CEO MONTHLY / MAY 2026 11 The Man Quietly Redefining Accessibility Across UK Property Property guardianship sees an individual live in and maintain a vacant property in exchange for lower rent. Global Guardians specialises in this, with its live-in guardians protecting community spaces by keeping vacant properties occupied and maintained. Offering a simple process and a cost-effective housing solution, this is a great way to fuel communities and support the people within them. Following his recognition as the Most Influential CEO 2026 – Property Guardianship Solutions (UK) in this feature, we spoke with Stuart Woolgar for more on this vacant property management. Working towards a world where no building is left unloved, no person is without a place to live, and no community is diminished by empty spaces, Global Guardians operates across England, empowering people to secure and optimise vacant properties through a distinctly human yet techenabled approach. As Stuart put it: “We’re doing more than securing and optimising empty properties; we’re breaking stigmas and fuelling communities by supporting property owners and giving people the freedom to live and thrive as guardians.” CEO Stuart Woolgar has been deeply involved in the vacant property industry for more than two decades. Prior to entering the space, he noticed how many stunning empty properties there were in London and beyond, as well as the sheer amount of people struggling to find an affordable living space in the UK. The answer seemed obvious, and this is why he and his team are dedicated to being part of the solution through their live-in guardians. 50 years of combined experience in this space and more than ten years of operation has showed this team that, in order to have the real impact they seek, they must listen and grow. They pride themselves on doing exactly this, listening to their customers and adapting to their unique needs. Just some examples of how this is fostered internally include the ideal team player recruitment strategy and the accredited ideal supplier assessment, both of which reflect the innovation, development, and improvement that Stuart himself stands for. As touched on above, a key part of Global Guardians’ approach is its use of the innovative My Globe property management software, which gives owners and guardians transparent access to all of the real-time information they need concerning the management of their property and the services Stuart and his team provide. These services, which are again delivered in a human-centred way, cover the full scope of facilities management. In his role at the head of the brand, Stuart’s philosophy sees him approach all of this with an inspiring ‘just do it’ attitude. His principles are grounded in integrity, growth, resilience, strength, hunger, effectiveness, and learning, with these having resulted in an obsession with pushing himself out of his comfort zone from a young age. A similarly encompassing passion for technology would prove pivotal in guiding this CEO to become an entrepreneur, with his knowledge of this industry stemming from a European company he worked for. “I founded Global Guardians on the best systems and processes I had created as an intrapreneur at my previous job”, Stuart explained. “Over time I learnt how to build a company from scratch through a lot of hard and smart work. Though there were a lot of rejections and many cul-desacs, at each step I learnt to become more and more resilient, to trust in my intuition, and to empathise with my team and my customers.” Stuart has been inspired by many different people across his journey, from Steve Jobs and Sir Alex Ferguson through to Caroline Dweck and Patrick Lencioni. In fact, it is the latter who created the ideal team player concept touched on above. Stuart’s multifaceted leadership style continues to serve the team well, even in the face of the challenges they have had to tackle over the last few years, primarily due to today’s fluctuating property industry. Nevertheless, with plans to grow its clients base and its geographical coverage beyond its main bases of London and the South East, the future is bright for this beacon of high-quality vacant property security. Stuart hopes that the company’s next steps will also include a greater recognition of the work it does, including being invited to the likes of housing panels and other events impacting this sphere, rather than being pushed to the outskirts. Given the knowledge they boast and the ability this would have to translate into better systems and structures than what the industry currently boasts, it would be a shame for the decision makers to continue to overlook this vital, awardwining work. We, on the other hand, are more than happy to support it, recognising the work of CEO Stuart Woolgar with the title of Most Influential CEO 2026 – Property Guardianship Solutions (UK). Contact: Stuart Woolgar Company: Global Guardians Web Address: https://globalguardians.co.uk/
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