The guarding firm Axis Security has been re-appointed by Daiwa Capital Markets Europe to provide manned guarding and reception services at the investment bank’s head office in London. Axis’s front of house arm Acuity will provide receptionists.
Daiwa Capital Markets Europe is the wholly-owned investment banking subsidiary of Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Its head office is at 5 King William Street in London’s financial district. The onsite security and front of house teams have 30 years of combined experience at the Grade II listed building, the contractor reports.
The contracts for manned guarding and reception services were re-tendered as part of a regular review and benchmarking of costs and services. Axis Security and Acuity started working with Daiwa in 2015. Peter Woods, Head of Facilities Management at Daiwa, says of the re-appointment that it confirmed that the bank was still working with a best-in-class service provider: “They also committed to make further improvements to the service delivery, which includes the introduction of more technology to support the security officers (including Tracktik to help monitor patrols and Fastfields for real-time reporting) and more training across the team.
“The reception team and the security team perform very well together,” he adds. “We have the right people for the environment, and they get the balance of security and customer service just right.”
Seven officers protect the property 24-hours a day, and a two-person reception team look after the front of house in working hours. Acuity has also trained eight other receptionists specifically for the site, to cover any absences, and to add staff at busy times. Part of the retender saw the security team take cross-site training with officers visiting other Axis sites in London, such as the Scalpel and Sea Containers House.
David Mundell, Managing Director of Axis Security, pictured, says: “We have two specialist management teams supporting their respective services and ensuring our staff are happy and well supported. We are pleased to continue working with Daiwa, further improving our service and delivering the same high-levels of support they have come to expect.”
