Profile: Andrew White (chief executive, National Security Inspectorate)

05 Nov 07

When the time came for Andrew White to finally hang his Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot’s uniform in the wardrobe as a keepsake of a long and distinguished public service career, an option would have been to retire. “Then what do you do?” questions the beautifully-spoken former Air Vice-Marshal, shrugging his shoulders. “I wasn’t ready to down tools. The obvious career move would have been to enter the defence industry. I didn’t want to do that for two or three years just so my contacts could be used. There’s value in that, but the defence industry didn’t really impress me.”

There was no great desire for a role in “proper commerce” either. In fact, after much deliberation, White decided that a task in the not-for-profit arena would be just the ticket. “Something that had a real link with the values and ethos the Royal Air Force had instilled.” With Tom Mullarkey having departed for RoSPA, the chief executive’s role at the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) was advertised, and seemed to fit the bill rather nicely.

“There’s a team to lead,” asserts White from behind his desk at Sentinel House in an office that, as you might expect, is festooned with pictures from his RAF exploits. “There’s a strategy to work out. There’s a budget that needs careful management. There are standards to be maintained and raised. Time and place came together, so to speak.”

One wonders what White’s initial impressions of the industry and the organisation he took over in August last year actually were prior to ‘take off’?

On the security guarding side, White had been told that “it’s an industry dominated by big companies where ‘cheap’ is the answer”. He’d also been informed there were some “very unhealthy links with criminality”. Thankfully, White was assured by the fact that there are also “lots of intelligent people in the sector motivated for all the right reasons”. How very true that final statement is.

Over the past 12 months or so, initial impressions have been refined. “There’s certainly lots of turmoil. Companies are being bought-out and re-shaped. Sadly, the bit about ‘cheap’ winning out is still too prevalent. Nothing has really changed on that front. Why people thought it would I struggle to comprehend, given the Government’s apparent lack of willingness to make more of its own [Approved Contractor] Scheme.”

White adds: “I’m told there are specific reasons why local authorities cannot be dictated to and told to use an Approved Contractor, but they’re the biggest procurers. More pressure must be applied to support the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) work.”

Even though he’s an ex-Forces man through and through, White is resigned to the fact that he doesn’t have “a silver bullet” to hand. He imagines the bigger guarding companies will have to agree on some kind of Code of Conduct, stand together and realise they all need and must abide by ethical buying policies in unison with their clients.

“It’s all about corporate identity and image. Matching words with deeds,” asserts White. “Security guarding is a core, basic job. It can be boring at times. There’ll not always be job satisfaction. To try and dress it up with more training courses will not do too much. It’s the management of the guarding function that really needs to be addressed.”

Focusing on technical abilities

On the technical side of the industry, White worries about the all-too-apparent skills shortage. “Where is tomorrow’s skilled labour going to come from?” sighs White with an air of resignation, before continuing swiftly and offering some harsh but totally fair words.

“Many of the installation companies are being run by individuals who are coming towards the end of their working life. Some of them are perhaps reluctant to understand and embrace new technologies. That mentality seeps through into discussion groups and committees when the subject of standards is raised. They want to protect their businesses as they are. Well, if ever there was a path to failure, in my opinion that is it.”

The key players in the standards area include the insurers and, of course, ACPO. Two very powerful bodies in their own right. “It’s natural they’ll want the highest standards,” opines White, forcibly. “The higher the standards, the less work they have to do. Insurers can ask for so much that they risk driving people away. Premiums are hiked up and, to pay for them, the end user often has to have systems installed that may not be necessary. Then, when there’s a break-in, the police service will not always pitch up.”

On that topic, White states that he’ll “be amazed” if, in a decade’s time, we don’t see the police service totally removed from first response duties. “That’s being conservative. We may be talking less time than that. There are great opportunities here for the professional private security sector. It’s going to be a Government issue, though. I cannot see any chief constable going it alone on this particular matter.”

Standards are clearly vital for White, who holds a BTech (Hons) in aeronautical engineering and graduated from the Joint Services Defence School in 1984. “We must always argue for sensible and realistic standards. We recently ran a number of symposiums around the country and as part of each event I showed a video of a night-time military operation. It grabbed everyone’s attention in any case, but when the audiences discovered everything was ‘run’ on IP, they really sat up and took notice. All images were relayed by IP. The radio linked on IP.”

White’s point is that this was a high grade military operation. One that was totally secure from start to finish. “IP can be made as secure as is necessary,” adds White. “All this talk about data being insecure over IP. It’s absolute nonsense.” Here’s one convert to tomorrow’s technology, it seems.

“There are a number of individuals who, for whatever reason, don’t want the debate about IP to happen. If we don’t have it, and soon, then an approach will be taken that effectively bypasses the security sector. The ‘IT Networking Gang’ will move in and take the work. Having so-called ‘stove pipes’ of technical ability is no longer the way of the world. If we cannot truly integrate all of our systems then you have to forecast that the future doesn’t look too bright.”

Impressions of the Inspectorate

What, then, were White’s initial feelings about the NSI? “Tom [Mullarkey] transformed some great ideas into reality,” he says of the former supremo. “The medals concept has proven very successful, so too the move into the fire sector. Tom engaged with the development of the SIA. Excellent strategic decisions were made. The NSI’s footprint is in the right place. The organisation stands for the right things.”

All that said, White is adamant that, internally, the NSI hasn’t really moved on as an organisation since NACOSS and the ISI were first brought together. “There hasn’t been a consistency about our approach. I’m tackling that now,” he urges. “Many of our publications and procedures are looking and sounding tired. Some are impenetrable. As the industry moves on, so must we. We have to be seen to lead. That’s why we are reviewing our own quality management, and striving all the while to improve the strength of the NSI brand.”

White’s “extremely loyal and tremendously experienced” workforce is “dedicated to the tasks at hand”, but he feels some of the procedures they are currently using smack of inefficiency. Borrowing heavily from his service days, he’s using value stream analysis to in blunt RAF speak – “sort things out”. White is looking to grow the business, make it more efficient and, naturally, keep the prices to a minimum. Just as you’d expect from someone who’s also a graduate of the London Business School’s popular accrual accounting course.

During his last days in office, one move by the Regulator namely the acceptance of numerous inspectorates to ‘pass’ companies for SIA approval really puzzled and worried Tom Mullarkey. On the grapevine, there are whispers that perhaps some of these inspectorates aren’t quite as rigorous as the NSI. Would that be fair comment?

“Eight assessing bodies? That’s far too many. Standards would be raised if that number were reduced. I have debated this point with Baroness Ruth Henig. It would be naïve to expect that standards at one inspectorate didn’t differ from those exhibited by another. If you truly believe in a level playing field then the ultimate goal has to be one inspectorate.”

Many guarding contractors have also suggested that the NSI Gold standard far exceeds the requirements of the ACS, so why should they need the latter? White is careful with his answer. “The ACS has some criteria that we don’t have, and therein lies the rub. What we have to do is demonstrate to the Regulator we’ve ticked the boxes on those criteria, which are mostly to do with corporate social responsibility. It’s true to say that where there are common criteria between the two bodies, we’ll have a more stringent version. We are working well in tandem with the SIA.”

The medium-to-long term

What are the medium-to-long term plans for the NSI? Alas, White is quick to retort that he “doesn’t have Board endorsement” to say too much on the matter just now.

"What I can tell you is that we are keen on reinforcing our position and Mission Statement with respect to the raising of standards. The NSI must be the inspectorate of choice. There’s no change there,” comments White. “That’s our Memorandum of Association.”

Interestingly, White wants to explore other activities synonymous with what the organisation is already doing. “Third party certification-style work, if you like,” he explains. “If we can enjoy a tad more turnover in that field, and make a decent profit margin, that will help to fund and keep down the costs of our schemes already in place for the security and fire industries. I must stress that we are here for those sectors. If we are seen to be working outside of them it’s for one reason, and one reason alone. To strengthen our ability to raise standards in our ‘home’ markets.”

Jumping back a step or two in time, you discover that White an avid reader of The Times and regular listener to the news service on Radio 4 – grew up in leafy Sanderstead near Croydon. His was a “conventional” childhood, with White’s father a dental technician who ran his own business. “Some years my father’s business was good, in others it wasn’t so good. Finding the money to buy a new school uniform for me was sometimes a major drama.”

The young boy grew up in an age where aviation was King. Record-breaking events were happening, what with supersonic flight and new times for transatlantic crossings. It helped that the family lived near Biggin Hill, and that some of the military aircraft would often fly directly above the homestead.

A key moment for White arrived during a Battle of Britain Air Show. He was in the back garden standing on the Air Raid Shelter roof with his binoculars watching a Lightning flying around while in holding pattern. He tried to catch the pilot’s attention by waving to him. “I remember saying to myself at that moment that I wanted to fly one day.”

The twist to the plot came years later – in 1994, in fact – when White found himself Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the RAF, Sir Michael Graydon. “I looked back in Sir Michael’s Log Book. It was he who used to be the Lightning display pilot in those days. He was the pilot I’d been trying to signal.”

As a young lad, White joined the Air Cadets and began his life-long love affair with aviation. “My motivation in life was all about flying. I went to university because that was how you broke into the RAF.”

Life in the fast (jet) lane

Pre-1994, White – who was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2003 – wanted to be a fast jet pilot. Nothing more, nothing less. He duly arrived on his first operational Jaguar Squadron, but quickly realised this wasn’t the be-all-and-end-all. “It’s all about continuous learning, education and qualifications. There’s no such thing as standing still in this life. If you do, you’re not going to be too effective, nor very efficient.” An excellent maxim to live by, you feel.

The first three years of his RAF career were spent “trying to be as proficient as possible”. At 25 years young, White was keener than ever to lead a formation of aircraft. He quickly learned how to think tactically, and manoeuvre his aircraft to the best of his ability. “Flying had to become second nature.”

Thinking back to the BBC1 documentary Bravo Two Zero and the SAS troops ‘downed’ behind enemy lines in Iraq, did White receive instruction in what to do should this have happened to him (he flew over 40 operational missions in Iraq)? “We did attend a winter training school in southern Germany, but it was the late 1970s and the course was a bit hit-and-miss, if you’ll excuse the pun. Let’s face it, we were still deep in the Cold War. If we were going to have another conflict, the expectation was that it would be a global scenario, possibly nuclear. Believing that you wouldn’t survive anyway tended to shape your attitude to escape and evasion drills, to be honest.”

White wanted to move on to positions of seniority and authority within a Squadron structure. In readiness, he completed some more study on the options side, improving his communication and written skills “albeit in a military style”. White was also trying to improve his fitness levels as there was “pressure to do so” from above. Eventually, he became an RAF instructor and “learned a great deal about how to cope with people and man-manage them”.

White adds, tellingly: “I was looking at the Commander immediately above me and thinking that I could do his job. That feeling followed me throughout my RAF career. If the organisation was in a position where everyone wasn’t immediately able to step up one notch then it would fail. People were always working slightly below what they could achieve.”

The flying phase of his RAF career offered experience of command and leadership. He saw “a fair bit of life, some of it quite harsh”. Half of his first Squadron crashed at some point. Not every one of the pilots died, but many did all of them in non-combat scenarios. "As leader you felt responsible. Was that mission the right one for them? That’s when you find out what you’re all about.”

Developing a managerial style

Did White borrow management techniques from others, then, or was it more a case of developing his own leadership techniques?

“A bit of both, really,” he replies. “You can take heed of what’s deemed to be Best Practice in terms of leadership and management. The one thing you cannot do, though, is change who you are as a person. As I developed my own style, I went through phases of trying to not be me. It didn’t work. I’ve witnessed some awful leadership, but also some outstanding people. Those who stand out tend to have something of the natural born leader within them. Others, like myself, have to work at it.”

For White, managers must learn to recognise that there’s a difference between being an effective leader and a manager. “You have to show you’re willing to do whatever it is you are asking of your people. You always have to demonstrate the highest standards, and uphold them at all times. How will your actions be looked upon and interpreted? You must be true to yourself, and do what you think is right.”

Asked to pick out words and/or phrases people would associate with his style of leadership, White outlines that “consultative, ready to listen and a believer in the Mission of the NSI” would be the foremost responses.

First taste of Government

For two years, until 1996, White’s role alongside Sir Michael Graydon offered a first exposure as to how Government works. He witnessed at close quarters the professional relationships that developed between senior military leaders, Government ministers and even the Prime Minister of the day. “If a Government wants to do something it’s going to do it. You will not be able to prevent that.”

Promotion thereafter saw White seconded to the Station Command of RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, and service as Commander of the Tri-National Tornado Training Base. There was a German/Italian/British mix on the base (split 40%, 20%, 40% respectively) and thus consultative skills naturally came to the fore. If anything was to be achieved then all three parties had to be in total agreement. White eventually had to disband the unit, too. All the assets of an Air Base operational for two decades were divided under his watch. At the time, he was still piloting Tornados (his last full-time flying role in the rank of Group Captain).

On the last day…

When the moment came and there was a realisation that White would never again fly in a military role (he still takes to the air in a private capacity), what did it feel like? “The very last aircraft flown out of Cottesmore bound for Lossiemouth was piloted by myself. As I shut down the engines and climbed out of the pilot’s seat, it was a very sad moment. Very difficult to come to terms with, I must say. I flew past the Control Tower fast and low just for the sheer fun of it, which eased the pain a little!”

Having authored the RAF Kosovo Air Campaign report in 1999, a year later White became the senior officer responsible for RAF strategic and financial planning. He led a mixed civilian and military team that produced savings of over £180 million and introduced a performance management system for an Executive Board with responsibility for over 30,000 people worldwide (and a colossal budget of £1.8 billion).

Subsequent promotion saw him become director of operations for the RAF between 2002 and 2003. That involved assuming responsibility for RAF front line security. It was also a time when he first encountered ‘security guarding’, having been given the task of accountability for the RAF Provost Service (including the Mod Guard Service) at a number of establishments.

White was then rewarded with what he calls “the best job of the lot”. From 2003 through to last year, he served as Commander of No3 Group, directly responsible for over 12,000 servicemen and women and one third of the RAF’s front line assets (including the Search and Rescue Force and the Air Traffic Control organisation). Again, his change management skills came to the fore, with the restructuring of the UK’s air defence organisation delivering impressive savings of over £12 million per year.

“It doesn’t matter how many noughts are at the end of the budget figure,” he chips in. “It’s still bloody difficult to manage. The scales might be different, as I’m managing a turnover of £4 million now, but the challenges are the same. If there’s an overspend of 1%, it’s every bit as difficult to ‘lose’ that 1% from a budget of £415 million as it is from £4 million. That might sound strange, but it’s absolutely true.”

White offers an interesting conclusion to our conversation that should not be lost on Boards of Directors looking to make senior security appointments. “Senior military officers of my generation can bring these kinds of business skills to the table. Before, an ex-military person would have had no such training. Anyone who left the services more than five years ago will not be equipped. They will not have been asked to put a business case together.”

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