I hope you have all had a lovely summer holiday and here we are heading into autumn! Great, eh, nights starting to draw in et cetera. I can only hope you got away from the UK because the weather here has been terrible.
Anyway enough about the weather and here is an update on that gossip that you so love.
Let’s start with James Smith, remember him? Was at Norbain then Samsung, (now Hanwha) moved to Wavestore etc, well he has just joined Reliance as their Sales and Marketing Director, working for Alistair Enser. So you could say poacher turned gamekeeper? James did go out of the market for a short while but it’s great to see him back, and I am sure many of those manufactures will want to become James’ best friend now lol. Talking of Wavestore did you know that Faz Colbhie, ex-Bosch, joined them in July. She has a very fancy title: Sales and Marketing Strategist for Security Wireless transmission & Surveillance technology! Think that must mean her business card unfolds?! Good luck to you too.
Christopher Valentino has joined TKH after having been with OCS and Safetell. He told me he’s heading the UK arm and they’re launching their own in-house European manufacture and zero Chinese components. He describes it as a fantastic opportunity – and for a select group of UK partners that they are looking to attract. You want to be a partner? Get in touch with Chris.
Andrew Hall joins webeye as Commercial Director – Hardware. Andrew has experience in the security industry. Formerly with Resideo (you may have heard of one of their brands – Honeywell), he acted as Business Development Manager for the UK and Ireland. Andrew was managing the channel partner sales of the Videofied product, a battery powered RF 2/4G video alarm. Webeye adds that it’s launching their own battery powered video alarm system (Vigileyez), and Andrew will take a lead role in the global roll-out and organise hardware channel partners.
Manufacturer TDSi has appointed Lorena Gottlieb as New Business Executive. The firm says she will be a key part of TDSi’s market expansion in the UK and internationally, supporting new customers and the sales team. With experience in both B2B and B2C customer service, sales, event organising and corporate accounts management, Lorena has the right track record and skills says Alex Rumsey, Sales Director at TDSi: “We are delighted to welcome Lorena to the TDSi team. With an impressive track record of experience and the right skills to take on the New Business role, she has joined us at the perfect time to help power our expansion. With markets steadily growing and demands for the right integrated security systems being particularly high, our New Business team will be reaching out to new customers and generating the leads we need to continue growing our business.”
Abloy UK has appointed Rashy Chima-Powney as Business Development Manager for Education. She brings over 20 years’ experience in the industry in various sales positions. She said: “Nurseries, schools, multi academy trusts, colleges and universities need to protect their premises, but also keep students and staff safe and ensure only authorised people are granted access. They may also have multiple rooms containing expensive equipment such as IT suites, making them a target of theft or intrusion. Having a security system in place that can effectively manage keys and restrict access if needed is a necessity. I’ve relished learning about all the access control solutions available from Abloy UK and connecting them to specific problems they can solve in this sector.”
The installer Amthal Fire & Security has announced Reece Paprotny as Commercial Director. The promotion comes as the company announces a strategic shift in its approach to fire safety and security services. Reece, who joined as a finance apprentice in 2015, instantly identified a drive to succeed and a keen eye for business development, the firm says. He joined the Senior Management Team in 2018 and won the St Albans Chamber of Commerce Awards 2017 Young Employee Award. “We are immensely proud of Reece’s journey and the accomplishments he has achieved during his time with Amthal,” said Jamie Allam, CEO of Amthal. “Throughout his rise from apprentice to Commercial Director, Reece has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and a deep understanding of the ethos of our vision and values.” It just goes to show you that apprentices do become tomorrow’s leaders. I was an apprentice – in 1972; now that was a long time ago.
Charity chair
At the charity Footprints, Rob Evans is the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Rob’s been involved in the charity since 2021 when he first became a Trustee. Rob, pictured, said: “Being an official part of the Footprints team for the last two years has been so inspiring and I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with the board, the Footprints and Ambassador team, and our families. We have ambitious plans to grow our charity, reach more families and provide more services to children living with disabilities, and I am so proud to be a part of that.” Stephen Frew, Footprints Business and Charity Manager said: “Since 2021 Rob has shown such dedication and commitment to our charity, and the children and families we support. He has been involved in many fundraising activities with his company CSL Group where he is a Sales Director, and brought enormous energy and dedication to Footprints.”
