Management team 

Bob Forsyth – Managing Director

Bob has over 15 years’ experience in the service industry. He is a strong relationship builder who is financially astute with excellent negotiation and communication skills, and the ability to work with people at every level. A team player, Bob is able to lead by example.

Bob was promoted to the position of managing director of MITIE’s security business in April 2010 after an array of notable achievements since joining the company in 2004.

Having successfully implemented the merger with Initial Security in the Southern region, and developing a profitable part of the business, Bob has continuously worked to expand the business and contributed towards year on year growth. In August 2007 he implemented MITIE’s stand-alone security response service and in June 2009 initiated the launch of the business’ Total Security Management approach providing an integrated risk-based approach to security, incorporating response services with security systems.

A member of the Institute of Directors (IOD), Bob has recently completed a Leadership course at Cranfield University. He is a keen advocate of MITIE’s partnership approach and is a champion of the business’ strategic risk-based approach. He sees this as an opportunity to move the business forward, and as such has launched a dedicated security risk and business resilience team since his most recent promotion. He takes every opportunity to promote MITIE’s presence within the industry through his involvement with industry bodies such as City Security and Resilience Networks (CSARN) and the British Security Industry Authority (BSIA). Bob is also a member of the RISC (Resilience Industry Suppliers Community) which is the leading business think tank on UK Security advising government on security.

Julian Tomlin – Finance Director

Julian has been with MITIE since February 2007. He has played a key role in the growth and consolidation of MITIE’s security business. Julian has been instrumental in ensuring that the demanding objectives of the business, both financial and commercial, have been met throughout his time at MITIE and that MITIE’s security business is well placed to meet the challenges of the future. Julian is a Chartered Accountant.

Darren Gamage – Managing Director, Technology Services

Darren joined MITIE in July 2005 and in April 2010 was promoted to managing director, technology services. He is responsible for leading the company’s drive towards the provision of integrated security services that combines our guarding, systems, response and technology centre capabilities. He also holds board responsibility for our strategic accounts.

Prior to this Darren was responsible for the strategic marketing of MITIE’s security businesses in the capacity of head of marketing. As part of this, Darren was an advocate for change within the security industry with a belief that outsourced security provision can only be truly effective when a supplier understands the risk faced by customers and can provide an integrated service. Darren has also played a vital role in the sponsorship and management of the business’ CRM system, which has subsequently been rolled out across the MITIE Group.

James Gilding – Sales Director

James joined MITIE in July 2004 as head of sales for our Southern region. He played a vital role in the development of the business and was a key member of the team responsible for achieving British Security Industry Association and SIA Approved Contractor Status recognition. A consistent achiever, James has succeeded in securing some very high profile accounts regionally as well as in his role as head of national accounts. In June 2009 James was appointed to the position of sales director for the business and currently manages a team of business development managers and heads of sales across the UK. James holds a National Vocational Qualification Key Account Management and is a fellow of the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management (ISMM).

Andy May – Risk and Resilience Director

Andy May joined MITIE in September 2001 as head of quality, health, safety and environment responsible for the development and implementation of health and safety policies, audit systems and occupational health programmes across the business and our customers’ sites. Now in his capacity as risk and resilience director, Andy’s key responsibilities cover the delivery of the security and resilience consultancy offering, client retention and relationship management, compliance and business risk management.

Andy joined the MITIE team with 25 years’ experience in the military where he gained knowledge of a wide spectrum of security requirements in the defence sector. Since joining MITIE he has been given the challenge to deliver improvements in the Approved Contractor Status score for the business. Through a combination of improvements to the management system of the business and various training programmes, we have seen the score increase significantly in the last three years.

Andy has a PG Dip Occupational Health and Safety, is Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH), a member of the Chartered Institution of Environmental Health (MCIEH) and an associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (AIEMA).

John Wills – Regional Managing Director, London

John has worked within the security industry for over 12 years. After nine years in the Army, John joined Initial Security as a contract manager in Leeds, where he was responsible for the provision of service to a portfolio of customers across Yorkshire and the North East.  After 18 months in this role, he was promoted to branch manager for Leeds, where he was responsible for leading and developing the management team.

Over the next 18 months the branch performed extremely well and John spent a further four years in branch management in Birmingham. He was then promoted to regional director for the South of England.  Following the MITIE acquisition of Initial, John took up a new role as head of national accounts for security. John and his team were responsible for all national accounts within the security business. John was promoted earlier this year to his current role of regional managing director for London.

Stephen Burn - Regional Managing Director, South

Stephen joined Rentokil Initial in June 1987 and TUPE transferred to MITIE when we acquired Initial in March 2006. As regional managing director for our Southern region, Stephen has developed a strong regional area and is responsible for budget control, the efficient management of manpower and effective targeting of the sales resource – all of which ensure that profit and business development targets are achieved consistently within his remit.

He has consolidated and integrated what were formerly three regions to form the South region as it is now, and has created service improvements as well as cost efficiencies to over 900 customers.

Tom Ward - Regional Managing Director, North

Tom Ward has worked within operations in the security industry for 15 years, prior to which he worked with Northumbria police for seven years. Regional managing director for our Northern region, he joined MITIE in February 2001 and has put together a team which has seen MITIE Total Security Management in the north grow to be a profitable part of the business, accredited to ISO 9001:2000 standards. The region as it was grew from £2 million per annum turnover up to around £13 million before the business merged with Initial Security in 2006. Today, the region incorporates our Scottish operations and Tom is an ambassador for customer service having consistently achieved strong retention rates within his portfolio. He plays a vital role in developing relationships with customers and was instrumental in helping to secure, mobilise and operate one of MITIE’s largest contracts with Rolls-Royce. Tom has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a degree (BA Hons) in General Arts.

Tony Medhurst – Managing Director, Aviation Security

Tony joined MITIE in January 1993 as sales director for aviation. Within seven months, he was promoted to managing director, and has been there ever since. Tony has seen the business mature from a turnover of £2 million per annum solely in aviation security, to £21 million specialising in transport and aviation security.

Lizzie Neave – Head of Marketing

Lizzie joined MITIE in 2009 as head of marketing and bid support. With over ten years’ experience of working in a B2B environment, Lizzie began by developing a new marketing strategy to reposition the business as a leading risk-based security provider. She has been heavily involved in launching the new service lines including PeopleCert and MiTec. Lizzie has BA (Hons) in Marketing and a CIM diploma.