How Atlas Grew From 35 Million to 400 Million Without Losing Its Culture with Chris Wisely

“Values plus behaviours times consistency equals culture.”

Roger and James speak with Chris Wisely about how Atlas grew from a small cleaning business into a £400 million, 15,000-person employee-owned business. The conversation focuses on what changed as the company scaled, why culture and performance must stay linked, and how Atlas is keeping decision-making fast while adding more structure. Chris also shares the acquisition journey that reshaped the business, including the Emprise deal, the COVID-era pivot into protection services, and the move into hard services and Total Facilities Management. Alongside the business story, he opens up about the personal experiences that shaped his leadership and resilience.

Key topics

• Atlas began in 1986 as a small cleaning business in Mayfair and grew through entrepreneurship and acquisitions.
• The Emprise acquisition brought larger contracts, new sectors, and a stronger platform for organic and acquisitive growth.
• During COVID, Atlas launched Atlas VPS and rapidly mobilised cleaners for HMCTS work.
• Multiple acquisitions in 2022 and 2024 created significant integration challenges across finance, HR, and back-office systems.
• Chris explains how his leadership role shifted from hands-on problem-solving to creating the conditions for success.
• Atlas treats culture as a commercial asset, with its purpose defined as “creating happiness for ourselves and others.”
• The company uses the formula “values plus behaviours times consistency equals culture.”
• The Atlas Way and a judo belt framework help people understand cultural maturity and personal responsibility.
• Atlas focuses on health, wellbeing, communication, clarity, performance, developing people, and making it easy.
• Role frameworks, performance frameworks, and regular work chats provide greater clarity than traditional annual appraisals.
• Employee ownership has strengthened accountability, belonging, and pride across the organisation.
• Chris discusses resilience, frontline learning, and the leaders, books, and podcasts that have influenced him.
• He shares advice for founders and CEOs: build culture and clarity before pursuing sustainable growth.

Timestamps

00:00 - Giant Talk’s new direction beyond OKRs
00:40 - Introducing Chris Wisely and Atlas
02:18 - Atlas begins as a small Mayfair cleaning business
04:06 - The Emprise acquisition changes the business
05:31 - COVID and the launch of Atlas VPS
06:25 - Mobilising 200 cleaners for HMCTS
07:48 - Protecting jobs and funding future acquisitions
08:18 - Expansion into hard services and TFM
10:06 - Atlas grows from £35 million to over £400 million
11:36 - How Chris’s leadership focus changed
13:58 - Building a stronger, not just bigger, business
16:19 - The relationship between culture and performance
18:37 - Making values a lived experience
20:57 - Acquiring people, not just contracts
22:22 - Atlas’s purpose: creating happiness
24:24 - The Atlas Way and shared cultural responsibility
25:14 - The judo belt model for cultural maturity
30:06 - Conditions for success and the importance of clarity
32:01 - Business, role, and performance frameworks
34:20 - Intent and context versus rigid instruction
37:40 - Avoiding bureaucracy as Atlas grows
39:57 - The impact of employee ownership
42:43 - Chris’s personal leadership journey
46:24 - Learning from frontline teams
48:14 - The monthly happiness survey
50:51 - Advice for founders and CEOs
53:06 - The return on investing in clarity
54:04 - Closing remarks and how to contact Chris