Wilson James Ltd. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Westminster Property Ventures (Westminster PV) owns and operates four prestigious multi-tenanted corporate office buildings in Central London, counting international banks, barristers’ chambers, and global consultancies among its tenants. Westminster PV works closely with the unified security provider, Wilson James to ensure that the highest levels of security and service can be maintained within and outside of manned hours. Westminster PV and Wilson James partnership To deliver on tenant expectations, Westminster PV and Wilson James needed to enable effective collaboration To deliver on tenant expectations, Westminster PV and Wilson James needed to enable effective collaboration and the seamless transfer of out-of-hours responsibilities between on-site employees and the remote monitoring centre. Yet, the disparate existing systems in place for security and operations were largely unconnected, having to be accessed and managed independently. This made remote management of routine security operations time consuming and difficult. Genetec Security Center Westminster PV desired a technology platform that could control and present information from all of their existing systems through one interface, simplifying operations. At Wilson James’ suggestion, they opted to deploy Genetec Security Center, creating a unified platform that could manage outputs from its video surveillance, access control, intercoms, and building management system, all within one console. According to Andrew Forbes-Jones, Facilities Manager at Westminster Property Ventures, “We were very pleased with the roadmap presented by Wilson James and Genetec, which allowed us to retain much of our original hardware and which gave us a clear idea for how the platform could continue to evolve, in line with future requirements. We’re investing in our facilities for the long term, so we needed partners who would continue to add value on an on-going basis.” Remote concierge service Having established the unified platform, Wilson James and Westminster PV quickly introduced a remote concierge service for out-of-hours operations, leading to an ongoing 30% saving in guarding costs. The two companies also embarked on an on-going process of improvement that continues to this day, leveraging an improved understanding of what is happening within the facility at any moment, in order to enhance operational response. “Our staff and external partners work hard to create an excellent environment for our tenants and technology is the enabler for that. We’re constantly finding new ways that the platform can support them in working smarter and more productively,” adds Andrew Forbes-Jones. Genetec Mission Control Critical to this process is Genetec Mission Control, a collaborative decision management system Critical to this process is Genetec Mission Control, a collaborative decision management system that filters incoming events and alerts, and guides the operator in resolving them in an efficient and transparent manner. Pre-configured with Wilson James’ standard operating procedures (SOPs), it speeds up the time to resolution for security and operational issues, ensuring they are consistently handled, irrespective of which operator is responding to them. For example, should a thermostat or leak detector flag a potential maintenance issue out-of-hours then operators in Wilson James’ remote monitoring centre are guided through the process of identifying the problem, raising a work request and directing it to the right person. Detailed reporting Reporting is now much more detailed and can be delivered in half the time, in many cases leading to the issue being resolved before it has even been reported on site. Equally, if a forced door attempt alarm is triggered, the system ensures operators can quickly pull up the relevant video footage, to see what is happening and even establish a dialogue via the nearest intercom or speaker. Potential security issues can be validated before a security guard is mobilised. Time and cost savings associated with Genetec Mission Control are estimated to have saved Westminster Property Ventures over £100,000 per year per building. Seamless data sharing and collaboration drive efficiency As the operator of four prestige Central London buildings, it is not uncommon for Westminster PV to receive requests from its tenants and third parties, such as the police and transport authorities for the video footage it holds. For example, an incident may occur outside of the facilities that are picked up by its cameras. Or the barristers’ chambers housed within its buildings may need video footage to challenge the timing of a delivery of legal documents. Genetec Clearance, digital evidence management system It has also deployed Genetec Clearance, a digital evidence management system It has also deployed Genetec Clearance, a digital evidence management system that streamlines the handling and processing of the requests and simplifies compliance with Article 15 of the EU GDPR directive. The time spent locating the relevant footage, redacting the identities of all third parties not pertinent to the subject access request and copying the files onto physical media such as DVDs for each request previously took up to three days to process. This has been reduced by 70% as Genetec Clearance drives efficiencies at every stage and gives Westminster PV more control over the process of collecting, managing, and sharing digital evidence. Adapting to changing requirements A clear objective at the outset was for a system that could quickly evolve to support new capabilities, a decision that proved invaluable at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the flexibility of the Genetec platform, Westminster PV has been able to rely on its existing smart video and access control infrastructure, in order to ensure a safe and secure environment for staff, tenants, and visitors. Rapid adoption of new safety measures Rapidly adopted new measures include an automated reporting system for occupancy management, a mandatory one-way system, and a COVID-19 proximity reporting tool. Should a visitor test positive, or exhibit symptoms, facility managers can quickly pull up a report and alert all individuals who may need to self-isolate, based on passing through the same doorway within a short time window.

Wilson James, the provider of specialist security, construction logistics and aviation services, has appointed Maya Jani to the newly created role of director of business improvement. Maya will aim to further enhance standards across all areas of the company, including taking responsibility for its procurement and quality management functions, in line with its strategic growth plan. Maya brings over 25 years of experience to Wilson James, having started her career with BMW Group in the UK and thereafter moving to Munich as a member of its technical purchasing team. Procurement-based roles At the beginning of the millennium, she moved back to the UK to join Heathrow Airport where, for almost 20 years, she held a variety of procurement-based roles, culminating in the position of expansion procurement director. During her time at Heathrow Airport, Maya was closely involved with the construction of Terminal 5, where she honed an engaging and inclusive approach to procurement, which will be fully utilised at Wilson James. Wilson James has been a longstanding partner of Heathrow Airport for over 27 years, which meant that Maya was able to witness first-hand the values, ethos and working methodology that would eventually lead her to join the company. Unrivalled level of service Wilson James has stayed ahead of the curve by continually analysing She explained, “I’ve always been enormously impressed by the way that Wilson James’ core values of honesty, respect, safety, responsibility and communication have helped it to stay true to its vision and provide an unrivalled level of service to its clients. This year the company celebrates 30 years in business and, as it embarks on this exciting new chapter of its story, I’m looking forward to helping improve the value of its offering through the values by which it operates.” As the coronavirus pandemic continues to alter the business landscape, companies need to be as agile as possible. Over the last year, Wilson James has stayed ahead of the curve by continually analysing and maximising the effectiveness of its activities. As such, it considers the current situation to be a platform for long-term performance improvement – identifying where specialisms are required and acting upon them in order to drive the business forward. Cutting edge technology Maya’s appointment is a fundamental part of this objective, which will also enable the company to successfully combine highly skilled people and cutting edge technology to cement its position as the business solutions provider of choice. Welcoming Maya on board, Mark Dobson, chief executive officer (CEO) at Wilson James, stated, “I’m absolutely delighted that Maya is now part of the team and she joins us at what is a very exciting time for the company. Her meticulous and forward thinking approach, combined with proven ability within diverse sectors, will make us more operationally efficient, open up new opportunities and empower us to be the best we can possibly be. I look forward to working closely with Maya to realise our growth and investment plans and build upon what we have already achieved over the last three decades.”

Genetec Inc., a globally renowned technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, has announced how commercial real estate provider, Westminster Property Ventures has made innovative use of a range of Genetec solutions to make each of its premises safe from COVID-19 virus spread for staff, tenants and visitors. Westminster Property Ventures’ buildings house critical businesses, such as international banks, law firms and consultancies who can be assured that amidst a global pandemic their offices remain highly secure and equipped for their return. Genetec Mission Control The newly introduced processes and technologies make smart use of Westminster Property Ventures’ existing video and access control infrastructure. For example, using the Genetec Mission Control collaborative decision management system, Westminster Property Ventures is collecting and qualifying data from thousands of sensors and security devices, before guiding security operators in their response to routine and unanticipated situations.  Among other current and critical capabilities, this helps ensure the seamless transition of out-of-hours monitoring between Westminster PV’s in-house security team and security provider, Wilson James’ monitoring centre, ensuring comprehensive levels of security at all times. “Our clientele continue to expect the highest level of security and service from us whether or not they are currently choosing to work inside our buildings,” said Andrew Forbes-Jones, Facilities Manager, Westminster Property Ventures, adding “We’re grateful to Genetec and Wilson James for keeping us at the forefront of innovation and compliance in all aspects of our security and operations.” Security Center Synergis access control system COVID-19 has created new challenges for Westminster Property Ventures’ security and operations teams in maintaining a secure and safe environment for both home and remote workers, as well as those still working inside the facilities. Using the Genetec Security Center Synergis access control system, Westminster Property Ventures is taking advantage of many COVID-19 specific features, developed over the last year, to help them directly address the challenges of the global pandemic. Synergis Proximity Report Westminster Property Ventures has deployed the Genetec’s ‘Synergis Proximity Report’ Along with the system’s new occupancy management capability, Westminster Property Ventures has deployed Genetec’s ‘Synergis Proximity Report’, first deployed at McCormick Place in Chicago, North America’s largest convention center that was repurposed as a COVID-19 field hospital in spring of 2020.  Drawing data from the Synergis access control system, the solution allows Westminster Property Ventures to quickly identify individuals visiting one of their buildings, who may have come in contact with someone known to have tested positive for COVID-19 infection.  Efficient protection against COVID-19 virus “I’m constantly impressed by the ability of our partners and end users to adapt quickly to changing requirements and bring the latest innovative solutions online to address them,” said Paul Dodds, Country Manager UK at Genetec, Inc. Paul adds, “Westminster Property Ventures’ rapid response to the challenges of the pandemic mirrors our own and validates our investments in technologies that can help make our workplaces safer, healthier and more secure.”