Lynx Security has joined forces with the Incentive FM Group in the wake of an existing association between the two organisations and a “strong belief in the synergies, culture and values” that exist between the two companies.
Incentive Lynx Security will be the new name of Lynx Security Services, the latter having traded under that brand name since its inception back in 1983 by founders Mary and Jeremey Wetherell.
An official statement issued by the Incentive FM Group makes the point that the joined-up business continues to be independent and wholly-owned by its working shareholders.
Incentive Lynx Security’s managing director Craig Pickard has now become a shareholder in the Incentive FM Group. He continues to lead the team in all respects and is now supported not only by his old colleagues but by “a robust support structure” covering sales, marketing, PR, finance, administration and compliance.
Members of the Incentive Lynx Security team include HR and quality director Ian Noble and operations director Rajeev Pradham.
Development of security guarding businesses
Pickard graduated with an Honours degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor in his home country of Canada. After four years with the accounting firm KPMG in Toronto, he left public accounting in 1985 to accept a management role with a major Canadian communications group.
He moved to England in 1988 and held senior financial management positions with Guinness plc and Fitch Lovell plc.
Pickard served as the managing director of the UK subsidiary of the South African company, Gray Security, where he spent seven years developing a security guarding business in the London area.
Since 2001, he has overseen the rapid growth and development of Lynx Security, ensuring that quality and consistency of service combine to form the foundation for the Approved Contractor Scheme-registered company’s services.
Pickard is the vice-chairman of the BSIA’s South East Security Guarding Section Committee having previously served a three-year term as chairman.
Total revenue streams
Incentive Lynx Security boasts annual sales of GB pound 12 million. The parent organisation now has a total revenue stream of just over GB pound 40 million per annum and employs 1,350 staff across all disciplines.
Jeremy Waud, the managing director of the decade-old Incentive FM Group, and Craig Pickard have been friends for many years and, together with their respective colleagues, are delighted that the two teams have joined forces.
The high profile and high quality Lynx Security service is seen as very complimentary to the Incentive FM Group’s contract cleaning, consultancy and facilities management offerings. The latter’s clients have the benefit of dealing with experts in the service areas that they choose from the parent company. An official statement said: “There is no need to extend or change this range unless there’s an agreed client operational or financial benefit.”
It’s understood that Incentive Lynx Security will continue to offer a full range of stand-alone core security services to its customers.
Among those solutions are the supply of security officers, ?concierge and keyholding services, remote CCTV monitoring, patrol and alarm response services, security audits and the supply of ?temporary security and corporate event security staff.
Bespoke solutions for customers
Commenting on the acquisition, Jeremy Waud told Infologue.com’s Bobby Logue: “Unlike most of our competitors we are very flexible and, as an SME organisation with an unusual breadth of offer, our customers really get the solution that suits them best rather being shoehorned into an off-the-shelf standard contract.”
He added: “The high profile and high quality Lynx Security service is complementary to the Incentive FM Group’s contract cleaning, consultancy and facilities management activities and broadens our range of services for customers.”
Craig Pickard explained: “We have worked closely with the Incentive FM Group over the years and have always been impressed with its commitment to a quality service which we feel mirrors our own.”
Pickard continued: “For our customers it’s business as usual, except that they will now have the added benefits of us being part of a stronger and broader FM services organisation.”
*Interconnective’s Logue Corporate operation assisted with the acquisition process.
Further information on the Incentive FM Group
Incentive FM Group is described as “a dynamic, independently-owned facilities management company that regularly helps clients save at least 20% from their facilities and maintenance costs” while working closely with them to achieve considerable service improvements.
Its ‘Risk and Reward’ proposition, which is based on cost savings matched against compliance and service delivery goals being achieved, “guarantees customers an open and mutually incentivised relationship”.
The company has a number of clients in the retail, finance, prestige head office and manufacturing sectors. Working closely with each customer, Incentive FM provides a bespoke solution that brings with it financial value, statutory compliance and business efficiency.
The Incentive FM Group prides itself on its strong relationships with customers, who include: Colgate-Palmolive, Hammerson, Bluewater, Cushman & Wakefield, The Nottingham Building Society, Pall Europe, Liverpool Football Club, Jones Lang LaSalle, Emap and CapCo.
