A happy new year to you all, now that it’s 2025. I hope you all had a great holiday, and managed to dodge the lurgy although I know so many did come down with it, and including myself.
So much has happened already in January 2025, so many new jobs; let me get stuck straight into it. I am going to start with Kate Dawes who left Eagle Eye Networks, to start a job at Wesco Anixter as a Business Development Manager (BDM) for EMEA, but not alone …. Ellis Baker has also started a new position as EMEA Business Development Manager – Global/National accounts and MTDC (and nope, I don’t know what that means, but we all love an acronym!) Did I mention Eagle Eye? It seems that Billy Paton has left and joined Videx, the door entry and intercom people. OK. Perhaps I should say rejoined Videx as he was there for seven years before leaving! He is now their Strategic Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland.
Lewis Robinson has joined DeepAlert as a Business Development Manager. Now what made Lewis move from recruitment into AI we don’t know, but he will be exhibiting at Security TWENTY 25 in Belfast and Dublin – you can ask him there! Francois Malan starts a new position at Veracitech (Technology with veracity?) John Harrison has started as Security Specialist at Colt Data Centre Services! John Taylor starts as Fire and Security Manager at AA Fire and Security, now that takes me back! By that I mean coming up with a company name that will put you first in the directory like AA Fire and Security. Talking of good names for a company did you know Basit Hussain has joined “Top Marks For Security Services”, running service Delivery?
Andy Barry joins Eclipse Integration as engineering services manager. Matthew O’Brien starts as an Associate Physical Consultant at MIX Consultancy. Marion Cook joins Johnson Controls as Service Sales Consultant. Kris Targett is new at ADI Global Distribution as an area account manager. Hanwha are still adding to their team; this month it’s Steve James who’s there as an RSM and Simon Hurst joins as a Key Account Manager. Darren Winter starts as General Manager UK South – Installation at Secom. Ian Thrower starts as a Regional Service manager at Trinity Fire and Security Systems. Justin Bignell has become senior Project/Programme manager at BT Group. Laura Brookes is new at the installers Marlowe Fire and Security as a project manager. Steve Ware-Lane starts with Convergint as their European-UK service director; and Walter Scopa as a Professional Technical Specialist.
Chris Line starts a new role as Regional Design Manager at Protec Fire and Security Group. Young Matt McLemon has left Lilin and joined Veracity as the UK system sales manager. Now let me talk about Rob Bullen, the man who keeps his Christmas tree up all year, yep it’s true. The difference between Christmas and the rest of the year is that at Christmas time he puts the fairy lights on! Anyway Rob has joined TDSi as a regional business development manager. Adam Buffery joins Oakpark Security Systems as Lead Operations Manager. Daniel John joins Axis Communications as territory sales manager – North and Richard Hilton joins them as an RSM. Where has Shirley gone I wonder? Richard Townsend has joined the distributor Mayflex as an Account Manager for converged technologies. Dave Maynard starts as Solutions Consultant – Public Services at North! Now North isn’t the most easily-explained name for a firm, but they’re installers and integrators of various tech, besides security. Anyway it seems John Herdman has also joined as a Project Manager. Mark Donnison joins Pafi Ltd as their purchasing manager. Reece Thompson has joined COP as Project Supervisor.! Mark Rainbow has joined APS the Scottish fence alarm guys that like to zap you at our events. I am sure they will be in ST25 Belfast and Dublin challenging you to win a bottle of whiskey …. if you can handle it!
Carl Bridgwood has been appointed as the new manager of Abloy UK’s Digital Access Solutions Academy. That’s their purpose-built facility to educate, install and test the company’s range of products, with a particular focus on new digital solutions. The Digital Access Solutions Academy provides free training courses for Abloy ranges including CLIQ, Aperio, EDS, Impro Primo and SMARTair.
Promotions
Now I see that my old mate Andrew Herridge has become the Commercial Director at Case Security. Well done to you Andrew, all those years of loyalty has paid off for you. Craig Belby has been promoted to Senior Security Consultant at Cornerstone CRG. Steven Frost BSc(Hons) AdvDip(SecM) has been promoted to Fire and Security Systems – High Security and Major Projects at G4S. Lee Dorman has been promoted to become the new CEO at Tindall Security who seem to be a company that’s growing really fast! John Stewart has been promoted to Managing/Operations Director for Chubb Fire and Security (UK). Likewise Rob Whiffing has been promoted to MD at Sentinel Group Security, Rob says it’s not a new position for him but a moment of profound gratitude and reflection. Paul Jones at Ajax has been promoted to the UK head of Distribution and is acting as the UK Country manager.
Acquisitions
ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to acquire 3millID Corporation and Third Millennium Systems, both companies offering readers and credentials for physical access control based in the US and UK. Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY said: “I am very pleased to welcome 3millID and Third Millennium into the ASSA ABLOY Group, exciting technological additions that will reinforce our current offering within physical access control, and provide complementary growth opportunities.” And Acre has announced its acquisition of REKS, a purpose-built, generative AI solution designed for access control.
That’s all for now folks, see you in Ireland at one of the events or maybe even both?
