Knight of the realm

Devoted wife and mother. Managing director of a thriving security solutions provider. Former chair of ASIS International's UK Chapter 208. Council and Validation Board member of The Security Institute. Competent in three foreign languages. A self-styled team player consistently willing - and able - to challenge society's status quo. A woman who, against all the odds, has battled back from a life-threatening brain haemorrhage to triumph in today's dog-eat-dog commercial world.

Suffice to say that Patricia Knight has more than earned a place at security's Top Table, along with the undying respect and admiration of her peers. Her life story is a fascinating one, which she freely recounts with wonderfully clear and precise diction - so rare these days - upon my visit to Receptors Security Systems' UK headquarters, just outside the quaint Hertfordshire village of Great Gaddesden.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to occupy the same space as Patricia at industry events will already know that this is a woman who oozes class, poise and sophistication. She may have been born at the Hillingdon Hospital as long ago as 21 May 1944, but you would never have said so if playing a guessing game.

Knight attributes her perennially youthful appearance and alert demeanour to nothing more than: "Good, clean, healthy living". Therein lies a lesson for us all, one suspects.

An all-too-familiar view of the world

Patricia's natural father and her mother - who sadly passed away late last year - divorced when she was very young. "My stepfather then wanted me to leave school as soon as I turned 15," recalls Knight with not a little unease and anger. "He felt that a girl should grow up, marry, have children and become a housewife. Why would they need an education? Thankfully, my dear mother argued the point with him, and I was eventually allowed to stay on at school."

Knight's beautifully pronounced take on the English language was honed at the then brand new Hayes County Grammar School. According to Knight, the Hayes County experience was "progressive". "Traditionally," she ventures, "girls would study the Arts subjects and boys the Sciences. I was fortunate enough to be able to learn chemistry, physics and biology, but I have to say my first love was always English, both in terms of language and literature."

That would go some way towards explaining the myriad books adorning her office. "We didn't study modern literature, rather the ‘classics' like Dickens and Shakespeare."

At this point, Knight again introduces her late mother to the conversation. "My mother was an enormous influence on me," she stresses. "She had a great deal of integrity, and was exceedingly hard working. She also held a very strong belief in ‘Family', as I do now. I'm fiercely loyal to friends, while honesty is massively important to me. I have to say that my family means more than anything."

Having developed a "fascination for languages", Knight completed A Levels in English and French. Of her own volition, she would later come to learn Italian and German, too. "In this day and age it's a vital skill to have in the commercial world," urges Knight with great conviction. "As a company, we conduct much of our business overseas, as well as here in the UK. Even if you're not fluent, I think it's really important to be able to communicate with people in their native tongue. It forges an immediate bond." A very refreshing attitude.

Initially, Knight worked on behalf of the Government for the now-defunct Central Office of Information. It was 1962, and the ‘Brain Drain' was in full swing. "We were tasked with researching why so many professionals were leaving home shores to live and work on the continent," explained Knight. "Whatever answers we came up with were most likely left on a shelf and forgotten about."

Having been something of a ‘statistics and theory' guru for seven years, Knight then made a life choice and stopped work to start a family. "That was a very interesting period for me," she recalls, emitting one of her frequent and warm smiles. "I was absolutely terrified of turning into a human cabbage, and talking about nothing other than babies and curtains. I determined that, although I was leaving the world of work, I would keep my brain active."

Patricia's husband Wilf was studying at Cambridge University so, using much initiative, Knight wrote to the Tutor of Admissions and asked if it would be possible to attend some lectures there. "They said ‘Yes', so I went along and listened-in on English Literature tutorials, and talks on subjects like the history of art. I was enjoying all of the pleasure without the pain of examinations."

Knight's ‘sabbatical' lasted until the early 1980s when Alistair - Patricia and Wilf's youngest son - started his schooling. Now 28, Alistair works for EDS. The Knight's eldest son, Robert, is technical director at Receptors - but "on merit, not because of nepotism" - while 33-year-old Greg is currently working in Norway as a SAP consultant. Greg and Alistair are both to marry this year, and when mentioning this to me Knight's face positively glows with pride.

New outlook on life

By now approaching her 40th birthday, Knight embarked on an interview round to secure a new job that would occupy both her mind and time post-initial childcare. In the event, she ended up with two jobs - one as PA to the managing director of local engineering concern Jones & Nathan (who then decided he might want to start marketing a specific security product as an adjunct to the company's everyday business). There was, after all, an obvious synergy in doing so.

"Looking back, that's the time when I first harnessed an interest in the security industry," suggests Knight. Her husband had by now been invalided out of the police service and established his own security consultancy, Robert Gregory Associates. Knight continues the story. "My days were developing into a familiar routine," she explains. "Wake up, see to the boys, take them to three different schools, go to work and do my job, back to collect the children, sort out their homework, cook the evening meal and then join Wilf on his company business. It was difficult to juggle everything, and not a little tiring."

Soon, Robert Gregory Associates began to spread its commercial wings, so Wilf suggested that Patricia resign from her role at Jones & Nathan and transfer to "the family business" instead. Ever willing to try something new, Patricia readily agreed to the idea.

Good relationships must first be built up with clients, but more importantly they have to be maintained at a high level. There’s no point in just installing a system and walking away from it

"It worked for a while, but in those days there was an awful lot of prejudice against women in the security industry. People just assumed that, because I was a female, I wouldn't know anything. I cannot tell you how frustrating that was."

It appeared an opportune juncture to ask Knight about her feelings on what is a crucial issue. Does this kind of rampant chauvinism still prevail to this day, or is the industry's male population finally beginning to see the light?

"Yes, occasionally those same attitudes still prevail," sighs Knight with the merest hint of resignation, "but thankfully not to the extent they once did. It's true that there are lots of females in sales and marketing jobs, and some in the technical spheres, but it is a great shame that there are not many more women occupying executive roles." Why is that?

Old agendas still hold true

"There are lots of reasons why," relates Knight. "Women aren't actively encouraged to join the ranks of our industry. They look at it from the outside, and what do they see? An environment populated by ex-policemen and ex-military personnel. There is a narrow mindset among some of this ilk. They can be dyed-in-the-wool, and have very fixed ideas. They'll not want anyone coming on board who openly challenges their authority. It must be said, though, that there is an enormous number of males from the armed forces and the police service who have joined the security ranks, provide a wonderful service to their clients and buck the trend. However, it's the overall perception that holds sway."

How might we fill more managerial positions with females? After all, given the recruitment shortfalls the industry is facing, and the excellent client-facing skills women so obviously possess in abundance, surely it would be folly not to make this a key objective?

"I sometimes upset people because I think differently," responds Knight, having paused for thought. "Often, I think differently because I'm a woman. I love to challenge the status quo. Just because we've always done something a certain way doesn't mean to say that always has to be the case. There is often a better way of doing something, at least in my experience. The dinosaurs among the industry's male faction need to be cajoled into thinking along the same lines."

Face-to-face with security

By her own admission, Knight was "a touch naïve" on joining the private security industry. Necessarily forced into a sharp learning curve, all roads eventually led to the formation of her present company - Receptors Security Systems (UK) - in 1989.

The company's birth was swift. A salesman from Shorrock Security had purchased a Receptors access system from the States because there was nothing comparable in the UK to match his client's specifications. "Receptors Inc needed a distributor for the product in the UK because they wanted to expand their market," adds Knight.

Within five days, Knight had flown to The Big Apple and sealed the deal. Less than five weeks later, Receptors Security Systems (UK) was up-and-running as a going concern.

The company has since gone from strength to strength. Today, Receptors provides a full project management service for the design, supply and installation of access control systems, barriers, intruder alarms, CCTV and intercom systems and turnstiles as well as visitor badging and photo ID solutions. In-depth IT security evaluations are also on offer.

Operations are conducted not just in the UK but also across Europe and Africa (where Knight is currently sourcing new distributors), thereby creating a client list that reads like a ‘Who's Who?' of blue chip multinationals, banking corporations and Government organisations. "We're growing, but I don't want the company to be too big," states Knight, who parks that idea in the development sidings. "Maybe this is a character defect of mine, but I like to make sure that I'm fully in control of the business. Every job we do, we must do well. Good relationships must first be built up with clients, but more importantly they have to be maintained at a high level.

"We're not geared up to complete 5,000 small systems installations all over the country in any given year, but what we can achieve is the provision of medium-to-large scale solutions to a high standard and quality. There's no point in just installing a system and walking away from it." An accusation often levelled, of course, at larger volume installers and integrators.

Functionality of security systems

Many industry gurus place great faith in the argument suggesting that UK and European-designed security systems are far better in terms of functionality than those produced Stateside. Knight positively rails at this suggestion. "I would not be selling an American system if I believed there was anything here that was better," she retorts.

"The American solutions are far superior. The UK is well ahead of Europe, but only because we make substantial use of American systems and know-how. Look at all the big names. They're American. Their output is good because they continually reinvest in development to stay one step ahead of the competition. If anyone in this country comes up with a good idea they usually have to look overseas to secure funding, and then the benefits are lost forever. We never want to spend substantial amounts of capital on r&d here, which is a real problem."

Although good at their own business, there are very few facilities managers who possess an in-depth knowledge of security. In that sort of environment, the procurement process is very haphazard, and that’s being kind

For Knight, this is one of the many and varied reasons why biometric technologies have failed to harness the attentions of UK security managers. That and the fact there are "too many dinosaurs" among the client base. "Price has also deterred clients from biometric solutions, but fingerprint readers, for example, are now a very affordable option."

Having held the reins at Receptors for some 16 years, has Knight noticed any discernible change in the quality of client understanding when it comes to tendering time and project discussions? Is the end user's level of knowledge on a higher plane, or has it remained stagnant?

"The answer to that question really depends on who you're talking to," suggests Knight. "In many cases, the responsibility for security is now entrusted to facilities departments. Although good at their own business, there are very few facilities managers who possess an in-depth knowledge of security. In that sort of environment, the procurement process is very haphazard, and that's being kind."

Knight reveals that tender specifications rarely make sense. "They're usually an amalgam of someone's ideas. Little more than a ‘wish list'. Bits and pieces plucked out of a catalogue. The whole thing is very often a complete hotchpotch, and we are supposed to make sense of it. As a company, we're scrupulous about our compliance statements. Others will not be so careful, but the end user has no idea. They tend to be a little naïve."

Mirroring security guarding, it appears that cost is the overriding factor in systems procurement. "Clients will have a budget, but understandably they don't usually reveal what it is," explains Knight with obvious frustration. "Inevitably, it's rarely realistic because far too many Boards of Directors fail to recognise any added value in security above and beyond the lowest common denominator needed for insurance cover."

That this can still be the case post-9/11 and 7/7 frankly beggars belief.

Leading the team by example

Knight describes her management style as "open and relaxed". Everyone at Receptors is encouraged to play a part, have their say and to drive new business development.

Knight's managerial edict is also shaped by some bad experiences in the past when she was perhaps a little too trusting of others. "I always accepted people at face value. It was desirable and laudable to do so, but I learned the hard way that it didn't always work. Now, I find myself making instant judgments about people and, until they prove otherwise, I'll stick with that assessment."

In the wider security industry, Knight is rightly proud of the work she has put in with ASIS International's UK Chapter 208 and, latterly, with The Security Institute (the membership certificates of both organisations adorn Knight's office wall).

Prior to her stint as chair of ASIS' UK arm, this totally engaging woman felt the body wasn't achieving as much as it should. Knight duly re-structured the Committee. There were six vice-chairmen, each of whom was tasked with specific responsibilities. It is a theme since carried on by current chairman and Wilson James' managing director, Stuart Lowden.

The Certified Protection Professional (CPP) Programme certainly progressed during Knight's term of office, largely thanks to the sterling efforts of course director Barry Walker. Knight is a fervent supporter of the CPP qualification, but nonetheless doesn't feel there could ever be a single qualification for all managers in the UK simply "because the industry is so diverse".

Working on behalf of TSI

Knight sits on the Council and Validation Board of The Security Institute - the organisation that "will take us where we need to be" in terms of professionalising the industry. "It's still a relatively young movement, but has achieved substantial recognition in a short space of time, largely due to the dedication of those involved." Knight is adamant that the present membership must do all in its power to attract new members. A rallying call to be heeded.

Knight then chooses to wax lyrical about her love of antiques - a huge model of the HMS Bounty 1787 sits atop the bookcase in her office - and "a complete wreck of an old house" in Scotland she and Wilf bought some time ago (and have since spent over four years renovating to provide themselves with a weekend retreat).

Patricia may one day decide to settle north of the border with Wilf, but not just yet. The industry still acts as a magnet for her. That said, it's not tender battles with competitors that occupy Knight's innermost thoughts as we embark on 2006, but the marriages of sons Alistair and Greg to fiancés Jaime and Heidi (in Norway and Gibraltar respectively).

"In Norway, it's traditional for the Bridegroom's mother to make a speech," adds Knight excitedly. "I'd love to do that, but many of Heidi's elderly relatives don't speak a word of English. I'm determined to write some words down which Heidi can translate for me so that I might communicate with them." Family does indeed mean more than anything.