The senior leadership team at national, multi-award winning First Response Group (FRG) has been further boosted by the appointment of Barry Dawson as group managing director, bringing with him 35 years of experience at the highest levels of the UK security industry.
Taking up his new position on April 2 (2024), Dawson is described by the group’s CEO Simon Alderson as ‘the final piece of the jigsaw’ needed for FRG to achieve the company’s ambitious growth targets of £150m over the next five years. Dawson’s security industry experience includes being at the helm of Advance, Vision Security Group (VSG) and most recently Wilson James, where as its managing director he successfully built up the business through a combination of organic growth in strategic sectors and carefully targeted merger and acquisition.
In addition to a track record in driving sales growth, Dawson has led teams across many business disciplines, including crisis management, operations management, private investigations, systems, and emergency risk management, with senior c-suite experience in some of the most respected blue-chip companies in the UK.
Commenting on the appointment, CEO Simon Alderson, said: “This is a significant move for us here at FRG, and no doubt the ripples will be felt across the UK security sector.
“Barry is an industry heavyweight, and with more than three decades of knowledge, experience, and insight I have absolutely no doubt he is the perfect fit to help drive our business forward, continuing the momentum over these past few years. We are adding weight and intelligence in the key areas of our business, which is what we need to be doing if we are to continue to challenge accepted orthodoxy in this highly competitive sector.
“I look forward to working with Barry, and helping him to build teams, empower people, and deliver success.”
Dawson said: “For me, everything evolves around people, they really are a company’s greatest asset. From the top down at FRG it is highly evident that this is where success is built, and it was instantly appealing to me.
“This is a great company that is fast building an enviable reputation in delivering security solutions that fit the needs of clients, and I’m looking forward to doing what I can to make that vital difference, and helping us to continue the current trajectory and beyond.”
The appointment of Barry Dawson isn’t the first high profile hire in recent months. Mark Mansfield joined the company last year as chief operating officer, followed by Derek Nielson as group operations director. Furthermore, Colette Bloom joins the company’s leadership team as group finance director.
FRG, headquartered in Leeds, employs a workforce of some 2,000 professionals and recently won the Outstanding Contract Security Company (Guarding) award at the industry’s Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) in February, following two awards for its work with Wembley Stadium, at the prestigious Security & Fire Excellence Awards in December of last year.
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