25/11/2025
Today we proudly recognise and celebrate Maria Darby, recipient of the Recognition Service Award at the 2025 BSCAA SA Excellence Awards. A truly fitting honour for a career defined by loyalty, leadership and exceptional contribution to our industry.
Maria has dedicated an incredible 37 years to the cleaning sector, shaping workplaces, people, and culture through her commitment, resilience, and heartfelt leadership. From her early days cleaning homes and ice cream vans, to three decades at RAAF Edinburgh across five different contracting companies, Maria has been the constant thread of stability, quality and reliability. She has led large teams, supervised complex sites, navigated industry change, and continued to elevate standards year after year.
At SCC, Maria has managed both RAAF Edinburgh and DSTG, overseeing more than 90 staff across multiple locations. She has personally supported remote teams, delivered stock, trained leaders, and ensured operations ran seamlessly, even through major transitions and organisational shifts. Her influence reaches far beyond task and accountability; she has built trust, confidence, and belonging within every team she has led.
Maria is admired for her warmth, humour, and the generosity with which she shares her knowledge. She leads with respect, integrity, and a willingness to get her hands dirty, the kind of leader who stands beside her people, not above them. Her mentorship has helped shape the next generation of supervisors and leaders, ensuring her legacy will continue long beyond her working years.
This award reflects a lifetime of dedication and the profound impact Maria has made on our organisation, our people, and the cleaning industry as a whole.
Congratulations, Maria! A well-earned and deeply deserved recognition of an extraordinary career.
