India’s Largest SecurityCompany TOPSGRUP Acquires 100% stake in The Shield Guarding Company LTD
TOPSGRUP, India’s largest security group and the most preferred security brand, has completed the 100 percent acquisition of The Shield Guarding Company Limited, a reputed British security firm for a sum of £19.5 million. This acquisition has positioned the company’s Global Chairman, Dr Richie Nanda, as the only entrepreneur of an Indian Multi-National Company (MNC) to purchase a 100 percent stake in a British security company. Dr Nanda’s acquisition of The Shield Guarding Company Limited comes after his new entrant status in the Sunday Times Rich List 2012, with an estimated personal fortune of £168 million.
TOPSGRUP originally acquired a 51 per cent majority stake in the company in 2008, and then took up its option to purchase a 100 per cent stake in the company. The pioneering acquisition of The Shield Guarding Company Limited by TOPSGRUP marries two award-winning and top performing companies into one powerful security services conglomerate. The acquisition completes TOPSGRUP’s move into the UK security sector after conquering the Indian market.
Dr Nanda will assume his position as Executive Chairman of The Shield Guarding Company Limited with the existing management team remaining in place. Stuart Kedward, who has been with The Shield Guarding Company Limited for fifteen years, will assume the role of Managing Director. The company will ensure that its reputation for superior service and quality for its clients will continue unaffected.
Dr Nanda commented “We welcome the completion of this acquisition. We have been majority shareholders for four years now; this acquisition ably demonstrates TOPSGRUP’s resounding faith in the Company, our customers, our stakeholders and our employees. We stand committed to the British security industry and delivering world class security solutions. The Shield Guarding Company Limited has consistently demonstrated its market leader status both in terms of unrivalled quality and service and that is something that we are very proud of. Together with the continued efforts and enormous hard work of my incredible teams at both TOPSGRUP and The Shield Guarding Company Limited, we will ensure that we go from strength to strength and will create a truly global security service to better others.”
Acknowledged as the pioneer of the burgeoning security industry, Dr Nanda joined TOPSGRUP at the age of 22 in 1992 when the industry was plagued by uncertainties and problems. He ushered in a new era by corporatising private security not only for TOPSGRUP, but for the entire Indian security industry. The multi award-winning TOPSGRUP started off as an ailing company with just eight customers and is now India’s largest security group, valued at over £200 million. It comprises a conglomerate of 12 companies with 93,000 employees, over 8,000 clients in India, Israel and the United Kingdom, and has 120 offices.
Under Dr Nanda’s astute guidance, TOPSGRUP has won several awards, including: the Frost and Sullivan Award for the Best Manned Guarding Company (2008) and Advertising & Marketing Magazine (A&M 2001) recognised TOPSGRUP as the ‘number one’ brand in the Indian security industry.
Dr Nanda has been applauded for his leadership and spirit of innovation, having been awarded the National Security Award for the Best Security Personality of the Year (2007); The Brand Leadership Award at the CMO Asia Awards for Excellence in Branding and Marketing; the Asian Leadership in International Business Award at the 24th Asian Who’s Who Annual Dinner (2011); the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the GG2 Leadership Awards (2011); and the Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the TiE UK Annual Awards (2011).
The Shield Guarding Company Limited is an award-winning, innovative provider of security services for internationally recognised brands in the commercial, industrial, charitable and public sector. The company’s award accolades include being named ‘Guarding Company of the Year’ at the SEA (Security Excellence Awards) Awards in 2009 with two further awards won in 2011. Operating out of six offices in the UK, The Shield Guarding Company Limited is responsible for employing over 2000 trained and motivated people, and projects sales of £58.5 million for the fiscal year 2012-2013.
The company is also in the process of mobilising an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which will go live in August 2012 and enhance the range of services that the company can provide to its clients. With the vision of esteemed global entrepreneur Dr Nanda and the wisdom and experience of TOPSGRUP and The Shield Guarding Company Limited team of trained corporate heads, managers and security staff, the coming together of two giants can only signify enormous gains for the security industry in the UK and in India.