Smooth operators: end-to-end operations management in the heart of London

By Gary Sullivan OBE, Chairman at Wilson James, Neil Carter, Estate Director at Broadgate, Gemma Quirke, Chief Operations Officer at Wilson James, Biju Chudasama, Chief Technology Officer at Wilson James

As the largest pedestrianised neighbourhood in central London, Broadgate is a unique commercial, office and retail space in the heart of the nation’s capital. Wilson James provides its expert security services to keep occupants and visitors safe, while its construction logistics and technology divisions assist in the sustainable development of new parts of the Broadgate estate.

Broadgate has to be kept secure at all times of the day. The Wilson James team operating there consists of 282 officers who perform a variety of tasks within buildings and across the many public spaces throughout the estate, such as the areas between buildings, car parks, access routes and service roads. These individuals take on front- and back-of-house roles, ‘meet and greet’ and helping the public with wayfinding, with 32 patrolling officers in the public spaces supported by a dedicated control room based on the estate and managed by Wilson James.

Tarquin Halse is the account director for Broadgate at Wilson James and has been instrumental in addressing the logistical challenge that keeping Broadgate secure presents. He says, “Our security officers are all highly trained with excellent interpersonal skills, so we know that our people on the ground can carry out their duties to the highest standards. Interacting with the public is a vital part of the job, but that never comes before the core function of immediately deterring, detecting, denying, delaying and responding to any threat.”

Wilson James’ activities at Broadgate go beyond the supply of its specialist security services. There is a constant programme of building and refurbishment activity going on across the estate, so the company’s construction logistics division is also fully utilised to optimise this aspect of the overall operation.

“The numerous challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic were unprecedented and they required quick thinking and fast responses,” says Broadgate’s Neil Carter. “This was only achievable by working closely with our partners and Wilson James provided an exemplary level of service throughout this most testing of times.

“I feel that our relationship is now stronger having gone through the experience together. Wilson James offers us flexibility and scalability and can respond quickly to our changing needs and requirements. It is committed to helping maintain Broadgate’s position as a world-class destination and has initiated a variety of processes, such as six-weekly technology refresh reviews and a dedicated trainer to help building managers and occupants drive sustainable practices. I’m looking forward to working together as we move into the post-pandemic world to further improve our operational effectiveness.”

Visit wilsonjames.co.uk to learn more about how Wilson James is ready to enable your operational success