There’s no doubt that 2011 has been a year of concerted growth and development at Axis Security, the Kings Cross-based guarding and security solutions provider expertly led by group managing director Jonathan Levine.
Of course, the last 12 months and more have proven difficult for British businesses across all sectors, not just security. Belt tightening has been a necessary evil for most, with budgets under continual review and workforces necessarily being reduced in a bid to claw back monies lost during the recession.
Pleasingly, the mood and reality at Axis Security is divorced from that scenario.
Yesterday witnessed the company’s Christmas Luncheon – an annual get-together for staff and major clients at the fabulous Royal Automobile Club on London’s Pall Mall – and Levine was swift to counteract the doom and gloom that has pervaded the UK’s economic landscape for many, many months.
Setting the tone for a short but nonetheless informative discourse in front of the 100-plus guests – among them Nomura’s director of security Andy Williams and Ian Johnson of security consultancy IJA – Levine reeled off a great joke.
“A lobbyist on his way home from Parliament is stuck in traffic,” said Levine. “Noticing a police officer, he winds down his window and asks: ‘What’s the hold up?’ The police officer replies: ‘The Prime Minister is so depressed that he has stopped his motorcade and is threatening to douse himself with petrol and set himself on fire. The Prime Minister says no-one believes that he can see us through the credit crunch, so we’re starting a collection for him…’ The lobbyist then asks: ‘How much have you got so far?’ to which the officer replies: ‘About 40 gallons, but a lot of people are still siphoning…'”
Pivotal achievements in 2011
As soon as the laughter had died down, Levine began to talk of two pivotal achievements for Axis Security in 2011 of which the company is “particularly and rightfully proud”.
The first of these was realised at our own Security Excellence Awards Ceremony, held on 19 October at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane. Axis Security, of course, scooped the Security Guarding Company of the Year trophy.
“This prestigious award celebrates professionalism, consistency of service and responsibility towards both customers and staff,” said Levine, before he enthused: “We’re delighted to have been judged so highly by the industry and our peers, and I’d like to thank Brian Sims and his team at UBM for a superb and brilliantly organised evening.”
The second achievement of great note for Axis Security over these last 12 months is one Levine described as “less glitzy” than the SEAs triumph but “equally important” to the company in the grand scheme of things.
“As a Security Industry Authority Approved Contractor we’re necessarily inspected and measured by what is a stringent auditing process,” asserted Levine. “This year that procedure was notably daunting. We underwent a week-long renewal audit carried out by the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board [the first time the SSAIB had been enlisted to check on Axis’ business, in fact].”
Following the audit, Axis Security’s Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) score rose to 144. In the view of the assessor, this places Axis in the top 1% of ACS companies.
Levine continued: “These achievements are due to the hard work, commitment and professionalism of everyone who works for Axis Security – both site and office-based – and they are made all the more special when you consider we only began this journey of ours four years ago.”
Praise for the security officers
To his great credit, Levine made a point of personally thanking the security officers who are the backbone of the company. Indeed, security officers are the vital cog in every guarding operation, and they deserve every praise available. Without them there would be no security and Britain’s businesses would suffer immeasurably.
Although it has been a good year for Axis Security, Levine and his team will not be resting on their laurels.
“We’ve opened a new office in Scotland,” explained Levine, “and, in all the regions, we’ve added further management resource. This ensures that, as our business in these areas increases, our customers and security officers will continue to receive the highest levels of support.”
Focusing on the London head office operation, the company has increased its back office resources in what Levine described as “critical areas” (among them finance, compliance, training and Human Resources).
Levine also announced that, next year, the company will be looking to relocate its head office within larger premises better equipped to cope with additional growth.
Axis Security’s systems business continues to thrive. That being the case, investment has been made in enhanced engineering support across the north and south of the country in order to underpin what Levine believes to be a “crucial element” of the Axis offering.
Adopting an approach to the Olympic Games 2012
One race that Axis Security hasn’t entered, though, is that for the 2012 Olympic Games. Why so?
“We took the decision from the outset that we would not run the risk of possibly destabilising our core London business in order to chase a short term share of what’s now being quoted as a 20,000-strong security officer requirement,” insisted Levine.
“However, we’ve invested both time and resources in order to assist our customers with their own preparations for the Olympics. For example, in June this year we hosted a seminar at which a member of the City of London’s Olympics co-ordination team gave an extremely informative overview.”
A further seminar has been organised for February to highlight any additional issues that may have materialised in the interim. Levine stated: “In this way, we’re working closely with you – our customers – to ensure all eventualities have been fully explored.”
Levine closed an engaging speech by thanking all of Axis Security’s customers for their support during 2011.
“We genuinely appreciate the trust you have shown us when awarding contracts, and we hope you believe that trust has been – and is – well placed.”
Importantly, Levine added: “I would also like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to the members of my management team and our site-based personnel who have played such a major role in developing Axis Security into one of the most respected brands in the sector.”
