“Having known James as a colleague and competitor,” explained Meager in conversation with SMT Online, “I know the breadth of his network and the dynamic skills sets that he will bring to the team to support our continual growth.”
Butler, who previously worked at SSR Personnel, brings over eight years’ experience to the role of carrying out senior level international searches within the corporate security sector. He has operated across numerous market sectors and worked on four continents.
It’s fair to say that Butler’s well known within the corporate security community throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Commenting on his new role at SMR, Butler explained: “SMR’s sole focus on the corporate security sector and its truly international network of clients was what really appealed to me. I felt that this opportunity was one too good to turn down. It allows me the strategic focus that I’ve been seeking and the opportunity to contribute to the strong international growth that SMR has seen since its UK launch.”
Comment from the Group president
SMR Group president Jerry Brennan stated: “We’re very excited about James joining SMR. He has established a great reputation and has a lot of credibility within the community. I firmly believe that he will be a tremendous asset to our organisation”.
Brennan founded SMR in 1997. Prior to that, he enjoyed a 25-year career in domestic and international security, loss prevention and emergency preparedness roles. He has directed and managed programmes for Panduit Corp, a private multi-national electronic component manufacturing firm, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the Mobil Oil Corporation and served as a resident advisor to the director general of the Royal Commission for Jubail in Saudi Arabia (the world’s largest industrial city).
Brennan also spent several years in Europe working closely with various international authorities. Previous to this, he served in the US Marine Corp and as a police officer in Northern California.
He has held numerous leadership roles for a variety of professional organisations.
Continued growth since launch
SMR has witnessed continued growth each year since its launch in the UK and had “an exceptional year” in 2010 with a 260% increase in business.
With the addition of James Butler to the team, the organisation will be positioned to continue to expand, with its exclusive focus in supporting clients in the corporate security sector globally.
To date, SMR has successfully identified talent for many of the world’s leading organisations across the globe. Primary offices are also located in the US, with affiliates positioned in South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Dubai and Hong Kong.
The company’s leadership team boasts significant senior level experience of managing corporate security programmes across a wide range of industries.
Prior to joining SMR in 2007 to set up its European office, Chris Meager enjoyed over eight years of successful recruiting within the corporate security field, completing projects across five continents ranging from sourcing country security managers in Africa to CSO roles in Europe.
Meager holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Security Management from the University of Leicester.