Metcalfe took a sabbatical and fulfilled a long-term ambition by completing an MBA at the London Business School. He explains: "I'd been working partly in America, partly in Africa and partly in the UK and work was all-consuming. I just thought I needed to take some time out and work out what I wanted to do next. Most people just talk about it, I decided to go and do it."

A well-rounded personality, as well as the MBA, Metcalfe "did all those things that I should have done when I was younger". He counts among these achievements several marathons and the conquering of Mount Kenya.

Post-MBA, Metcalfe teamed up with a colleague from the course and built up a "small confectionery business" – actually, no less a company than Charbonnel et Walker, chocolate fans. "That was probably where I built up the skill in buying small companies, which in terms of the management buyout was extremely helpful," he says.

Making sure that we bring some of the retail skills to bear on industry, that sort of intense customer passion

While Metcalfe was pursuing a life in confectionery, changes were taking place at his old firm. In 1995 ABB acquired William Steward and a period of expansion followed, the firm moving into the global marketplace. Metcalfe was lured back to the firm in its new form in July 2000 following a stint at Mitsui Babcock, which took him once more to far-flung shores. "It was predominantly a financial role, but it had responsibility for India and China and I spent a lot of time in both of those countries," he explains.

The mbo brings to an end the uncertainty that has surrounded the future of ABB ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Systems since its parent firm announced the divestment of the business in April 2002. It also provides a unique continuity to customers and suppliers. Inviron has taken on 100% of ABB ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Systems, including all employees and current working projects. It has also taken over the existing premises with the IT infrastructure intact, minimising any teething problems in the initial months. "The main priority is to avoid disruption to clients," explains Metcalfe.

"Customer service is the main thrust of our strategy," he says. "Making sure that we bring some of the retail skills to bear on industry – that sort of intense customer passion. There are some companies doing it but none of us do it to anybody's real satisfaction. There should be a very open dialogue. That's the sort of relationship we want to have with our customers."

Metcalfe is bringing some refreshing views to Inviron and has no plans to sit in an ivory tower and control the firm from the top. Staff at all levels will have an interest in the firm. The plan is to roll out share ownership through the entire ranks of the organisation, making it the only building services firm that is completely owned by its 850 employees.

He also plans to employ a more approachable management style. "Our ethos now is very much sitting around with employees on a site – it's not a monologue, it's a dialogue. I should be able to walk on site and people should be able to come up to me and tell me what they think."

Working in different countries, under different styles of leadership, has clearly influenced Metcalfe's thinking. He cites the virtual lack of class barriers in America and the culture and values of Chinese society as having the greatest effect on him. "We want more leadership and less managership...you have some empathy with people and that's to me one of the things where being exposed to different cultures has been quite helpful. People say it's refreshing, but to me it's natural."

With the foundations in place, Metcalfe and his colleagues are now preparing for the future. "Inviron is going to take a number of years to create the company that we want it to be. Now comes the hard work, over at least five years, to develop something that hopefully we'll look back upon with enormous pride." The target for year one is £100 million turnover. "Our bottom line is achievable," he stresses.