Blog 09.02.18

A career at Vigilance: Interview with Pancham Singh, Quality Manager

This month we talked with our Quality Manager, Pancham Singh on her role within Vigilance and her thoughts on enhancing the opportunities for women within the security industry.

As the Quality Manager, Pancham ensures in its highly regulated environment that Vigilance’s policies and accreditations reflect the highest standards and latest innovations. The Company not only wants to be compliant but to reflect best emerging working practices.

What was your previous employment before working with Vigilance?

Prior to working at Vigilance I worked in a crisis management team. We focused on resolving major commercial kidnappings, maritime hijackings, extortion and other serious business risks.

My role was to be a Somalian subject-matter expert and compile risk reports into possible threats within the country at the time. While this area may traditionally have a male focus, my experience as a woman in that field was very positive, and I was able to prove myself and carve out a niche based on the skills I brought to my role.

How did you come about working for Vigilance?

Even though I enjoyed my work in crisis management, after becoming a mother I wanted to explore opportunities that would create a better work-life balance for my family. I decided to step away from the reactive and intensive around the clock work that my former job demanded. Fortunately, the partners at my previous employer knew that Vigilance was searching for a dynamic manager to further innovate its systems. The work is a pleasing blend of evolving internal processes and systems design that engages skills I have acquired in my career, and challenges me to develop new ones within a close team.

Property and security are known to be predominantly male dominated industries. How do you find that?

I’m unclear why this should be the case as for me there have been few barriers to entry; why should there be for other women? Perhaps it is not an obvious choice, as the stereotypical image of a security officer is male. But certainly in Vigilance, we are extremely open to employing female security officers, and would love to recruit more. Quite often the quintessential image of a security officer is in fact opposite to what is required; brains rather than brawn often win the day. I’m keen to move away from the gender stereotyping, as is Vigilance.

“Vigilance has become a home away from home. Many staff members come from an Army background and share the same culture regardless of nationality. I believe that military values, no matter their origins, have a universal ethos that is recognised and welcomed in the Vigilance family.”

What would be your advice for any women pursuing a career in the security industry?

Maintain your professionalism, think about the challenge you are presented before responding, and benefit from your female analytical brain – there is little place for emotion in the workplace.

Why are there very few females in the security industry and how do you think that that could be changed?

Being a security officer means that you have got to be intelligent and in control of any situation which women are highly capable of doing. We would like to attract more women into this business and we will promote that focus this year. We want to further diversify the Vigilance demographic and encourage more women concierge or security officers.

There are many assignments when working in public or private where it may be far more comfortable, or appropriate, to have a capable, highly trained woman security officer handling the situation.

Sum up what it is like working at Vigilance.

Vigilance gives its employees the opportunity to work independently and takes pride in their success. The company provides a positive working environment; personal integrity and individual satisfaction are ingrained in the working culture. We have a very strong sense of our company as a family; we trust and look after each other.

The company’s values were what first attracted me to it, and are why I continue to love working here. And as a working mum, you want to ensure that you always give 100% both at home and at work and Vigilance helps you to do that. I think it is a great company to work for.