2005 David Beaton

David Beaton the Managing Director of G4S Security Services (UK) has been awarded the Infologue.com Building the Future Award 2005. This award is presented jointly by the Editors of Infologue.com and SMT and sponsored by Interconnective Limited.

The Building the Future Award is awarded to the person who in the view of the editors of both publications has created the most significant footprints towards a vibrant, professional and mutually profitable guarding industry during 2005. Key footprints left by David Beaton are:

Leading the merged major UK Guarding businesses Securicor Security Services Ltd and Group 4 Total Security Ltd, the UK’s first Super Guarding Company, in its infancy with minimum disruption.

• Ensuring that the merged business met the SIA licensing profiles with only eight other companies. within the top 24, that ensured over 45% of its security officers had an accepted licence application by the end of September 2005.   
• Using his membership of the BSIA’s Manned Security committee and has actively lobbied both the Home Office and the SIA to ensure the implementation of licensing was fair and that Approved Contractors Scheme will seek to improve standards for the industry as a whole.
• Applying inspirational leadership and a quantum leap of faith by supporting the principle of Option 4 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the proposed Approved Contractors Scheme standard.

David took up the role of Managing Director of G4S Security Services (UK) – the merged company of Group 4 Total Security, Group 4 Securitas Northern Ireland, Wackenhut, Securicor Security and Securicor Aviation – in July 2004 upon completion of the merger of the security businesses of Group 4 Falck and Securicor.  His immediate challenge was to put in place a leadership team that could steer the business through the complex integration programme that needed to deliver the savings required by the shareholders along with maintaining service levels to ensure customers stayed with the new company. 

Other achievements by G4S Security Services (UK) in 2005 under Davids leadership included:

• Launched a new brand and started its re-branding programme;
• Won the award for the ‘Best Security Training Initiative’ at the Security Excellence Awards;
• Awarded Certificate of Site Inspection by the NSI for their services at the Conservative Party Conference and the Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition, which meet the standards applicable to NSI’s Guarding Gold Approval and the requirements of BS 8406: 2003 Events Stewarding and Crowd Safety;
• Advised the successful London 2012 bid team on the role of private security in hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games;
• Received seven regional BSIA security officer awards, and two national awards;
• Set-up and managed the security operation for the UK’s first fully serviced airport for more than 30 years – Robin Hood Airport;
• Received the Business Innovation award from Premises & Facilities Management magazine for the AEGIS electronic access system used by the Department for Work & Pensions;
• Appointed as the official supplier of security to the first ever Visa Paralympics World Cup.  

The Building the Future Award will be presented to David Beaton at the Annual BSIA lunch next year.
Previous winners of the Infologue.com Building the Future Award (Previously know as Person of the Year) are:
2004 – Bill Muskin – VSG
2003 – David Dickinson – British Security Industry Association (BSIA) 
 
Bobby Logue – Editor – Infologue.com
Brian Sims – Editor – SMT