LDC Top 50 2021

Former boxer Iain McCallister started his career in security  working on the doors of pubs and clubs. In 1993, he joined forces with his father – a retired policeman – to start a personal security business. “We looked after pop stars and bands like Paul Weller,” he says.

Fast-forward to 2021, and MAN Commercial Protection works with a large variety of businesses, has 1,650 staff and turns over £51m. Iain plans to double the size of the company through acquisitions by 2026. Iain says of his success: “All my drive comes from boxing; getting up in the morning, training, repetition, and constantly trying to be the best.”

Q&A

Where does your entrepreneurial flair come from?

I asked my mum about this recently. I don’t know anyone else in our whole family – not cousins or aunts or uncles – who have started businesses. I wasn’t great in school. I didn’t sit any exams. I just left one Friday and started working. But I’ve always boxed and the one thing boxing teaches you is constant discipline and staying focused on what you want.

How have you grown MAN Commercial Protection?

We have grown massively with contract wins over the past few years. We look after big logistics companies and also pharmaceutical clients – all these experienced growth during the pandemic. We make sure that we’re as diverse as possible, so we’re in high end Managing Agents, aviation, chemicals, amongst others. Our real USP is that we look after our people. Most of my managers have been here 15 years. Recruitment is hard and getting harder all the time so we really look after our people and retention is high.

Tell me how you contribute to a more sustainable future?

We have an EcoVadis Gold rating for sustainability. We have electric cars and charge points and we’re working on reducing our office emissions. We do everything we can, from switching to LED lighting to making everyday decisions that are better for the environment.