While First Response Group, a leading security and facilities management services provider, has grown significantly since its inception in 2007 to provide services on a national scale, the company’s roots are firmly set in Leeds, where it still operates from its head office site on the Gemini Business Park.
The company has quite an interesting story to tell, in that 17 years ago African immigrants Edgar Chibaka and Jamal Tahlil, eager to work hard and build their lives here in the UK, both had the same problem – they were completely overlooked by their employers with no career pathway or any realistic hope of progression within the security industry.
Today, the company employs more than 1,200 staff across the UK, supplying total security and facilities management solutions, with the majority of its back-office personnel at its head office still originating from Leeds, and the surrounding areas.
Edgar and Jamal knew there was a better way to run and build a ‘people first’ security business and had a shared vision and a strong belief that they could “give better service while being better people”, providing fulfilling employment with progression regardless of ethnicity, beliefs, disabilities, or gender. A workplace where everyone could succeed and belong. This business ethos has served them well particularly in an industry that often faces difficulties in attracting and retaining staff.
Edgar and Jamal, along with their senior management team strive to build an inclusive environment where everyone can be their true self at work and receive equitable opportunities to thrive. It is not just a moral imperative; it is an essential driver of organisational success. Inclusive and diverse organisations are typically more successful, and that’s why First Response Group has become a nation-wide, award-winning, leading provider of integrated security services.
First Response Group has worked hard to improve the social perception of working in this demanding environment and was one of the first security companies to adopt the real living wage and establish clear career paths for its staff to attract a diverse workforce and enhance accessibility.
As a company, First Response Group is always looking to give back to the community, including working with various charities including Leeds-based Surplus to Purpose which intercepts food marked as surplus and distributes it to worthy causes, and completing the ‘Yorkshire Three Peeks’ challenge for Education for Africa. Edgar is also a pastor at the All Nations Community Church in Leeds.
The company recently received the Inclusive Employer’s Standard accreditation (IES) Bronze, which is a completely independent assessment of an organisation’s inclusion practises and assesses holistically against seven pillars of diversity and inclusion.
The client base for FRG’s growing business is widespread and somewhat prestigious, including some of the most iconic event spaces, stadiums, and historical sites of national importance.
Its solutions range from Security Personnel, CCTV and Access Control to facilities management and vacant property protection. From its HQ and across eight UK regional offices, it employs more than 1,200 people and is accredited to the highest industry standards.
Find out more at www.firstresponsegroup.com
Recent Comments