Mark Flanagan, Founder and CEO of Manchester-based Defend Security Group, has been recognised for his pioneering, landmark achievements in growing and implementing meals security requirements to assist the hospitality, leisure and retail industries, and their prospects.

He has been shortlisted for the nationwide title of ‘Meals Defender of the Yr’ on this yr’s Apples awards which ‘honour people and firms who’ve demonstrated excellent dedication and integrity inside the meals trade’.

The organisers counseled Mark by stating: “Your distinctive achievements and contributions within the trade have actually stood out, and we consider you deserve this recognition to your dedication to excellence, innovation, and accountable improvement.”

Mark will now be a part of different finalists in celebrating their huge achievements on the prestigious awards night in London on 17 October on the Meals Integrity World occasion.

As many leaders have testified, Mark is “a world class environmental well being chief,” who “has single-handedly pushed large change,” and “clearly stands out, each as an innovator and entrepreneur.”  A former environmental well being officer (EHO), Mark went “from EHO to CEO”, founding Defend Security Group in 2003, which is now the UK’s largest employer of environmental well being practitioners (EHPs).

Mark’s enthusiastic about all points of environmental well being and security has been driving pressure to problem the established order and produce about main enhancements in rationalising the methods and paperwork, enhancing safety for his or her shoppers and decreasing the huge burden confronted by their shoppers.

The Manchester based mostly CEO has grown Defend Security to a workforce of 123 full-time workers and £8 million turnover enterprise, with shoppers throughout the UK/Europe, together with the UK’s primary retailer, Tesco.

He personally developed Defend Security’s award-winning security software program RiskProof, boasting worldwide presence and world attain, and maybe the best image of Mark’s dedication to meals and well being and security is Protected to Commerce – the pioneering meals security normal he personally developed and funded. Protected to Commerce is a transparent, complete, assured normal. It’s the primary voluntary, third-party assurance scheme for the hospitality sector, designed to guard and take care of the general public. An ordinary that leads and directs the sector, devised in collaboration with main meals enterprise operators and native regulators, and applied by extremely educated unbiased groups of assessors. The initiative builds on the necessities of the Meals Requirements Businesses Meals Hygiene Score Scheme and contains further important requirements  reminiscent of allergen security, labelling and front-of-house operations, all of which is able to assist improve the hospitality expertise for friends.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark “made a distinction on a UK-wide scale at a time of worldwide uncertainty, panic and nervousness”, with Protected to Commerce – bringing safety and confidence to meals enterprise operators, workers and prospects alike. The unique pilot of Protected to Commerce, was developed at nice pace, then introduced stability to a wounded hospitality sector – at a time of mass uncertainty, throughout which society’s hygiene and security fears have been at an all-time excessive.

His zeal and entrepreneurial drive got here into play with the launch of the early model of Protected to Commerce, which was launched inside weeks of the primary COVID-19 lockdown, in spring 2020. Mark was pushed by the compulsion and problem to make a distinction in supporting the hospitality and retail trade of their time of want, and acted with pace and precision.

John Barnes, Ex Senior Civil Servant on the Meals Requirements Company, says: “I’ve bought to know Mark effectively within the final 10 years, working carefully with him and his firm on a variety of initiatives within the hospitality sector. Earlier than that, I knew of Mark, his rising enterprise actions and met him at skilled occasions in my function as Head of Native Supply on the Meals Requirements Company. Given the period and depth of our connection, alongside my trade expertise, I can say with nice confidence that Mark is an exemplar within the regulatory compliance space.

“Mark is an innovator, danger taker and moderniser, which units him other than most others in his area. He has been instrumental in introducing a spread of award successful, digital options to assist regulatory compliance in meals security, fireplace security and well being and security within the hospitality sector. His modern services and products have helped hospitality companies enhance buyer and employees security. His concentrate on offering easy digital options to scale back enterprise regulatory burdens has required vital time, funding and danger on his half however the higher assist and safety it offers is why his firm has grown and is seen as a market chief.”

The corporate, which noticed gross sales of £8.86 million in 2022, has grown considerably since its formation in 2003, due to its path blazing, extremely modern method, led by Mark and his senior staff.

Mark feedback: “As soon as once more I really feel extraordinarily honoured to be offered with such esteemed trade recognition, by this extremely coveted awards programme. I see it as my responsibility to assist ship a extra sustainable future for the hospitality trade, and with the complete rollout of Protected to Commerce now in progress, myself and my staff are excited by the prospect of delivering even larger affect, and defending hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the UK.”

For extra info on Defend Security Group please go to: https://shieldsafety.co.uk/