Listed alongside the likes of Hotel Chocolat Stores, Innocent and Net-A.Porter.com, Octavian earned its place by achieving annual sales growth of 100.26%.
The company – which has achieved a similar year-on-year sales growth since it was founded in 2003 by owner and Group CEO Sukhi Ghuman – expanded from a single office in Nottingham to a global operation with divisions in Spain and Vancouver. Next year, there will be a further operation launched in the US.
Speaking to SMT Online about this tremendous accolade, Ghuman commented: “We’re extremely pleased to receive this award in what is an extremely challenging economic climate. We’ve continued to deliver innovation to clients by constantly evolving our service provision, which is why we are still enjoying excellent growth in this downturn.”
This year, Octavian has expanded its global offering and launched consultancy-led Risk Management and Executive Protection Divisions. Ghuman continued: “We have also finalised plans to launch our new auditing business, Centurion International. This serves as further proof that not only are we seeking to diversify but also to become a complete end-to-end solutions company.”
On the Fast Track
Published once a year, The Sunday Times-Virgin Fast Track 100 is the definitive list of fast growth private companies. Octavian’s inclusion in the list is wraps up a very successful year for the company which has secured its first contracts in Canada and continued to work for blue chip companies such as the BBC, BP and IKEA.
Also named in 100 is Manpower Direct. Founded in 2003, the Essex-based company supplies security officers to clients in both the public and private sectors. Set up by university friends Muhammad Alam, Omer Malik and Kashif and Sharjeel Bhatti, the firm has grown from having ten employees to a pool of more than 500.
Manpower Direct now supplies security and car parking enforcement services to clients including local councils, the National Health Service and larger retail outlets. Sales at the company have swelled 144% year-on-year from GB pound 383,000 in 2004 to GB pound 5.6 million come 2007.
In addition to this latest accolade, Octavian and Sukhi Ghuman have continued to collect awards – including being named Business of the Year at the First Enterprise Ethnic Minority Business Awards for the second year running, and achieving the Excellence in Customer Service title at the Business Awards Nottinghamshire. That’s in addition to being shortlisted for Business of the Year at the Nottingham Best Business Awards 2008.
Southern Railway contract win
Octavian has just been appointed as the official security guarding supplier for three stations on the Southern Railway network. Based in Bromley-by-Bow, Octavian’s southern region operations team has been contracted to provide a specialist brand of security services at East Croydon, East Grinstead and Oxted Stations.
The comprehensive service has been specifically tailored to complement all the requirements of Southern Railway’s management team, and includes tasks such as anti-social behaviour monitoring, the prevention of violence towards rail staff and customers and assisting passengers to board and alight from trains such that there’s a strict adherence to all necessary Health and Safety measures.
According to Octavian Security’s southern operations manager James Lithco, key to the early success of the partnership with this client has been the company’s approach from the start of the contract – as well as its officers’ exceptional performance.
Coherent, results-based strategy
Lithco said: “From the outset, we struck up a close working relationship with the client which allowed us to explore its exact requirements and form a clear idea of what would work best. In essence, we managed to devise a coherent, results-based strategy to suit all needs.”
Lithco continued: “Southern was very specific about the type of attributes the officers manning the stations had to have, such as being smart, caring and good listeners, on top of being able to conduct arduous and sometimes hazardous tasks. These are exactly the traits that we ourselves seek out in all of our officers, and so a trust was formed between us from that point on.”
Speaking on behalf of Southern Railway, Joe O’Meara – the company’s retail manager – said: “We have been greatly encouraged by the helpful nature of both the staff and management team at Octavian Security. Together, we have made a true partnership and alliance that we very much hope will continue long into the future.”
In conclusion, O’Meara explained: “We’re always working towards improving our passengers’ experience, and to create a crime-free travel environment. Octavian is helping us to achieve this. This solutions provider has recognised that good management liaison, strategic planning and officer continuity is crucial when working in a passenger-focused environment.”
At the coalface of security
Octavian has also landed a new contract that will see its personnel protecting the Coal Authority’s headquarters at Berry Hill in Mansfield.
The Authority is responsible for the licensing of coal mining operations in Britain, and for dealing with the historic legacy of past coal mining. Octavian will provide security at the Nottinghamshire facility during evenings and weekends.
Specific tasks Octavian is to undertake include patrolling the site, monitoring signing-in procedures and ensuring that security measures and checks are adhered to at both the entrances and exits of the premises at all times.
Racing into pole position
As if all of this news wasn’t enough, Octavian has recently used its event security expertise to best effect at the 2008 Bennetts British Superbikes Championship.
The company was appointed by MotorSport Vision to provide security and stewarding for the car park and campsite areas at the prestigious Cadwell Park racetrack in Louth. Cadwell Park hosts the biggest round of the British Superbike Championship, consisting of practice sessions, race qualification and a final race day attracting a bumper Bank Holiday crowd over a three-day period.
The event was planned meticulously by the Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue and the event organisers, who worked in conjunction with Octavian to ensure that all emergency procedures were adhered to throughout the event.
Octavian’s commercial manager, Ian Burrows, told SMT Online: “Planning was paramount to the success of this operation. The professionalism and extensive experience of the Octavian team allowed us to work closely alongside the emergency services and run an effective and comprehensive service.”
Octavian has considerable knowledge of event and crowd safety management, recently providing security services for both the 137th British Open Golf tournament at Royal Birkdale and the JCB family Open Day in Rocester.
About the Octavian Group
The Octavian Group of Companies comprises not just Octavian Security but also Octavian Recruitment, Octavian Facilities Management, Octavian Law, Octavian Continental and Octavian Risk Management LLC.
