What ISS does

ISS A/S is a Danish workplace experience and facility management company headquartered in Søborg (Copenhagen), founded in 1901 and listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen under ISIN DK0010181304. The company delivers integrated facility services — cleaning, food and catering, security, technical/maintenance, and workplace experience — through a self-delivery model in which own employees (rather than subcontractors) provide services at client sites, under multi-year contracts with corporate, public-sector, and institutional clients. ISS operates across 30+ countries serving 40,000+ customers from 50,000+ sites, with a workforce of 325,000+ employees globally (per the company website), and is organized around vertical segments including Corporate & Financial Services, Healthcare, Government & Defense, Education, Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Aviation, and Technology.

The underlying technology stack consists of FMS@ISS (the proprietary facility management system serving as a single source of truth for property, asset, people, and contract data), Insight@ISS (role-based reporting dashboards that pull live operational data), and the Convenie workplace platform — now integrated with Sign In Solutions as preferred visitor management provider. A global strategic partnership with ToolSense extends IoT-enabled asset digitization across 500,000+ movable machines in 30 countries, supporting real-time operational data and ESG reporting. Sub-brands such as Pure Space (hygiene), FEED (school meals, including Coolfood-certified low-carbon menus), Livv (interior/build solutions), the Healthcare Playbook (NHS-aligned services), and the Creating SAFE Spaces Together HSE strategy underpin vertical specialization.

ISS's business model is primarily managed-services revenue under multi-year enterprise contracts (with some project-based and capital-services revenue). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; contract sizes range from below DKK 100 million to mega-key accounts exceeding DKK 700 million annually. Capital return is supported by an active share buyback program (DKK 2.5 billion initial, expanded to DKK 3.1 billion, February 2026 to February 2027), and growth is reinforced by bolt-on M&A — including Tomagruppen in Norway/Denmark (signed May 2026, ~DKK 1.8 billion revenue) and increases in ISS Türkiye ownership to 90%. Note: the company also operates a proxy advisory services subsidiary (ISS A/S governance business) which historically contributes approximately 10–15% of group revenues and is subject to ongoing regulatory scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions.

Name

ISS

Legal name

ISS A/S

Website

https://issworld.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

ISS A/S is a Danish workplace experience and facility management company providing integrated cleaning, catering, security, technical, and workplace services under multi-year enterprise contracts across 30+ countries, serving 40,000+ customers and 50,000+ sites via a self-delivery model supported by proprietary technology platforms (FMS@ISS, Insight@ISS, Convenie).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Søborg

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Integrated Facility Management Services: ISS generates revenue through multi-year integrated facilities management contracts delivering cleaning, catering, security, maintenance, and technical services to enterprise and public sector clients. Revenue is predictable from long-term contracts with over 350,000 employees generating recurring service fees.
2. Workplace Experience Services: Premium workplace experience services including hospitality, food services, and employee experience solutions delivered through ISS's People-First FM approach, commanding higher margins through differentiated service delivery.
3. Project and Capital Services: Project professionals assist when client facility requirements evolve, leading initiatives from concept to completion for workspace transformations and capital projects.
4. Proxy Advisory Services: ISS A/S subsidiary provides proxy advisory services contributing approximately 10-15% of revenues alongside core facilities management operations, though this segment faces regulatory scrutiny.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISS is a global workplace experience and facility management company delivering integrated facility services (IFS) including cleaning, food and catering, technical and engineering maintenance, workplace experience, and security to large corporate and public sector clients. The company bundles physical service delivery from 325,000+ employees with proprietary technology platforms (FMS@ISS, Insight@ISS, Convenie) to provide data-driven facility management under long-term multi-year contracts across 30+ countries.

Product overview

ISS is a global workplace experience and facility management company offering a comprehensive integrated service portfolio organized around its core technology platform. The core technology stack consists of FMS@ISS (facility management system) and Insight@ISS (reporting/analytics dashboards), augmented by the Convenie workplace experience platform with integrated visitor management via Sign In Solutions, and ToolSense IoT asset management. ISS bundles these with its service offerings including cleaning, food/catering, technical/engineering, workplace services, support services, energy efficiency consulting, and plant care/pest control under an Integrated Facility Services (IFS) delivery model. Key branded offerings include FEED (school meals including Coolfood-certified low-carbon meals), PURE SPACE (hygiene technology), the Healthcare Playbook for NHS partnerships, People-First FM methodology, and the Creating SAFE Spaces Together HSE strategy. ISS has expanded through acquisitions including gammaRenax (hygiene/property services) and Tomagruppen (Norwegian FM). The company operates across 50+ countries serving 40,000+ customers through approximately 325,000 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Livv: ISS UK's interior and building solutions brand offering design, build, and facility management services
• Pure Space
• FEED
• Convenie

Products and services

• Integrated Facility Services (IFS)
• Commercial Cleaning Services
• Food and Catering Services
• Technical and Engineering Services
• Workplace Experience Services
• FEED (Feeding Excellence Every Day)
• PURE SPACE Hygiene Service
• Healthcare Playbook
• Proxy Advisory Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% customer retention rate achieved in Q1 2026
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Tata Power Renewable Energy LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026MoU to promote clean energy solutions in facility management, powering ISS India campuses with green energy through rooftop solar and EV charging points. Partnership supports India's climate goals including Tata Power's net zero emissions target by 2045.
• Sign In SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Landmark global technology partnership making Sign In Solutions ISS's preferred visitor management provider integrated into ISS's proprietary workplace platform Convenie. Partnership active in key geographies across Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America with access to ISS's 40,000+ clients worldwide.
• apetitocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Food service provider partnership where ISS collaborated with apetito to design school meals solution meeting or exceeding School Food Standards. Integration of apetito's chef-prepared options into ISS's FEED brand for West Sussex County Council contract serving 25,000 meals daily.
• Coolfood (World Resources Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026World-first low-carbon meal certification partnership where ISS became first organization to launch Coolfood certified plant-rich meals in secondary schools. Meals carry Coolfood badge indicating 38% lower carbon emission rate than average school dish.
• Proxy Advisory ClientscoreOthers · 1 January 2026ISS proxy advisory subsidiary provides voting recommendations to shareholders of public companies, contributing approximately 10-15% of ISS A/S revenues. Advisory services include recommendations on board elections, mergers, and governance matters.
• ToolSensecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025Global strategic partnership to digitize asset management for ISS's over 300,000 employees managing more than 500,000 movable machines across 30 countries. The collaboration utilizes IoT solutions, QR codes, and real-time data management to enhance operational efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Partnership builds on successful pilot in Austria and will scale globally.
• Social Value PortalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Global partnership to measure and report social impact across borders using the Global TOM System and International Dollar as unified metric. Initial coverage in Spain, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway in 2025, with global rollout from 2026. Collaboration helps ISS demonstrate monetary value of social initiatives to global customers.
• COWIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025International partnership where ISS provides workplace services to COWI across 44 offices globally including cleaning, catering, space management, waste management, building maintenance, technical installations, security, and fleet management. Contract takes effect February 2026 in Europe and April 2026 rest of world.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Group: World's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, offering workplace and facility management services to enterprise occupiers; competes with ISS in integrated FM, particularly in North America where Brian Velo (ISS SVP NA Sales) previously held a senior role.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm offering facility management as part of its broader services portfolio; overlaps with ISS in enterprise occupier services and integrated FM, with ISS's SVP of Sales North America having previously held senior roles at C&W.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services firm offering integrated facility management alongside brokerage, capital markets, and advisory services; competes with ISS for large enterprise real estate and FM outsourcing mandates, but FM is part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Serco Group: Global public services company providing facility management, healthcare, and defense support services; competes directly with ISS for UK and international public sector FM contracts, including government property and defense estate management.
• Atalian: France-based global facility services company operating across 30+ countries with similar multi-service integrated FM delivery model, directly competing with ISS in continental Europe, UK, and increasingly in North America.
• Mitie Group: UK-based facilities management and professional services company directly competing with ISS in UK & Ireland across healthcare, government, defense, and enterprise integrated facility management contracts.
• Compass Group: Largest global contract food services and support services company, directly competing with ISS in catering, workplace hospitality, and integrated facility services, particularly across enterprise and healthcare segments (ISS's CCO previously spent 28 years at Compass).
• Sodexo: Global integrated facility management and food services company headquartered in France, directly competing with ISS in workplace experience, food services, and integrated FM contracts across enterprise and public sector clients worldwide.
• Aramark: US-based global provider of food, facilities, and uniform services competing directly with ISS across food services, workplace experience, and integrated facility management for enterprise, healthcare, education, and sports/entertainment clients.

Regional players

• Elis: France-headquartered multi-service provider with strong European presence in hygiene, cleanroom, and workplace services, partially overlapping with ISS in continental European facility services and hygiene offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iss-world
• Xx.com/issworld
• Facebookfacebook.com/issworld

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A15 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ISS