Sentinel Group has appointed Rob Whiffing as Chief Commercial Officer, moving him from his previous position as Managing Director of Sentinel Group Security (SGS).
The newly created group role will see Whiffing work on the delivery of Sentinel’s five-year growth plan and the development of services across the business.
Sentinel Group, which is now in its 21st year, has expanded from its original focus on frontline security to provide a broader range of services. These include security technology, training, mobile services and 24/7 operational support.
Whiffing has more than two decades of experience spanning the security, charity and hospitality sectors. In his new role, he will work across SGS, Sentinel Technology, Sentinel Academy and Skye Guarding.
His responsibilities will include developing the links between the Group’s different services, identifying new areas of support and establishing partnerships with other providers.
Rob said:
“When I speak to customers, they rarely talk about one service in isolation. They talk about the pressures they are facing: keeping people safe, managing sites out of hours, responding quickly when something happens and having a clearer view of what is happening across their estate.
“My role is to make sure Sentinel can answer those challenges in a straightforward way, using the right mix of people, technology, training, monitoring and response. We already have much of that capability within the Group. The next step is to connect it properly.”
The appointment comes as businesses across sectors including hospitality, retail and leisure prepare for changes to protective security requirements.
The Security Industry Authority estimates that around 179,000 premises will fall within the scope of Martyn’s Law when it comes into force. The legislation will place duties on qualifying premises, with requirements dependent in part on the number of people expected at a venue.
Sentinel said it intends to expand its Soft Services, Key Holding, Alarm Response and Mobile Patrol operations, alongside further development of its workforce-management platform, smart security technology and National Operations Centre.
The company said technology will be used to provide frontline teams with additional information, monitoring and operational support, rather than replace security officers.
Sentinel also plans to consider additional soft and hard services where they complement customers’ existing security and operational requirements. Depending on the service, these may be delivered by Sentinel or through specialist partners covering areas such as mobile response, CCTV, access control, alarms and remote monitoring.
Under the approach, Sentinel will coordinate the wider service while retaining responsibility for the overall solution and service delivery.
Rob added:
“We do not want to be all things to all people, but we do want customers to feel they can bring us a security or operational challenge. We can then look across the Group and our partner network, be honest about what we can deliver and put the right solution together.
“Sentinel has grown because of its people and the relationships we have built with customers. That will not change. The next five years are about building on what already works, developing our existing accounts, creating new services and partnerships, and growing sustainably without losing the values that have brought us this far.”
The company said the changes will give customers access to a wider range of services through the Group, while employees will have opportunities to develop skills and work across different areas of the business as it expands.