Interviews

Gemma Quirke MD

by Mark Rowe

Three weeks into her new role as MD Security Services of the guarding contractor Wilson James, Gemma Quirke spoke to Mark Rowe.

You may already have read her appointment as MD in the July issue. And you may have heard and seen her, as one of the panel of senior guarding sector speakers during IFSEC, as featured in the August issue. I ask about that panel and we agree that the speakers and audience ranged over the sector’s issues such as margins and if they are sustainable and how security services need to be sold to match changing customer needs.

Not the stereotypical ex-police or ex-Army second careerist, Gemma’s career in security started in recruitment, followed by a move into HR (human resources) management working for Pinkertons before and through their take-over by Securitas. From there an opportunity arose with Wilson James and ‘that was 13 years ago; and I have been with Wilson James ever since’. Having been the HR Director for the past 11 years moving into the role of MD security services is one which was a natural progression, having been actively involved in the security industry working with Skills for Security, the BSIA and the SIA in the development of security employment policy and raising the standards of professionalism across the industry. Now in her role as MD the focus is ensuring those standards are upheld across Wilson James service delivery.

While it was some years ago, she has worked as an officer during her university years, and has some understandings of what an officer’s work is like, in particular that to ensure service levels are delivered to expected standards a key focus area is looking after staff welfare. Wilson James has (for some time) tried to address this with the ‘four on, four off’ roster, also using this to attract and encourage a diverse workforce of both women and men of all ages and of all ethnicities.

As for what are the issues facing guarding, whether for her company or the sector in general, as aired by that panel at IFSEC, she says: “I see opportunities more than issues, to be honest.” She pauses. The industry goes through cycles, she suggests, and as for the talk lately of unsustainable margins: “The reality is that we are all responsible, in our own organisations, for the business we sell and more importantly the value which we can deliver. It is not a case of stating a price and service to the market – the proposition to the customer, needs to be one of conviction otherwise it is very hard to justify a higher price margin. The important thing is to understand your customer and their needs and to be able to quantify the value you can deliver.”

Procurement-led buying has been a fact of life for the sector. However it comes down to the proposition presented to the customer – how well you and your customer understand the particular intricacies involved in a specific contract and ensuring the right solution is delivered. She views customers, in many cases, as sophisticated purchasers, who do understand very well what they want, and what they want their contractor to deliver; and it’s for a guarding provider to meet those needs. The market is, at long last, opening up, she adds, and ‘becoming a bit more buoyant’.

I ask her to say some more on that critical point; how does someone in security show value in their service? ‘if the officers aren’t engaging with the customer, then that customer won’t get value from the service. You have to understand the customer’s aspirations, and those aspirations must be articulated to the security employees. These then need to be related to the role being delivered by the officer so that the officers understand how they can contribute to supporting the customer achieve their goals.’

Where does technology come in – how much further can it go? “Many customers are looking at technology to support service delivery, so it does deserve thinking time; I think there is a danger that people get distracted by what the technology can produce, rather than what it can add to the services being provided. It’s great that we can generate management information, dashboards and analytics but what are they being used for? The data that technology generates has to provide insight into contract performance or highlight opportunities for improvement. It also has to work hand in hand with the service officers are providing. We are delivering a security service and that has to remain the primary objective, securing the customer’s assets, and the technology is an assistance to that not an alternative.” It does mean, she says, that staff need the skills and training to use technology effectively to do the job. Some customers will be early adopters of this form of technology; some will wait and see what others do. Likewise some in private security will add technology that supplements their services upfront; some will wait to see how it goes for those early adopters.

Summing up, she says it’s an exciting time in the industry. “We are beginning to see things move;, meeting people in the London area, there’s a lot more positivity, we are beginning to see security specialists within large organisations having more influence in the purchasing of services again.” And she adds, that changes the proposition for a security contractor; with the focus on how do you present yourself in terms of value, rather than justifying your price. “It will be fascinating to see over the next while who will excel at that.”

And last but not least, how does she find being MD?! “So far, so good.”

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