The security contractor Securitas announced the retailer Marks and Spencer as the winner of its 2014 ‘Good Customer’ award.
Part of the company’s annual black-tie Community Awards event, the award, in association with IFSECGlobal.com, is designed to reward those customers who have contributed to an improvement in standards and perception of the security industry. The judges, who included, Aaron Grant, Head of Security at Aviva UK, who presented the award, looked at finalists’ procurement, how they work with their security suppliers and quality of security provision. Marks and Spencer were judged to have done the most to improve the procurement and effective development of its security services.
Securitas Country President Brian Riis Nielsen said: “It’s very clear Marks and Spencer understand the importance of security to their business. They understand that, without the significant investment of time, expertise and money in their security provision, the business would be at considerable risk.”
Clint Reid, Head of Corporate Security at Marks and Spencer, who received the award, said: “It really is an honour to win and reinforces our long-standing partnership with Securitas, which is built on a strong foundation of trust. We work with Securitas to ensure our training package and development programme pushes the boundaries of delivery. We have worked together to realign its structure to the needs of the customer and to add substantial value to our loss prevention/corporate security delivery. I’m proud to say we have, in Securitas, a security partner who understands not only what our customers want, but who is also able to collaborate on projects and ways of working which deliver significant benefits to M&S.”
Brian added: “Marks and Spencer’s security strap line is “Protecting our People, Property, Profit and Brand” and, without doubt, they are committed to delivering security excellence. I’m pleased to say that, in partnership with Securitas, they have undertaken an exciting journey on the way to delivering a revolutionary and industry-leading approach to a total security solution.”
The fifth year of awards ran at Tortworth Court Hotel in Gloucestershire. A number of the company’s reward schemes, based on performance and contribution to the community, culminate in the annual awards ceremony. Winners were announced in nine categories and finalists and invited guests heard stories of acts of innovation, bravery and community initiatives. The award winners were:
Michael Seggie
for Core Values – Karl McLean
for Integrity – Christopher Durham
for Vigilance – Saif Ul Haq
for Helpfulness – Andrew Longbottom
Team Award – Emergency Fire Crew Capability (pictured)
for Innovation – Pete Lidbetter
for Leadership – Peter Langley
for Most Outstanding Act – Trevor Thompson
Securitas Chief Operating Officer, Shaun Kennedy, said: “Tonight is an excellent chance for us to reward and recognise the acts of our people working across the whole of the UK. The company has 16,000 officers. Those here tonight are the best of the best, and every one of them should be extremely proud of their achievements.”
The evening raised £2,000 for this year’s dedicated charities, Help for Heroes and St Teresa’s Hospice. Securitas Country President Brian Riis Nielsen said: “Securitas holds a lot of award ceremonies across the 52 countries it operates in. However, the UK Awards are the only ones that bring together our customers, partner and suppliers in the same room to celebrate the achievements of our people. To me, that is unique and something to be very proud of. Our officers often comment they are just ‘doing what they do’, but they should all go home tonight with their heads held high. I hope they will encourage their fellow officers to believe that it could be their turn next year!”
