星空传媒

Regional vice-president of ASIS International Region 25. Founding member and now Junior Warden of the Company of Security Professionals (of which he鈥檒l become Master in 2007-2008). Certified Protection Professional (CPP). Active supporter of The Security Institute, its aims and objectives. Managing director of SSR Personnel, the security industry鈥檚 foremost recruitment consultancy. SSR representative as one of 40 European members of the International Security Management Association.

When you鈥檙e talking about individuals that underpin professional standards in the private security sector 鈥� and have a passionate desire to see that sector exceed its own expectations 鈥� the discussion inevitably leads you in the direction of one Peter French. A hugely committed member of the security community, Peter makes sure he鈥檚 in attendance at every important industry event, be it a conference on Security Industry Authority licensing, a debate on structured career progression for security officers, trade exhibitions (including IFSEC and Securex) or Awards dinners.

One can鈥檛 help but wonder how he finds the time for these many and varied work activities. Not to mention pledging his allegiance (and many out-of-office hours) as Trustee of a 鈥楤usiness in the Community鈥�-supported project where he lives 鈥� a tiny village by the name of Mistley in north Essex, right on the Suffolk border. That project aims to raise no less than 拢3 million which is desperately needed to restore No 1 Mistley Quayside Maltings, some pioneering Grade II-listed maltings buildings dating from the 19th Century that overlook the Stour Estuary.

鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer in the work-life balance ethic,鈥� opines French when I begin chatting to him in the Boardroom of SSR Personnel鈥檚 Blackhorse Road headquarters, 鈥渁nd so I strive to manage and influence the SSR business as I perceive it should be managed in relation to that. As the company has grown in size, it would have been easy for me to plough a lone furrow. That鈥檚 not the right approach to business, though. Although I have to be proactive in searching out ideas, it鈥檚 important for me to interact with my co-directors and senior managers at every opportunity.鈥�

By his own admission, French now revels in the role of 鈥渂lue sky thinker鈥� at SSR, carving out tomorrow鈥檚 strategy while leaving the day-to-day running of the business to his management team. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 mainly why I make time for outside interests within the security sector,鈥� adds French. 鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting to discover what people in the wider community are thinking. I鈥檒l be the one who asks the awkward questions of clients. What do they want to see happening in their business? Then I can return to the office, using my findings to challenge our business processes and people.鈥�

It鈥檚 a networking philosophy that鈥檚 obviously working a treat. SSR Personnel remains the recruitment consultancy of choice for many of the UK鈥檚 Top 500 blue chips, and is beginning to benefit from a growing reputation among the Fortune 500 to boot.

With a particular emphasis on the security sector (but also serving the Health and Safety, facilities and project management, IT and telecomms industries), the London-based company sources temporary, contract and permanent staff for client organisations, provides screening and testing services and runs the industry鈥檚 foremost Executive Search facility that selects top quality people for Board and senior management level appointments.

The brochure published to advertise the latter service quotes Sir Francis Bacon (鈥淜nowledge itself is power鈥�, which fits nicely with Peter French鈥檚 own view of the world). French鈥檚 knowledge base has helped SSR progress from its humble 1986 beginnings to a business that now employs 70 members of staff and deals with 500-plus contractors.

Entering the commercial fray

Born in London during 鈥渢he late 1950s鈥� 鈥� French is 鈥渁n individual with a non-age bias鈥�, and will not reveal his exact birthday 鈥� the young professional鈥檚 early years were marked by change, both for himself and his family. French鈥檚 father Robert, a designer with engineering concern Roots, decided on a career about-turn so that he could transpose the French clan from an inner city to the countryside and a home in Harlow.

As an 11-year-old, young Peter didn鈥檛 really appreciate the magnitude of his father鈥檚 actions. 鈥淗e had to learn a whole new set of skills, and he did that just so we could benefit,鈥� continues French with obvious respect and affection in his voice.

Although he went on to sit his 鈥極鈥� Levels, including examinations in his favoured Arts subjects of English, geography and history, French confesses to having had little desire for academia. Probably due to his father鈥檚 engineering bent, however, there was a keen interest in technical drawing. Sport was also a prominent part of the inquisitive teenager鈥檚 world, and football trials for the County followed. However, with part-time work having been secured from the age of 14, French was already finding the call of commerce too tempting to resist.

Leaving school at 16, he took a job in a local store. 鈥淚t was then I discovered that people were prone to walking in and stealing things. To me this was fascinating. Why were they doing that?鈥� His questioning mind led French into a short spell within retail management, working across several outlets for a small, privately-owned chain. 鈥淲hile your sales targets could hit the mark time and time again, and you could change store layouts to boost sales, the most devastating aspect was theft,鈥� says French. 鈥淪ome of your best customers would be the ones who鈥檇 try and steal from you.鈥�

Just as now, French wasn鈥檛 afraid of hard work, but he took time out to listen to employees, take on board their concerns and then influence them in the workplace. Not yet 20, he was already managing a team of men and women all with different attitudes and views. French is adamant that his current management style 鈥� of which more anon 鈥� has been framed by this period in his life, although it was one now slightly tinged with regret.

鈥淚n hindsight, I should have done more academically,鈥� sighs French. 鈥淚f I had the time I鈥檇 definitely apply to a university and complete a business degree.鈥� French, you see, is into the life sciences, people and people relations. 鈥淭he things that make us all tick鈥�. The parallels between his individual interests and role as managing director of a recruitment consultancy display an obvious synergy.

Security via building services

Communication skills top the list of attributes needed by security managers before you even start to think about anything else. The ability to impart the language of that industry. That鈥檚 of paramount importance

Mirroring his father before him, French decided on a career change of his own during the early 1980s and joined the building services industry. The company for whom he worked 鈥� StaGuard 鈥� provided total contractual services for a plethora of (predominantly) Arab clients who鈥檇 come to the UK during the Thatcher-era corporate building boom. 鈥淭hat was the time when the commercial security industry as we know it today began to take off,鈥� recalls French. Eventually, he and his business partner Roy Henley decided to throw all of their eggs into one basket and concentrate on security.

Retail security, in fact. From the ashes of StaGuard, French (a founder director) and Henley formed contract security concern Libra Services. The company鈥檚 operatives were soon apprehending no less than 16,000 people every year on suspicion of shop theft. It was a tough environment, and French soon realised the importance of developing 鈥渁 sound strategy for recruiting and retaining members of staff.鈥�

At that time 鈥� ie the mid-1980s 鈥� the recruitment sector was already a regulated animal. All agencies were forced to comply with Government rules from 1974, when increasing IRA activity on the UK mainland was a contributory factor behind the Employment Agencies Act (which was subject to revision only last year). 鈥淲e realised pretty quickly what the licensed audit was all about,鈥� adds French. 鈥淚nspectors could arrive on your doorstep on any day of the year, totally unannounced, and ask to see any one of your contractual invoices for a given client. They had to be able to see how you鈥檇 sourced a member of staff, what instructions the client had passed on to you and how you鈥檇 billed the client.鈥�

Back then, French was of the opinion that the best way to secure a premises was to say 鈥淕ood morning鈥� to staff and customers alike, followed by 鈥淕ood afternoon鈥� and 鈥淕ood evening鈥�. Security was viewed as the 鈥榥o can do鈥� profession, and was treated in such a way that a tangible mystique surrounded it.

Word of mouth is a powerful driver in the business world, and noises on the grapevine suggested to clients not even looking for a security service that Libra was a staff placement company with a difference. Seizing the opportunity, French took the bold step of selling off Libra and transferring all of his considerable energies into SSR Personnel, which had been formerly established in 1986 to 鈥渟it on the front end鈥� of the original Libra business. A prescient move. Particularly so when you consider that, today, the UK recruitment industry is now worth a whopping 拢28 billion per annum and deploys 1,300,000 temporary workers five days per week.

Processes for the business

On top of 鈥榖lue sky thinking鈥�, French believes that his present role at SSR entails enquiring all the while to discover the best processes for the business. 鈥淚鈥檓 the biggest process-buster you鈥檒l find,鈥� he states with total conviction.

French positively abhors ways of working in which a given task is carried out in a certain manner simply because that has always been the case. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I hunt down people with different outlooks on business processes, no matter what sector they happen to be in. Seasoned individuals will proffer the same old solution. Business never moves forward when that situation persists.鈥�

Complacency isn鈥檛 a word within the French vocabulary. As SSR has grown, he鈥檚 realised that the parental nature of a smaller company can easily be lost, and is thus massively keen on continually enthusing staff and contractors alike. For French, external contractors are also SSR鈥檚 employees. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just taken on a 50-person resourcing contract, and we send each of those people a birthday card during their time with us. Only a small token, but it鈥檚 one that makes a great deal of difference in their perception of us as a company.鈥�

Over 50% of SSR鈥檚 current employees have been with the company longer than five years (which speaks volumes). One of the reasons why is that French steers team players in the direction of extra curricular activities that bond them to the company and the local community. 鈥淔rom October time onwards we go out to local charities in search of Christmas promises,鈥� suggests French. 鈥淭he staff then pick out those with which they鈥檇 like to be involved.鈥� For instance, many SSR employees help out with the local Salvation Army, serving food and the like. A great way of building team spirits.

This year, French has unearthed a local charity that helps traumatised teenagers. The money saved on postage by despatching the 2004 SSR Christmas card via e-mail (as was the case in 2003) will be diverted to the cause. A fantastic gesture, and one which should not be lost on the security fraternity where the vested interest culture generally remains to the fore.

Underpinning all of this activity is Peter French鈥檚 own management style, which he (and fellow director Del Hunter) describes as 鈥減assionate鈥�. Passion for his individual role. Passion for the way in which SSR interacts with its client base. And a great passion for quality service delivery. He鈥檚 not averse to taking risks, either. 鈥淪even years ago we opened an office in Moscow. At the time it was a huge gamble, but it鈥檚 one that really paid off for us.鈥� Indeed, the company has since nurtured operations in Washington DC and South Africa. The tentacles of SSR are spreading, it seems.

Outlook on security management

Peter French is perhaps better placed than anyone to discuss security management (and its future) as a discipline, given that SSR鈥檚 core business lies in sourcing managers and project leaders for quality clients. What attributes define the first class security manager, then?

鈥淐ommunication skills top the list of attributes needed by security managers before you even start to think about anything else,鈥� stresses French. 鈥淭he ability to impart the language of that industry. That鈥檚 paramount. In some environments you鈥檒l need a tinge of grey hair before you can do so, while in others that will not be the case.鈥�

Human Resources professionals are Chartered. Why shouldn鈥檛 that apply to security practitioners as well? We鈥檝e learned so much from the Human Resources sector at SSR to know that Chartered status can make a very real difference

Security management is all about knowledge and talent management. 鈥淎 good manager is someone that鈥檚 capable of recognising talents within each of their team members and developing them to fruition,鈥� states French. 鈥淭hink about it. Could the next chief executive of most corporate concerns come from the security function of the operation? Probably not. That鈥檚 why we need far more people in the ranks with sound MSc and MBA qualifications.鈥�

Security, of course, is predominantly an experience-based environment. For Peter French, management within that profession should be focused on integrity 鈥� and demonstrably so. In this way, the security and safety functions will begin to attract people with degrees in relevant disciplines who have enquiring minds and are drawn in because there鈥檚 a professional path for them to follow.

鈥淭his path should be framed by Continuing Professional Development, and the need to benchmark what managers do across their function,鈥� continues French. 鈥淢ost managers are a singly different voice at the corporate table. If there鈥檚 a major incident on or near the site, they鈥檒l be asked what everyone in the company should do. It鈥檚 their 15 seconds of fame. If they then turn around and say: 鈥楨vacuate the building鈥�, that鈥檒l not necessarily be what the managing director or chief executive wants to hear. What they might like is something along the lines of: 鈥榃ell, of the 20 businesses in the immediate vicinity, three have chosen to evacuate while the remainder are staying put鈥�. In other words, you have benchmarked the company鈥檚 surroundings. That鈥檚 only achievable if the security manager networks with colleagues in the area.鈥�

As far as French is concerned, there are so many elements of business life on which the security managers of tomorrow might hang their collective hat. Human resources professionals are always looking at issues like bias and diversity in the workplace, so too business ethics. 鈥淭hese are variables which security managers could deal with,鈥� suggests French with much forethought, 鈥渂ut how many champions do we have in the profession capable of delivering the message? That鈥檚 what separates a good manager from a poor one. If a security professional can link all of these strands together and communicate a cohesive message to the Board, their job is done.鈥�

Unprompted, he takes the conversation a stage further. 鈥淚f someone is sexually harassed in the office, to whom will they report the incident? The security manager? No. Most probably personnel. Why is that, when the security manager might well be tasked with investigating such issues? Some directors will not trust their security manager to be in charge of matters like these because they don鈥檛 feel they鈥檙e sensitive enough, yet with all of the laws on unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination now in place it鈥檚 plain to see that security must have a role to play as a first line of defence for the organisation and its people.鈥�

The benefit of qualifications

French鈥檚 ASIS International (and UK Chapter 208) connection currently means that he鈥檚 now in charge of the education and welfare of 1,000-plus members spanning Belgium, Holland, France, Ireland and the UK. He also sits on the prominent body鈥檚 European Advisory Council, examining ways in which the organisation鈥檚 membership might be increased still further in the years to come.

At the heart of ASIS is the CPP qualification. Like Dennis Ahern (鈥楾ate of the Art鈥�, Profile, SMT, June 2004, pp16-19), French is a great believer in it. Unlike Ahern, however, he failed to pass the first time around. 鈥淚 was brilliant on the people management questions, but rather weak on the technical aspects which I then had to brush up on for the second attempt,鈥� he adds. In excess of 9,000 candidates have taken the CPP examination now, and while it鈥檚 true to say that some continental variations still exist within the qualification, they鈥檙e now becoming less and less as greater numbers of questions have an international element added to them.

鈥淭he best thing about the CPP is that you have to re-certify your skills,鈥� explains French. 鈥淎lso, the fact that here in the UK we鈥檝e bolted-on legal aspects to the examination has allowed us to scrutinise the true role of the security professional. Are they involving themselves in more IT-related tasks or less, for example? When we find out we can then incorporate new questions and adapt existing ones to make sure the examination is always relevant to the moment.鈥� Impressive stuff.

How much store does French place in membership of ASIS? The answer is black and white. 鈥淚f I were to recommend an organisation that any security professional should join, it would definitely be ASIS.鈥� French harks back to the third European conference held by the organisation in Madrid last February. 鈥淥ver 300 people attended,鈥� spouts French with obvious pride. 鈥淭here were some fabulous presentations on all manner of security-related topics. Those in attendance must have learned a hell of a lot about their profession.鈥�

As stated, French is also a great champion of The Security Institute (TSI). He鈥檚 fully behind TSI鈥檚 original premise that security managers should eventually be recognised as Chartered professionals. He rightly observes: 鈥淭his simply has to be the prime focus as the profession moves forward.鈥�

Security: a decade from now

Towards the conclusion of our highly interesting conversation, French turns his attentions to the ongoing march of technology. The Internet is nearing its 20th birthday, and for French 鈥渢here was no world before that online resource existed鈥�. The time 鈥榩re-www鈥�, in French鈥檚 eyes at least, was a grey area. 鈥淛ust think about that technology revolution being replicated in the security sector,鈥� he muses. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what excites me. The ability of technology to replace people.鈥�

Not such good news, one humbly suggests, for managers and officers who might find themselves surplus to requirements as a direct result of this revolution. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 left behind will be a motivated team of people doing a worthwhile job,鈥� retorts French. 鈥淕uarding companies and in-house operations shouldn鈥檛 be in business if they can鈥檛 integrate people and technology in this day and age. You鈥檙e right to talk about 鈥榯echnology blindness鈥� in SMT.鈥�

鈥淲hatever the scenario,鈥� adds French, 鈥渋f quality is continually driven out of the service by way of price cutting then the current downward spiral will continue. It鈥檚 relatively easy to meet standards, but it鈥檚 not so simple a task to exceed them. In the future, those operating in the security and safety sectors will be known as knowledge providers.鈥�

Never one to rest on his laurels, French then points out an inscription framed on the Boardroom wall. 鈥淣o fact is too small to know, and no task is too big to attempt.鈥� Rumour has it this is one of Peter鈥檚 favourite quotes.