On Guard

Mike McGeever, MD of the Transguard Group.

An interview with Mike McGeever, MD of the Transguard Group.

fmME: Your latest figures record an increase in turnover of 57% to AED607 million, and doubling profit to AED75 million, during the last financial year. How?
The dramatic increase in profits last year was because we effectively went wholeheartedly into hospitality and then our FM business, so we grew from nowhere the soft services and FM part.

The business is split into three divisions: outsourced services, FM and cash-handling services. The FM business saw a significant increase.

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I expect 2009, certainly in our outsourced services division, to be lower, simple because of the downturn in terms of the construction industry and business in Dubai generally – and, of course, worldwide.

Everything we expect, I am sure, will happen – it is just going to take a bit longer.

fmME: How has the downturn affected Transguard?
Yes, to a certain degree the current situation has impacted Transguard. As I say, on the outsourced services we have not been so busy.

Growth, while it has been impressive historically, has slowed this year simply because the size of the marketplace has decreased, and people are taking a little longer to make decisions in terms of their contracting.

Our outlook for the future is positive. The acquisition is a strong vote of confidence in Dubai and the UAE. We are bullish about the future.

The infrastructure being set up here in Dubai and the UAE in particular includes such notable achievements as the Dubai Metro, and the F1 at Yas Island in in Abu Dhabi, which was superb. So we have every confidence we will be continuing our growth into the future.

fmME: What was the reasoning behind the acquisition?
MACAir is a considered strategic move. What we have done in FM is decided that, as well as having the soft services, we want to offer the full package – proper FM, self-performing, so we can control quality, efficiency and the expediency.

We are very, very keen on making sure that when we have a client we can provide and anticipate everything that they will require.

I think it is an ideal time for people to be thinking about and anticipating what the future will hold, very much as we are doing within our training division at the moment.

There are some very exciting developments on this front. We are putting together some significant packages that will be available in the marketplace within four to five months. So I think now is an excellent opportunity for people to think and plan.

At the moment we do training for security guards in Dubai, but are looking more broadly at APL security training.