Chubb Fire & Security Pty Ltd- Experts & Thought Leaders

Chubb, one of the UK’s fire safety and security solution providers, has selected iotcomms.io’s cloud-native communications platform to handle critical alarm communication for its telecare solutions. The iotcomms.io platform, with its Alarmbridge offering, enables Chubb to expand its telecare offerings and makes the company well-positioned for the digital transformation and UK’s upcoming analogue network switch-off.    Digital switchover With the digital switchover underway and due to be completed by 2025, Chubb recognises that not all housing providers will be able to meet this date. In anticipation of extending the lifespan of analogue systems beyond this date within the telecare sector, Chubb has signed an agreement with iotcomms.io to increase its ability to fulfil future telecare alarm communication demands while supporting current needs. Step-wise migration New digital-based alarm communication functionalities co-existing with legacy analogue-based systems This means new digital-based alarm communication functionalities co-existing with legacy analogue-based systems. Due to the flexibility of the iotcomms.io platform, Chubb can provide an alternative transition path and migrate customers in a stepwise fashion.   Addressing the digital shift Shaun Moscrop, General Manager at Chubb, said, “We wanted a communications platform provider that understood the challenges that this transition would bring and, in doing so, could help us better support our customers to tackle the digital shift." "This new collaboration leverages our existing infrastructure and capabilities while rapidly bringing modern, reliable alarm communication offering to market.”  Cloud-native platform Gunnar Reinholdsen, co-founder at iotcomms.io, “We are very proud to be working with Chubb, one of the pioneering providers of telecare and telehealth products in the UK, and with a long history in the UK telecare space." "Our cloud-native platform is designed to specifically address the requirements that come with mission-critical real-time alarm services. This is why we are confident that the platform and its Alarmbridge offering is ideal for Chubb and its solutions for dispersed housing and group living."

Chubb, one of the UK’s pioneering fire safety and security solutions providers, celebrated its outstanding colleagues at its annual Superstar awards ceremony last Friday, 19th May. Colleagues from across the UK and Ireland descended on the historic 12th Century Coombe Abbey Hotel in Warwickshire to celebrate their collective and individual hard work, dedication, and achievements during 2022. Glitz and glamour of the Oscars This year's theme was the glitz and glamour of the Oscars, and colleagues certainly did their best to impress in ball gowns and tuxedos. The evening began with photos on the red carpet before guests sat down to enjoy a gala dinner.  Kicking off the awards ceremony was a warm welcome from David Dunnagan, Chubb Fire & Security Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. He was then joined on stage by other members of the UK and Ireland senior leadership team to present the Superstar awards to 38 deserving winners from across the business.  Inspiring talk Winners included members of sales, service engineering, general management, and operational roles The guest speaker, Paul Grunau, President of the APi Group International Division, delivered an inspiring talk on the enduring purpose of Building Great Leaders. His words resonated with the audience, emphasising the importance of recognising and celebrating exceptional leadership. Superstars offer a platform to achieve this goal. The winners included members of sales, service engineering, general management and operational roles, and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the organisation, such as Jim McSharry, who has been championing Chubb's apprenticeship programme for over 34 years. Author's quote "Our Superstars awards ceremony is a momentous occasion in our organisation’s calendar,” said David Dunnagan, adding “I’m thrilled and honoured to present so many of our inspirational colleagues with Superstar awards for their outstanding contribution in 2022. Some of them have exceeded their targets to help grow our business, others have gone above and beyond to ensure our customers’ businesses are being protected, while others have shown true dedication and commitment to making the world a safer place." He adds, “At Chubb, our purpose is to give each of our colleagues all the tools and support they need to become a great leader. Superstars is our chance to say thank you and demonstrate that our people are one of our most valuable assets.”

Chubb Fire & Security is pleased to announce that it has appointed four new Managing Directors (MDs) to strengthen its position as a global leader in the fire and security services industry.  Fulco de Vries Fulco de Vries joins as Managing Director for the Benelux region. He joined SK FireSafetyGroup in 2013, after working for Ajax Chubb Varel (before it was rebranded to Chubb) and parent company, UTC Fire & Security, for eight years. He became the Business Unit Director of High-Value Asset Protection (Fire Systems) within the SK FireSafety Group.  David Guerin David joined the company in 2010 as EH&S Manager for Chubb Switzerland before becoming the Supply Chain Manager David Guerin has been promoted to Managing Director, DACH, a new role created in recognition of the growing importance of other DACH markets outside of Germany. David joined the company in 2010 as EH&S Manager for Chubb Switzerland before becoming the Supply Chain Manager in 2011.  In this role, he expanded his scope to Otis Switzerland in 2013 before dedicating his time fully to Chubb in 2017 as Managing Director for Switzerland and Austria. Alberto Vales Alberto Vales is the new Managing Director for Iberia, based in Madrid. He commenced his career as an electrical engineer and project manager at GEA, quickly progressing into senior management roles, including Managing Director of GEA’s service business. His most recent role was Managing Director of Johnson Controls’ Smart Buildings business in Spain. Kumar Velloo Finally, Kumar Velloo joins as Managing Director for Singapore. He has nearly three decades of experience in engineering and industrials, having started his career as a senior sales engineer at Otis Elevators in 1995.  He then moved to TK Elevator, becoming a Managing Director, and then KONE as a Consultant. His broad experience and expertise will allow him to manage all levels of the business including sales, service, projects, budgeting, and finance.  Long-term appointments  These leaders bring significant, related, leadership experience in the important markets they lead" This latest recruitment drive quickly follows the raft of promotions and appointments made by Chubb at the start of 2023. Andrew White, CEO of Chubb Fire & Security Group, commented, “We are very excited to announce the appointment of four new Managing Directors. These strategic long-term appointments combine both internal promotions and the addition of very experienced, industry talent."  He adds, "These leaders bring significant, related, leadership experience in the important markets they lead. They will be pivotal to leading our people-first culture while we strive to reduce complexities in our operations and processes, harnessing technology. They will lead in-country, strategic initiatives as we optimise our portfolio towards our High Growth Verticals."  Wellbeing, process efficiency, portfolio expansion Andrew White continues, “The acquisition of the business by APi last year marked an important turning point for Chubb, and I have been working closely with the new team as we continue our transformational journey and prioritise the wellbeing of our people, the efficiency of our processes, and the selective expansion of our portfolio towards new markets and solutions.” In January 2022, Chubb Fire & Security was acquired from its previous owner's Carrier by APi Group Corporation. APi is a business services provider of safety and specialty services in over 500 locations worldwide. APi provides statutorily mandated and other contracted services to a strong base of long-standing customers across industries. 

Can we finally relax a little and announce that the pandemic is nearing an end? With all the false starts and stops, it’s understandable if uncertainty continues to be the dominant force. The apprehension that ruled at every stage continues even as the pandemic (hopefully) ends. But what about ‘the new normal?’ How will the industry need to reinvent itself in the post-pandemic world? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: As the industry transitions back to in-person meetings, what will be the ‘new normal?’

Mergers and acquisitions are among the most disruptive forces in the security marketplace. However, they are also both a reality and a growing trend. Whenever there is value to be leveraged, companies tend to enter into business transactions to maximise that value. For the security industry, the result is a continually shifting collection of manufacturer companies seeking new ways to provide value to customers. M&A activity continued unabated in 2021, despite residual industry challenges such as dysfunctional supply chains and lingering consequences of a global pandemic. Here are some of the larger and/or most impactful M&A transactions of 2021. Stanley Black & Decker sells to Securitas Stanley Black & Decker announces an agreement to sell most of its Security assets to Securitas AB for $3.2 billion in cash. The transaction includes Stanley Black & Decker's Commercial Electronic and Healthcare Security business lines.  The businesses carry 2021 forecasted revenues of approximately $1.7 billion. “The business is well-positioned for ongoing growth within Securitas, a global pioneer in the security industry,” says James M. Loree, Stanley Black & Decker's CEO. Openpath’s solution makes businesses more secure with multi-factor authentication Motorola acquires Openpath and Envysion Motorola Solutions adds to its security industry portfolio with the acquisition of Openpath Security Inc., a cloud-based mobile access control provider. Openpath’s solution makes businesses more secure with multi-factor authentication, enables a contactless entry experience, and can be easily scaled and managed due to its cloud-based architecture. Motorola also announces the acquisition of Envysion, a provider of video security and business analytics solutions for quick-service restaurant and retail industries. Delta Electronics buys March Networks Delta Group, a provider of power and thermal management solutions, , purchased 100% of the shares in Infinova (Canada) Ltd., owner of Canadian-based video surveillance and business intelligence company March Networks, from Infinova International Ltd. through its subsidiary Delta International Holding Limited B.V. Following the close of the transaction, it was expected that March Networks will continue to operate from its Canadian headquarters, and the March Networks executive management team will continue to lead the organization. Delta Electronics is also the parent company of VIVOTEK. APi Group acquires Chubb Fire and Security Business APi Group Corp. agreed to acquire the Chubb Fire & Security Business from Carrier Global Corporation for an enterprise value of US$ 3.1 billion. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Chubb has approximately 13,000 employees globally and a sales and service network that spans 17 countries, serving more than 1.5 million customer sites in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Canada. APi Group is a business services provider of safety, specialty, and industrial services in more than 200 locations worldwide. Teledyne Technologies Inc. will acquire FLIR in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $8.0 billion Teledyne acquires FLIR Teledyne Technologies Inc. and FLIR Systems, Inc. jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Teledyne will acquire FLIR in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $8.0 billion. Jim Cannon, President and Chief Executive Officer of FLIR, said, “We could not be more excited to join forces with Teledyne through this value-creating transaction.” Resideo adds Norfolk Wire and Electronics Resideo Technologies, Inc. acquired privately held Norfolk Wire & Electronics, based in Richmond, Virginia. Norfolk was founded in 1985 and is a regional distributor of security, telecom, network, and audio-video (AV) related products, supplies, and tools. With 11 full-service retail locations and a 43,000 sq. ft. distribution centre, Norfolk serves customers across the mid-Atlantic region and will be part of Resideo's ADI Global Distribution business, a wholesale distributor of security, AV, and low-voltage products. Triton acquires ACRE, which acquires Feenics and Matrix Triton Partners acquired ACRE, an end-to-end security solutions provider based in Dallas/USA and Dublin/Ireland. Triton is investing alongside the current management team of ACRE. Weeks later, ACRE acquired cloud-based workplace solutions company Time Data Security (TDS). Later in the year, ACRE announced acquisition of Feenics and Matrix Systems. Feenics brings cloud-based access control solutions brings cloud-based access control solutions to ACRE’s rapidly growing network of global customers while also expanding its portfolio to support the growing demand for cloud-based security solutions. Matrix enables ACRE to expand the addressable market for the company’s technology portfolio. Brivo, Inc. and Crown PropTech Acquisitions have entered into an agreement making Brivo a publicly listed company Brivo becomes publicly traded through the merger Brivo, Inc., a cloud-based access control and smart building technologies company, and Crown PropTech Acquisitions, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), have entered into a definitive merger agreement that will result in Brivo becoming a publicly listed company. The transaction values the company at a pro forma enterprise value of $808 million. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Brivo, and its Class A common stock is expected to be listed under the ticker symbol “BRVS.” Nice buys Nortek Security Nice, a global manufacturer of smart home, security, home, and building automation solutions, , acquired Nortek Security & Control from Melrose Industries. Nortek Security & Control is a developer of technology for security, home automation, control, power, AV and entertainment, access control, health, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, for residential and commercial markets. Eagle Eye acquires Uncanny Vision Eagle Eye Networks, a cloud video surveillance solutions company, has acquired Uncanny Vision Solutions, an artificial intelligence (AI) analytics and Solutions Company. The acquisition accelerates the company’s leadership in providing AI and analytics, to make customers’ businesses more efficient and the world a safer place. The acquisition also includes research and development (R&D) capabilities and a new regional office located in Bangalore, India.

The COVID-19 global pandemic had a life-changing impact on all of us in 2020, including a multi-faceted jolt on the physical security industry. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see more clearly the exact nature and extent of that impact. And it’s not over yet: The pandemic will continue to be top-of-mind in 2021. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What have been the positive and negative effects of Covid-19 on the physical security industry in 2020? What impact will it have on 2021?