Lowden clear

"You can't afford to make decisions by ballot, though," stresses the 48-year-old director of Wilson James' contract guarding division. "As the person at the top of the security tree, ultimately it's you that has to make clear, focused judgements and carry the can. What's vitally important is that you explain why you've taken a certain stance to your management team. They may not agree with your views, but at least they'll understand your thinking. You must also be big enough to change tack if you're found to be wrong."

Clearly, Lowden is a man who hasn't made many wrong decisions. One glance around his new Taplow offices at Lake End Court in leafy Berkshire provides ample evidence of that, with certificates of commendation taking centre stage on each and every wall. Those honours include an A4 framed parchment bestowed for winning the 'Best Guarding Company of the Year', which Wilson James picked up at the 2002 Security Excellence Awards – to much praise from the industry at large.

What, then, are the secrets of success for a contract guarding company? "Give the client the right service offering and they will pay the right price for the job," urges Lowden. "What they will not pay for is a dressed-up service that fails to materialise on site. If you're working with a client that's the type to throw you off a job over pay issues, they shouldn't really be on your books. We aim to focus our energies on good clients who genuinely want a longer term working relationship."

On top of that, Lowden pinpoints the need for a fairly relaxed management style, one which is underpinned by putting a good deal of effort into selecting the right people for the company – and then affording them the tools and freedom to manage independently.

"If I have picked the right individuals for my management team then they'll come to me for advice," Lowden says candidly. "Hopefully, I'm astute enough to recognise when they're beginning to struggle. At the end of the day, we all have strengths and weaknesses to our make- up. The idea behind good security management is to blend the strengths together, and then iron out the weaknesses. Managers should complement each other."

This philosophy seems to be working well at Wilson James. The company itself was established back in 1991 by founder members Mark Dobson and Gary Sullivan as a provider of security and logistics support services to the construction industry, predominantly within the London region. Lowden joined the Board in 1997 to develop a new service focusing on the provision of security and front-of-house staff for a corporate client base.

Together, Dobson, Sullivan and Lowden ensured that Wilson James appeared in The Sunday Times' list of the 100 fastest growing UK companies in both 1998 and 1999, and have taken annual turnover to the giddy heights of nearly £40 million. Today, Wilson James' combined 1,400 members of staff serve a client list that reads like a 'Who's Who?' of the blue chip brigade, taking in contracts for the BBC, British Airways, Linklaters, Nomura International, Tate Modern and the Financial Services Authority among many others.

Security, Health and Safety... and fire
Aside from pure guarding provision, the company also offers a security systems consultation service, a range of training courses for clients' staff (including security awareness, Health and Safety at work and fire warden training) and security consultancy (covering areas such as risk assessment, systems design, crisis management, contingency planning and disaster recovery).

Lowden is an advocate of the belief that the in-house security managers of tomorrow should differ quite markedly from today's model. "The managers of today and yesterday haven't always received the degree of training they should have," he suggests. "They can offer a basic level of security expertise, but can't necessarily come up with a broader range of advice for their host company."

Born in Broughty Ferry, just east of Dundee, Lowden describes himself as a proud Scot, but not quite a pathological loyalist to his brothers north of the border. "I will not start supporting the other team automatically if England are playing like many of my fellow countrymen might do," he says with a wry smile.

Lowden's mother and father, who still reside in Broughty Ferry, are celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary this year. He's clearly delighted by that fact. Indeed, it comes as no surprise to learn that Lowden's parents were a major influence in his formative years.

On the male side of the family, the young Lowden had a tough act to follow. Aside from having been a Cambridge Blue at rugby, Lowden's father is a past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland – his career having been devoted to accountancy – and a former member of the famous Royal & Ancient Rules Committee.

"Dad was always a keen golfer, and played off a scratch handicap," adds Lowden – who would later follow in his father's footsteps by becoming champion golfer at his club in Scotland and, post the move down south, at the East Berkshire Golf Club.

It's not just sport where Lowden's father has been a role model. Afforded what he describes as a "traditional, solid family background with all the right values", Lowden followed family tradition by attending Strathallan Boarding School in Perthshire. "It was the standard at the time," he states. He eventually took mathematics, chemistry and biology to A Level, largely fuelled by a healthy interest in scientists like Crick and Watson and the complex theory behind the Double Helix. "It was heavy stuff, but the whole concept of pursuing a career in biochemistry really appealed."

In hindsight, though, Lowden would have taken different subjects. English, history and "probably economics". "I wish I'd studied history in particular. Learning about the past is fascinating". Interestingly, his youngest daughter Sophie has just booked herself a place at the University of Exeter to study the subject, so maybe she'll be able to teach her forward-thinking father a thing or two on completion of her BA (Hons) course.

Realising that the scientists of the day weren't the best paid academics on the planet, Lowden says that he "woke up just in time" and, rather than opting for a course in biochemistry at Cambridge, chose to enrol on a Bachelor of Commerce degree in business studies at Edinburgh University.

Like his father before him, the young graduate found himself joining a traditional firm of accountants in Scotland's capital city by the name of Thomson McLintock (now part of the omnipresent KPMG Group). "My father had thoroughly enjoyed his career in business accountancy. I wasn't certain that's what I wanted long term," he asserts, "but I knew it was a damn good entry into the business world at a reasonably senior level."

At the time – circa 1975 – there were lots of younger men moving into middle and senior management positions, becoming finance directors in their early thirties. "The profession was seen to be a good grounding," adds Lowden. His instincts weren't wrong.

Completing his accountancy exams in 1978, Lowden then began working down south in Basingstoke on the payroll of Lilly Industries, an established pharmaceuticals company. Living in nearby Reading, that's where he stayed for two years before leaving for a post at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

Every single national security company and significant regional firm must stick to a pledge to walk away from bad work. They will not, of course, because none of them will trust each other enough not to break ranks

Lowden was now in the thick of things, helping to set up an in-house catering operation at the famous venue by completing financial analysis reports and projects. The company was owned by one Jeffery Sterling (now Lord Sterling), who was then head of Town and City Properties.

"Although it taught me good business habits, I was never destined to be an accountant," Lowden says resignedly. "I just couldn't focus on the day-to-day routine. I enjoyed the creative element of the job, but not the administrative aspects."

Moving into the security sector
One ponders as to how this committed family man – his other daughter, 20-year-old Sarah, works with him in the business – came to find himself in the security industry? It appears to have been a case of being in the right place at the right time, as Town and City Properties happened to have a guarding company – Sterling Guards – under its wing.

"Town and City had just bought another concern that needed a finance manager, and the chap working at Sterling Guards was thought to be the ideal man for the job" – which left a niche post open at Sterling, whose managing director Charles Gorer wanted someone who wasn't merely a number cruncher, but more of a commercial driver.

"I didn't really have any perceptions of the private security industry back then," adds Lowden. "I knew that Sterling was one of the companies that tried to do things right. Charles was operating his business at the higher end of the market, and there was a really positive attitude about the firm."

Sterling Guards primarily operated in London and the Home Counties, with many of their contracts covering Arndale Centres and the like. It was here that the young professional would make some lasting acquaintances.

"David Evans, who's now managing director at Legion Security, was there as commercial manager tasked with developing new and existing business," opines Lowden. He would also meet a future business partner – Terry O'Neil, now managing director of The Security Watchdog, of course – who had been drafted in at Sterling to work on the operational side.

Alas, the first 12 months proved to be a fairly turbulent ride for Lowden, who looks back on the period with a tinge of sadness. "Charles and I didn't really see eye-to-eye for much of the time," he sighs. "We had different outlooks on life. I was never very good at holding my opinions in check, and I probably gave him a hard time. I wasn't really what he wanted, which actually turned out to be a number cruncher and not the strategist originally portrayed."

At around the same time, Terry O'Neil had decided to leave. "Terry and I, along with Stan Lucas – who ran the exhibition security side of Sterling Guards – chose to hand in our resignations and set up on our own."

The outward manifestation of their collective imaginations – Argus Shield – was founded in July 1984. Originally working out of a base in Kensington, the company zeroed in on the top end of the market. "Looking back, we were probably the Wilson James of our day," comments Lowden. "We always demanded top rates of pay for our staff, and were highly selective in the work we'd take on board. We also brought in some of the benefits that are now commonplace, such as pensions, sick pay and Death in Service policies."

Lowden spent what he openly describes as "seven very enjoyable years" with Argus Shield, in the process overseeing a move out to Richmond in 1989. "I absolutely loved my role as commercial director," opines an enthused Lowden. To build the business, Lowden and O'Neil had to attract investment prior to selling up, which was apparently a joint decision.

"We ended up persuading Associated Newspapers [The Daily Mail Group] to be the major shareholder. Terry and I carved out 20% of the business, and they owned the rest."

In the end, the sell-off brought £8.25 million. In today's terms, Argus Shield would have been a £30 million-turnover business. Not a bad start on the security ladder.

A number of outcomes at Argus were novel for the time. For a while, Lowden and O'Neil ran a recruitment company alongside the business that helped them with staff appointments. Then there was the establishment of a small-scale systems division providing short term alarm solutions for clients.

The Argus Shield years were hugely formative for Lowden. "It was a period that confirmed my view on clients. There are a good many of them out there who are indeed genuine. I learned what type of security work was good, and which was bad."

Poor quality service delivery, of course, is one of the underlying reasons for the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) licensing of operatives and companies in the private security sector. For Lowden, however, this isn't the industry's biggest problem.

"The major issue in our industry is that there are very few companies whose Board of Directors, managing director or major shareholders think beyond the next three years. If that. They're only thinking about surviving the next financial year. Shareholders want results today. They will not wait until tomorrow. Short-term thinking means that bad contracts are retained. There's an edict that says business growth must occur, even if it means more poor contracts on the books."

Lowden doesn't pull any punches. "The majority must start to appreciate that the problem in this industry is not training, nor is it selling or even the use of new technology. It's how we're going to go about attracting new and good quality people into the private sector. We don't want individuals coming into this business because it's the only one that allows them to work 60 hours or more every week. That's entirely wrong. We want joiners because security has a good reputation and a degree of credibility. Unless that's the case, companies will always be going after bad business because they'll not attract the calibre of staff that allows them to operate at the other end of the scale."

As far as Lowden's concerned, the industry's woefully poor reputation has been rightly earned by all those contracts where officers are earning minimum wage (or little better) and working horrendously long hours. "Until the leaders in our industry recognise that the status quo must change, and that they'll be better off in five years' time despite some initial pain in Years One and Two, change isn't going to happen. Every single national security company and significant regional firm must stick to a pledge to walk away from bad work. They will not, because none of them will trust each other enough not to break ranks."

It’s completely right that security managers should now be looking at the whole area of risk. After all, it’s a risk management package we’re delivering. Security is key, but we should include Health and Safety, First Aid and fire protection as well

Lowden suggests that most contractors are waiting for the Government to make a firm decision on the Working Time Directive before being forced into action. "The Directive will not change things overnight," states Lowden (who has long been a practising advocate of the 48-hour working week) "but it should help."

Lowden believes the only way in which wage rates and working practices will improve dramatically in the UK is if bad clients have no-one to turn to. "We need outside help to put our own house in order. That help either has to come through legislation and the SIA or a much heavier union presence."

Pausing for a second, he adds a rider. "I stress that I'm not advocating unionisation, but merely proposing it from an academic perspective as an alternative viewpoint."

Redesigning the client's coverage
In practice, lots of security companies will sell the 48-hour working week as an optional extra. In other words, they'll offer the client two prices: one for 56 hours and one for 48. The latter is more expensive, of course, because the wage rate's higher and more officers are needed for cover. Lowden chips in at this point.

"From a professional standpoint, the 42-hour shift pattern is a far more robust solution. If you allow officers to work a little bit more time to take them up to a 48-hour week, the effective wage rate is still around 17% higher. That's when the security company is forced to be more creative. To look for innovation, and an added value service."

Many end users will have to take a leap of faith to help improve the industry. "Clients looking to go down the 48 or 42-hour contract route should say: 'OK, it will cost us more in labour rates, but we'll have a better workforce'. There'll be a better work-life balance for officers, so they'll stay in the job longer. Does that mean we can then invest more in their training? Yes. If you give officers more training, does that improve their job security? Yes, it does. If those officers are then better at the job, can the client allow them to take on extra duties? Again, the answer's yes."

Lowden has instilled a culture at Wilson James whereby his managers look at a job based on the 24-hour cycle of a client's building(s). They'll sit down with the in-house security manager and ask them to 'walk through' the building(s) location by location and determine the manning requirements for each area. Wilson James' managers will then lay their guarding roster over the particular resource requirements and redesign the site's security coverage. "There must be some attempt to do this," stresses Lowden. "You don't and shouldn't have to stick to the norm."

Despite the fact he thinks the estimated £190 cost of an SIA licence to operate is "outrageous", Lowden states that it's a price worth paying if a significant amount of that fee is then ploughed back into persuading people to come and join the industry.

That said, he's worried licensing will engender "untold carnage" when it comes to the sourcing of staff. "If there's an intention to offer the security industry more work in support of the police, which seems to be the case, then that will make the situation worse still. We'll solve the Home Office's problems, but it will be at the expense of the guarding industry as we know it."

On the other hand, Lowden argues that the stripping out of 30% of the industry's workforce is necessary if the private sector is ever going to put its house in order. "There'll be a finite pool of labour and an infinite amount of work," he muses. "The wiser contractors will draw up a league table of clients, and look after the good ones. Any company signing long term contracts today on a 56-hour roster pattern needs shooting. It's commercial suicide, because in two years' time they'll not be able to recruit the staff to cover the job."

Lowden's hope is that, post-licensing when the security skies have cleared, we'll end up with something approaching the Scandinavian model. Clients at the lower end will be forced into changing their procurement practices.

"Insurers could have a major part to play here," he urges. "If they insisted, for example, that companies are BSIA registered and that cover will not be provided unless this is the case, the Association could raise its standard of membership even further. That would be a huge help to us all."

The industry-savvy Wilson James director feels the SIA must look at ways of addressing working practices within the Approved Companies Scheme, offering benefits to those contractors doing the job in the correct way. He states: "The SIA must come up with a mechanism which really encourages guarding companies to employ people who don't currently work in the industry. We cannot expect such individuals to pay for their own licence, though. That means employers are faced with the prospect of footing the bill. We're being told that if a candidate fails the vetting procedure we'll not get our money back. That's simply not right."

Lowden has conjured up a better way of doing things. In his world, the contractor would employ an officer, and carry out the necessary vetting. "The licensing process doesn't have to start there, though," he adds. He feels that the officer would be deployed on site having been 'tested' to BS 7858. They decide they like the job, and they stay with the company.

"That's when we should be asked to apply for a licence. Otherwise, how many lots of wasted £190 fees will we have to go through? If the SIA sticks to its guns, contractors have two choices. They either poach staff or cheat the system. Then we're back to Square One."

Looking to influence matters
In Lowden's opinion, the industry cannot blame clients for wanting to procure the best service for the best price. "What we can do is blame the security company for taking on the work if it's bad work. There's always a contractor somewhere that will take on the job, which is a massive headache. It's a big problem we have to face up to, and deal with quickly."

Lowden is himself in a good position to influence matters, having been elected on to the BSIA's Manned Services Section Committee. As of last April, he also became chairman of the South East Region for the Section.

He's acting as an agent for change through The Security Institute as well, where he sits on the Council and has been heavily involved in helping to draft a Code of Practice for end users looking to procure guarding services.

In describing himself as the ideal dinner companion – "I know a little bit about everything, and a lot about nothing" – Lowden is also endearingly self-deprecating when it comes to his knowledge of current affairs. "I tend to rely on Radio 5 to keep me up-to-date. I listen-in on the way to work and on the way home. I speed read the broadsheets as well."