Mayor Boris Johnson opens new International SOS global headquarters in London

29 March 2012 ,  —

London

International SOS, the leading global medical and security services company, today unveiled its new global headquarters and Alarm Centre at the official opening in Chiswick Park, West London.

The new headquarters are specially designed to support the International SOS client-centric approach, helping companies and governments to mitigate medical and security risks faced by their employees deployed abroad.  Reflecting the rapid growth in demand, the new office provides 40% more space.

 

London is a key location for International SOS, as it is the base for many client organisations. It is excellent to recruit a diverse and skilled pool of specialists, as an increasing number of medical and security teams are needed to help client businesses proactively assess and manage the risks that their global workforce face.  Within a global network of 10,000 people, 800 employees are based in the UK from 43 different nationalities. This represents an exponential rise from the 40 people employed by International SOS in the UK in 1998. 

 
International SOS' London Alarm Centre is a global hub for co-ordinating routine medical, security and travel advice services across time zones and regions.  It is also a key lead centre for integrated medical and security crisis response when political upheaval, natural disaster or pandemic impacts clients. The London team is very experienced in carrying out thousands of interventions and evacuations each year.*

 
London Mayor Boris Johnson welcomed the opening of the new headquarters with a speech before taking part in a guided tour of the alarm centre, exploring its new technology and the enhanced capability.  He commented: "I am delighted to be able to mark the official opening of International SOS' new global headquarters and to see an innovative, growing company make the decision to invest in London. The company's expanded presence reflects the capital's position as a major hub for business, positioned at the centre of international time zones and served by a strong and growing transport infrastructure. London continues to attract inward investment from around the world and International SOS' new headquarters are a further vote of confidence in London's position in the global marketplace."

 
International SOS Chairman and CEO Arnaud Vaissié said: "Increasing globalisation has allowed organisations to send more and more employees abroad, to often challenging locations. Organisations are also more aware of their duty of care responsibilities.  We are investing in the new global headquarters and Alarm Centre to further extend our ability to proactively manage the risks faced by our clients' globally deployed employees and assist them.  We are delighted that Mayor Boris Johnson has supported the opening of our new office and endorsed the contribution that our business is making to the capital's economic development."

 
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Notes to Editors

About the International SOS Group of Companies

The International SOS Group of Companies is in the business of saving lives, protecting your global workforce from health and security threats. Wherever you are, we deliver customised health, security risk management and wellbeing solutions to fuel your growth and productivity. In the event of extreme weather, an epidemic or a security incident, we provide an immediate response providing peace of mind. Our innovative technology and medical and security expertise focus on prevention, offering real-time, actionable insights and on-the-ground quality delivery. We help protect your people, your organisation's reputation, as well as support your compliance reporting needs. By partnering with us, organisations can fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, while empowering business resilience, continuity and sustainability.

 

Founded in 1985, the International SOS Group, headquartered in London & Singapore, is trusted by 12,000 organisations, including the majority of the Fortune 500, as well as mid-size enterprises, governments, educational institutions and NGOs. 12,000 multicultural medical, security and logistics experts stand with you to provide support & assistance from over 1,000 locations in 90 countries, 24/7, 365 days.   

To protect your workforce, we are at your fingertips: www.internationalsos.com

 

 

*For example, during the Arab Spring last year special crisis incident teams were deployed from London to deliver end-to-end operational and logistical management of medical and security evacuations. There were 1,250 people evacuated from Egypt in January 2011 and 1,500 from Libya in February 2011.
 

For more information please contact:
Caroline Roycroft, Fleishman-Hillard, caroline.roycroft@fleishmaneurope.com, 0207 395 71670207 395 7167
Charlotte Black, Fleishman-Hillard, charlotte.black@fleishmaneurope.com 0207 395 71240207 395 7124
 

Official photographs of the event are available to download on https://webgate.epa.eu
 
Notes on International SOS at Chiswick Park
The state-of-the-art site in Chiswick Park delivers operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing fully integrated medical and security services and assistance to clients around the world.