Before Doug Hewitson invited me along to Shaftesbury Avenue’s swish Stanza Restaurant this week to celebrate his company’s substantial investment in the future of British Judo, all I could tell you about this Japanese sport was that it’s contested by two people in white robes on a rubber mat. Oh yes, and Brian Jacks is a famous ex-Judo participant from this country (I only know that because of classic TV series Superstars, which I used to watch avidly as a child… Remember the one where Kevin Keegan fell off a bike and lost 80% of his skin? Gruesome…)
Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, my knowledge is a little better now, largely thanks to a demo of the Judo ‘art’ from aspiring athletes Gemma Gibbons and Lee Shinkin (decked out in their G4S-badged robes) complete with running commentary from Densign White, the thoroughly affable chairman of the British Judo Association.
First, the assembled guests (more of them anon) were shown Ukemi (a breakfall technique based on whacking the flat of your palm on the mat as you tumble unceremoniously to Earth) followed by hip throws, backward throws, arm locks and Katame no Kata (in English terms, forms of grappling!)
Thinking back to Beijing
Standing next to Alistair Kellie (director of corporate practice) and his Citigate Dewe Rogerson colleague Max Duddy, my eyes briefly wandered beyond the Judo frenzy in front of me to the Gates of Chinatown, visible through the first floor full-height windows at The Stanza. Given that Great Britain Judo athletes Winston Gordon, Euan Barton, Peter Cousins, Sarah Clark and Karina Bryant were on the other side of the room having just returned from Beijing, it was a fitting backdrop for them.
There was a steady flow of drink (including some crisp white wine and a Japanese cocktail including peppermint and apple which I’d already sampled on our spectacular 2004 press trip to Japan and China with Panasonic) and plenty of gleaming white plates populated by delicious chunks of beef, Tempura and deep-fried squid (which was to die for).
As I balanced my notepad precariously on what seemed to be some form of lectern-turned-drinks trolley (bizarre, I know, but that’s the only way I can describe it), in through the door walked David Greer, chief executive at Skills for Security. I didn’t waste any time in telling one of Northern Ireland’s finest sons that he needed to sort out the gift shops at Belfast International Airport (where I’d been the previous day on my way to attending the opening of G4S’ new GB pound 3.4 million Monitoring Centre)!
What about the potato bread, David?!
“I couldn’t find any soda farls or potato bread anywhere, David!” I raged. My mother hails from the city, you see, and I always try and take some home for her. All I ended up with this time was a fridge magnet depicting City Hall. Better than nothing, I suppose!
Mr Greer said he’d do his very best to have a word with the powers-that-be. I’m expecting swift results, David, so think on!
Following quick chats with David Evans (2012 project director at the BSIA) and David Taylor-Smith (G4S’ chief executive for the UK and Ireland), I popped to the bar for a refill before joining Douglas Greenwell (sales and marketing director at G4S) and Stuart Lowden, the newly-crowned chairman of the BSIA, who were deep in conversation about some contracts up for grabs in London and the City.
“This Judo Programme is a great initiative,” Stuart told me. “It’s fabulous to see a security company help youngsters take part in an Olympic sport and fulfil their potential.”
The rise of the professional bid manager
Back on the contracts front, and having bemoaned the lack of really good salespeople available for hire, Douglas began to wax lyrical on the subject of professional bid managers. Apparently, these bods are now very much in vogue because contracts and tendering processes are becoming more and more complex.
As his boss Doug Hewitson had explained to me earlier in the evening, G4S has deliberately diversified its service offerings at least in part because of the poor margins that still pervade pure guarding business. This has helped the Security Services (UK) operation to develop healthy growth and given added impetus to business development managers along the way.
Having nibbled at some more beef and deep-fried Shitake mushrooms, Stuart, Douglas and I decided to move away from the bar because, by 8.30 pm, it wasn’t the best place to be. Why? There were two waiters juggling bottles in the style of Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Without the aid of camera trickery to disguise their ‘mistakes’, in their efforts to impress the boys were close to hitting us with the bottles they (nearly) dropped!
Talking of weddings…
Before I departed, I had a lovely chat with Naomi Groom from G4S’ marketing operation. Having married this summer, she was keen to find out how my own wedding plans are progressing (I am to be married to my beautiful fiance Annora in Rutherglen, south Lanarkshire next February). You’ll be pleased to know that everything’s on schedule, folks!
Walking down to Leicester Square tube station, I began to text Nonnie to make sure she was OK before being joined for the remainder of my short trot by David Evans. David dropped by our Editorial Offices the other week to discuss all manner of issues relating to 2012. Suffice to say that, as a result, we’ll have some interesting articles for you to read in the coming months.
Many thanks to all at G4S for a splendid evening!
I’m a big lover of sport, and have been since I was a child. It was fascinating to learn more about Judo, and I’ll certainly be keeping tabs on the progress of our Judokas (‘they who study Judo’) in the run-up to 2012.
Football and Judo… Chalk and cheese
How ironic, though, that on the same day as this launch I have to say my love of (English) football – already rapidly deteriorating – inched closer to the point of total apathy with the news that Alan Curbishley, the manager of West Ham United (the club I’ve supported since I was knee-high to a grasshopper), had resigned his position apparently due to differences of opinion with the chairman over how the club conducts its business in the transfer market.
It strikes me that Premier League football clubs are now little more than ‘toys’. The playthings of obscenely rich tycoons and media moguls. ‘Curbs’ is better off out of it in my opinion, because there’s going to come a time when, unrestrained, top level football in this country will gorge on the fat of private sector finance one time too many and end up destroying itself. Most Premier League clubs are already operating on huge losses in any case.
To put matters into perspective, just think what the British Judo Association could do with the GB pound 30 million-plus Sir Alex Ferguson has just shelled out on Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov?