A fantastic performance from our Security Manager Mike McLaughlin in the latest promotional video from global yacht brand Sunseeker International, who have been clients of ours for over 8 years.
It is an honour for us to be featured alongside such an iconic brand and testament to our strong working relationship.
On 18th April, MAN Commercial Protection hosted a networking event based around educating clients on county lines.
The event provided to be very popular, with over 20 clients in attendance, along with reps from local schools, colleges and youth charities.
It was specifically tailored for clients based on public spaces, such as leisure and retail destinations, where there are a lot of interactions with young people, and the threat of county lines and anti-social behaviour is prevalent.
The day saw an insightful discussion from speaker, Francis Ossei-Appiah – of charity Reform, Restore, Respect – about the dynamics of County Lines, the impact on society, and strategies for addressing the issues in our communities and workplaces. Francis received excellent feedback following his 2-hour discussion with a captivated audience.
Guests were then involved in an interactive First Aid training demonstration led by Dene Hale (MAN Training Manager) which had a specific focus on stab wounds and physical intervention.
Followed by a buffet lunch, the event also provided clients with a great networking opportunity with industry peers. The event was a huge success, and was a great opportunity to provide added-value to clients on such an important topic.
The MAN Commercial team thoroughly enjoyed hosting this event and look forward to continue partnering with Francis and working together at future events.
If you are interested in finding out more or arranging a training session, please contact us.
On 21st June 2023 the prestigious British Security Awards were held at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden. Run by the British Security Industry Association, the annual ceremony honours the very best of the security industry.
Amongst the high calibre of competitors, we are delighted to announced that MAN Commercial emerged victorious, clinching the coveted title of ‘Best Team’ at this year’s event!
The Best Team award recognises the dedication, bravery, teamwork, and customer service displayed by security teams in ensuring that people, properties, and places are professionally protected.
The Brewery team have demonstrated excellent security skills and understanding of public safety, while cultivating long-lasting relationships with their clients and site tenants, who have praised their dedication, professionalism, and life-saving responses to emergency situations.
A team of 20 attended the event from MAN Commercial, and along with the senior leadership team the group included our other finalists – Roger Mitchell (Security Manager of the Year) and representatives of the team from Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre (Best Team). Although these entrants didn’t win on the day, achieving regional success and a place at the national finals is a tremendous achievement.
Our ‘Best Team’ win this year completes a treble of success at the British Security Awards after we took home ‘Security Company of the Year’ in 2021 and ‘Contribution to the Industry’ in 2022.
This week (15th – 19th May) is Mental Health Awareness week and we wanted to shine the spotlight on Walk Talk Action, one of the 5 fantastic charities we are raising funds for during our 30th anniversary year.
We spoke to Teri Elder, founder of the charity, to find out more.
Walk Talk Action is a charitable organisation that is ultimately here to deliver skills, knowledge and opportunities to those that are ready to make a change in life. We have an extensive network of professionals and organisations that we have built strong relationships with, and we make connections on behalf of people struggling with their mental health. We help them to overcome a fear, or get back into employment or education.
We set up walks to get people outside of the four walls, enjoy nature, and to have time to reset. We offer different activities ranging from kayaking/canoeing, to coffee mornings to equine therapy and mindfulness. We also take people out of their comfort zones to see people’s true potential.
Sounds brilliant! What was it that inspired you to set up Walk Talk Action?
I set up Walk Talk Action to help people struggling in life get back to a better state of mind through literally walking, talking and taking action!
I’m a mum and step mum of 4, and I have suffered with my own mental health including PTSD, anxiety and postnatal depression. I’m a qualified Outdoor Educator, Mental Health coordinator, mentor and have served in the British Armed forces as a combat medic. I left my job as a high dependency ambulance driver to set up WTA and have helped over 500 people back into education, employment or overcome a fear. Helping people has ultimately helped me with my mental health and I feel passionate about finding out people’s talents and helping them to succeed.
What are you hopes for Walk Talk Action in the future?
We have a base now after 4 years. A lot of work is still needed but it’s become our retreat and place we can deliver all the workshops including our specialist 10 Step Programme, which covers the whole journey of a person being at rock bottom to then succeeding on their journey.
We hope to eventually have retreats set up all over the UK to encourage and motivate more people that are struggling with their mental health, to reassure them that you can become what you truly want to become! It all starts with a listening ear, a Walk, a Talk and then Actions put into place in order to make those changes and be happier in life.
What would Walk Talk Action aim to do with the funds raised by MAN Commercial at the end of this year?
The funds raised would help WTA immensely we always have new projects starting to help people on the 10 Step Program to achieve their goals. Our cabin at the retreat needs repainting and a pathway putting in. Ultimately it would help with reaching more people struggling and us to provide the support and opportunities they need.
Find out more about Walk Talk Action on their website: Walk Talk Action
If you would like to support MAN Commercial’s fundraising and the amazing work that Walk Talk Action does for those struggling with their mental health, please consider making a donation to our Just Giving page:
MAN Commercial are proud to be supporting the People, Property, Places – Professionally Protected (3 Ps) campaign launched by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA).
People, Property, Places: Professionally Protected is a campaign aimed at increasing the profile and awareness of the crucial work security officers carry out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year keeping the public safe.
The campaign highlights how both a career in the industry and the provision of professional security as a service carries a diverse range of benefits.
Being a security officer is a career of choice and is open to anyone, from any background, ethnicity, sexuality and age group. Security professionals are committed and take pride in their work. It is also a career with great routes for progression.
Security officers don’t just ‘do a job’ for their company and client; they are highly trained and compassionate individuals with great responsibility in keeping people, property and places professionally protected.
As brand ambassadors, we are actively supporting the campaign and our team’s will be wearing their 3P’s badges to highlight the importance of their roles. Our aim is to change public perception of what it means to be a security officer and encourage more people to consider security as a smart career choice.
Find out more here: People Property Places (bsia.co.uk)
We kick started the month in the capital, when after 889 long days, the London Marathon finally returned! The last 18 months have been a difficult period for everyone, but it was great to see the world-renowned event back up and running, and better than ever.
This was our third year at the event, where we had 80 team members covering three areas, ensuring the safety of both the crowd and participants.
We also provided the ringside security at October’s Frank Warren ‘Night of Champions event’ at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, featuring the eagerly awaited battle between Brad Foster and Callum Johnson which proved to be an exciting British Commonwealth showdown. And after a year out due to the pandemic, the NFL returned to London this month where our Events Team oversaw 60,000 fans in attendance at the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
We were excited to see our CEO Iain McCallister named in the prestigious ‘LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders for 2021’ in October; what an achievement! As part of the celebrations, Iain attended a ceremony at Birmingham’s Hotel Du Vin, where he received his award.
More on the Ambitious Leader’s list here:
Last month we shared that we will be attending the Security and Fire Excellence Awards, taking place in London in November, where we are in the running for ‘Security Company of the Year’. Further shortlists have now been announced, and we are delighted that our HR Team have been named finalists in the ‘Inspiration in HR’ category. Fingers crossed for the night!
We enjoyed an evening at the Solihull Awards on 14th October, where we had achieved finalist status for ‘Outstanding in Customer Service’. A great evening was had by all, celebrating the fantastic local businesses.
We have been busy at Head Office this month running various training days for our Managers, Supervisors and Officers. Sessions included HR process training and Emergency First Aid at Work.
Our Recruitment and Operations Teams have also been busy as we have mobilised four new sites in Crawley, Orpington, Peterborough, and Lutterworth. Our Commercial Team have also been working on new opportunities, with site visits and presentations happening in Bristol and London.
Our new HQ at no.7 Highlands Court enjoyed some finishing touches this month, with our ‘Memories’ and ‘Legends’ meeting rooms being decorated with some exciting memorabilia.
We are delighted to share that MAN Commercial Protection Ltd have been named ‘Business of the Year’ national champions by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) at the annual British Security Awards 2021!
This award selects the best from the UK security sector’s large corporations, so we were up against some tough competition!
In being named winners, MAN Commercial Protection have been recognised for our passionate ambition, professionalism and enthusiasm within the industry, along with our robust approach during the global pandemic which as a result has seen our business thrive.
Iain McCallister, CEO, said: “The past year has brought many challenges to businesses, and I am proud of how we reacted to the unprecedented situation and continued to deliver an outstanding and uninterrupted service for our clients. During this time, we continued to win additional clients and contracts and have been able to create many new jobs across the UK as a result of this. To be recognised for our success and as an industry leader is a fantastic achievement.”
Due to current restrictions in the UK, the 2021 awards were held online so although there was no glitzy ceremony to attend, we screened the awards in our training room at Head Office and were able to enjoy a socially-distanced toast to our big win!
MAN Commercial were also extremely proud to be regional winners and national finalists in three other categories – Service to the Customer, Security Manager of the Year and Contribution to the Industry.
Congratulations to all the winners on the day and thank you to the BSIA for a great ceremony celebrating the brilliant achievements in our industry.
Another month has passed in the blink of an eye and what an exciting and busy month April has been, with lockdown restrictions easing within the UK we were back to some form of normality.
Our bid teams have been across the country this month working on presentations and mobilisations of 18 new sites.
You may have seen in last month’s news we have mentioned the purchase of our new office within Highlands Court and this month the renovations for this were in full swing; this journey is going to be fully documented via our social media accounts so keep your eyes peeled for the latest updates.
Our People & Communications Director Laura went on maternity leave as you will have seen in the March News and we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of Baby Boy Liam, congratulations Laura & Family on your new addition!
Over the past 12 months our Keyholding department has gone from strength to strength and to thank our Keyholding Manager Stuart Park for his continuous dedication and hard work this month, we awarded Stuart a special recognition award.
Our Head Office continues to grow as this month we welcomed Tom our new addition to our Vetting Department, and welcomed back Emily our HR Administrator after 9 months maternity leave.
MAN Commercial’s Head Office training room finally got some use following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, as we held RSAS training, using training providers STM for our clients TFWM.
We announced last month we would be taking part in the BSIA & ACS Pacesetter awards again this year, we are delighted to announce we were awarded regional winners for the BSIA Security personnel awards and have been shortlisted for the ACS Pacesetters award, with the results for this being announced in the next coming weeks.
As lockdown continues to ease throughout the UK we are anticipating a busy events season ahead of us with confirmation of events taking place later on in the year, post lockdown and we are all very excited for a busy summer!
February has bought us lots of very exciting new opportunities here at MAN Commercial, including the acquisition of a second office building! As many know, we are based in Solihull in the West Midlands, which is a fantastic location for our Head Office, allowing easy travel to our sites and clients across the UK. With our continued growth and big plans for continued future expansion, we are delighted to reveal we are in the process of purchasing a second office space at Highlands Court, a stone’s throw from our current premises.
We are very much looking forward to kitting the place out MAN Commercial style and moving some of the team across later this year. As security industry key workers, it is essential that many of our Head Office staff continue to be office based throughout the pandemic, and the new space will assist us with ensuring we have a safe, socially distanced space for all.
With growing our base and brand a big focus for us in 2021, we have been working on some special MAN Commercial merchandise that you may have seen pop up on our social media; we have launched hoodies, water bottles and stationary, with more coming soon!
We also have high hopes that Summer 2021 will bring the return of our busy events season – we have already been inundated with enquiries since the Government announcement on the 22nd, so exciting times are ahead!
We have also been busy recruiting this month to expand our keyholding team. Due to more contract wins in this sector, expanding the team will ensure we have 24 hour, 7 days a week dedicated support for our key and alarm response customers.
Recruitment has also been happening in our Finance Team, where we have placed one of our Vetting Officers on a part-time secondment supporting the department; this opportunity has come up thanks to our continued turnover growth increasing the workload.
We have been investing in our officers this month, with IOSH Working Safely training being made available for those who will be working on exciting construction projects we have lined up this year with an existing high-profile distribution client.
As always, mobilisations have been underway for new contracts – we have been busy getting ready for the launch of a new central London concierge assignment, as well as undertaking more work for existing clients in fashion distribution and NHS supply chain. New sites have also gone live in Hinkley and Birmingham. Additionally, we have been hard at work planning and preparing for an exciting upcoming London retail opportunity!
We hit our 27th year of trading in March, time flies when you’re having fun! We’ve been updating and making more improvements to our head office again by redecorating 1 of our walls in the main office.
Our events team were out at the Cheltenham Festival from 10th – 13th March. We have also done and won some presentations in March which work will begin for later this year.
On March 18th, we held a ‘Women In Security’ brunch at Head Office to celebrate International Womens Day on 8th March. We drew 3 of our female security officers at random and delivered a big bouquet of flowers to their site. We asked our female security officrs if they would like to say anything about being a women in security and here are a few of our responses:
Fiona Griffiths, UK NSI ‘Being a female security officer, a few years ago there was a stigma attached being in a male dominated profession. I remember going for a job many years ago in a nightclub and was told they did not want women. I can only assume they felt females were not aggressive enough, (little do they know!) Being in security does harden you as a person as you have to work a lot harder, stand your ground and not be seen as weak.
We do the profession because we can do it. We’re a lot less of a threat and choose empathy over conflict. I would like to think that we have changed people’s attitudes on how female officers work but there’s still not enough of us!’
Michelle Sheils, Sunseeker International ‘I have been a security officer for 25 years now. I started off my career as a security guard, then quickly got promoted to a supervisor. A couple of years after this I was promoted again to a senior site supervisor. Originally I had a team of 10 security guards, 2 of which were female guards.. This over the years increase to 40 officers.
I am very proud of my achievements and goals in my career as a security guard. I helped my position for 18 years until I moved to Poole Dorset. I am a security guard for Man Commercial, I continue to be proud of my work in a man world’s as they say. I am the only woman here in our small team. I am very well respected, and do my job to best of my ability. Security work is very long hours, my children were small when I first started my career. It would be nice to see more women in security. More girl power is very much needed’
Rebecca Eastman, Control Room Head Office ‘I love that Man Commercial are recognising women in security. When I first joined Man back in 2012 I was only 1 of a few females. I have never been treated differently because I am a female, and MAN’s expectations of me have been the same as my male counterparts and now clients are realising that females are an asset to their companies security and embrace it. Even though I no longer work on sites but in the control room, I feel that I still make a contribution to the female workforce in security.’
These are challenging times we are all facing currently with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. MAN Commercial are classed as key workers providing our security services across many crucial sectors and our Head Office remains open 24/7. We have been extremely busy supporting our officers and clients and will continue to do so. Key workers like Security Officers are essential personnel, without whom the public could be at risk. MAN Commercial are extremely proud to be offering our services unwaveringly in the face of adversity, and are so grateful to every colleague who is helping make this happen.
