Two of the most high profile and well-respected members of the security community are joining forces today in an all-new security consultancy business slated to become “an international focal point” for “the effective delivery of risk and security consultancy”.
Professor Martin Gill – the director of Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International (PRCI) – and Mike O’Neill (managing director of the Greymans business) are coalescing their operations in forming the Optimal Risk Group.
This all-new business will offer a range of services, among them risk and security consultancy, information security consultancy, business intelligence and compliance advice, investigations and litigation support in addition to protective services.
Going forward, Optimal Risk Group will encompass all the work of Greymans and that of the security consultancy work to date carried out by the Perpetuity Consultancy.
To be clear, Perpetuity Training and Perpetuity Research – the other businesses operational within the Perpetuity Group of Companies – will remain separate from the merger deal, but collaborate with Optimal Risk Group on various projects as and when deemed appropriate.
Greater levels of expertise
Talking about the move, Professor Martin Gill said: “The point of all this is to recognise the fact that security consulting in the future will need to be based on higher levels of expertise. How consultants generate greater degrees of evidence and proof of their ability to perform their roles is going to be vital.”
He continued: “Mike and I have decided to pool our lists of contacts, our networks and individual capabilities in order to offer the broadest range of support possible for the client base. Mike brings a wealth of experience [to his new role as managing director at the Optimal Risk Group]. We both feel the time is right to do this.”
The seeds of the merger were sown back in February when Gill and O’Neill sat down to talk and found their ideas about how the whole process of security consulting should evolve are very much on the same page.
“Once we’ve established the business, which is officially launched today, we’ll then look to grow further through strategic acquisitions,” O’Neill pointed out. “There’s certainly an interesting case to be made for further consolidation in the security consultancy space.”
O’Neill continued: “There’s a need to bring growing capabilities and capacities to bear if we’re to mirror the fact that clients are now stretching their own organisations. Security consulting must engage this shift and move with the times. We simply have to deliver the wider-ranging and better quality services that clients are now beginning to expect.”
Broader range of services and solutions
Professor Gill embellished O’Neill’s theme. “This merger allows us to offer our clients a far broader range of risk management consultancy services and capabilities, all of them underpinned by considerable experience in this field. Merging what I and many others would consider to be two great businesses affords a unique opportunity for Optimal Risk Group to become the definitive risk and security consultancy.”
Clearly, the two practitioners visualise direct benefits for clients in terms of their own abilities to draw upon a broader range of skill sets, not to mention the development of more services and products.
“There are also many advantages to be derived by blending experience gained from working alongside clients across varied sectors with diverse risk and security needs,” enthused Professor Gill in relation to what he termed “a rare opportunity”. He added: “This is indeed an exciting time.”
Making good use of social media
Interestingly, Mike O’Neill also talked of social media engagement, and mentioned that Optimal Risk Group is already working on its own strategy.
“Just look at the exposure super injunctions, for example, have enjoyed on Twitter,” urged the forward-thinking O’Neill. “In my view, it’s not for organisations to wonder whether or not they ought to be engaging in social media. They have to do so. It’s massively important in this day and age even if you’re only considering risk and reputational management in isolation.”
Delivering a jointly held view between himself and O’Neill, Professor Gill explained: “Security consultancy requires a good, solid understanding of the basics. Crucially, there must be a firm understanding of the context in which the service is delivered. Solutions need to be based, for example, on making sure members of the host company’s staff are properly trained.”
For Gill, another important point is that consultants operational in today’s world require “a good understanding of the business process”. He stressed: “How they attain that and make it meaningful is the crux of the matter.”
Background to the Optimal Risk Group’s leaders
In the past, Martin Gill has extensively studied the victims of crime, the police and probation services and has looked at different ways in which the community attempts to manage crime and criminality.
The hugely respected academic has a particular interest in business crime and the security sector. The types of projects he has been involved with (alongside his colleagues at Perpetuity) have included the causes of false burglar alarms, why fraudsters steal, the effectiveness of CCTV and security guarding, how companies protect their brand image and the generators of illicit markets and stolen goods.
Importantly, Gill launched and led the Security Research Initiative (SRI). The SRI engages leading associations and companies in the security sector. Topics covered thus far encompass the procurement of security and its overriding value to the business community.
The findings realised the establishment of a Best Value for Business Campaign in conjunction with Security Management Today aimed at highlighting how security can enhance organisational performance.
Professor Gill is a Fellow of The Security Institute, a member of The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (and a Freeman of the City of London), chairman of the ASIS Research Council and an overseas representative on ASIS International’s Academic Programmes Committee.
Leader in the field of business risk
Greymans was formed in 1993, and has since established itself as one of the UK’s leading specialist companies in the field of business risk, providing support and solutions to end customers (including multinationals, finance houses and law firms) throughout the business process.
Company leader Mike O’Neill served for eleven years with The Parachute Regiment, seeing active engagement in the Falklands and Northern Ireland before leaving in 1990 having attained the rank of Major.
Since founding Greymans in 1993, O’Neill has demonstrably expanded the business to provide a wide range of risk services including: threat and risk assessment, crisis management, business continuity planning, advice on integrated security systems, investigations and close protection.
O’Neill’s a member of ASIS in the UK and holds both its Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Physical Security Professional (PSP) qualifications. He’s also an active director and Fellow of The Security Institute.
For further information access the Optimal Risk Group’s new website (www.optimalrisk.com) (a dedicated link is available on the bottom of this page)
If you’re visiting IFSEC 2011 (which runs next week from 16-19 May at the NEC in Birmingham) then you can pay a visit to the company on Stand H13 in Hall 3 (near to The SMT SELECT Lounge).