Bringing decades of experience in the fire and security sector, John Trickett joins Severnside Security after building a career that spans engineering, project management, business ownership and senior leadership roles.
Beginning his career as an apprentice straight from school, John progressed through positions in both SMEs and multinational businesses. After running and eventually selling his own fire and security company, he went on to serve as chief information officer for a private-equity-backed group of fire and security firms during a period of significant growth.
More recently, John has worked as a consultant, helping field service businesses improve digital workflows and automation, before joining Severnside Security, based in Barnwood, earlier this year.
Expanding the senior leadership team
Speaking about the move, John said the decision to join the Gloucestershire firm in a permanent role 'happened naturally', after initially working with the business as a consultant.
'When I started working with Severnside in February, I wasn't looking to take a full-time role anywhere,' John said. 'That came out of working with the team. Until I started consulting, my whole career had been inside fire and security, and I hadn't realised how much I'd missed being part of the sector until I started working with them.'
'They've got fantastic people who are good at what they do and they are genuinely good people, and that's the environment I'm happiest working in.
'The conversation about coming in-house evolved completely naturally. By that point I felt like one of the team already, and it felt like a perfect fit for me.'
In his new role, John will focus on driving digital transformation across the business, with an emphasis on AI, automation and improving the customer experience.
He believes his blend of technical expertise and sector knowledge puts him in a unique position to help modernise operations within the fire and security industry.
'What I bring is a fairly unusual combination,' John said. 'I've got a development background and still write code, and I've held chief information officer roles in businesses going through huge growth. Pair that with deep experience in this sector and there aren't many people who tick all three boxes.'
'The world has shifted enormously in the last six months because of what AI can now do, and a lot of businesses are still working out what that means for them.
'Severnside has acknowledged it and gone ahead and filled that gap, so we can move quickly and use these tools to transform how we work and the experience our customers have.'
John says customer expectations are changing rapidly, with businesses increasingly demanding greater transparency, faster communication and smarter, more sustainable ways of working.
'Severnside already does a fantastic job, but customers today want more than a job done well,' John added.
'They want speed, transparent communication and instant access to their own data and compliance metrics.
'They care about environmental performance, reducing unnecessary travel through smarter scheduling and the social impact of the suppliers they choose.
'Technology lets us deliver on all of that, and it improves the experience for our own engineers and office teams as well.
'What I want is for our customers to experience a level of service in fire and security they've just not had before,' John explained.
Investing in AI and automation to transform the customer experience
Severnside managing director, Kane Lewis, said John’s appointment marks a major step forward for the business as it looks to embrace new technologies while strengthening the service it delivers to customers.
Kane said, 'The compliance sector is evolving faster than many businesses are prepared for. Customers now seek more than just reliable service – they want a partner who offers real-time insights into their compliance status, clear communication and a user experience that differs from the traditional industry standards.'
'John's technology background speaks for itself, but what really sold us is that he understands the fire and security industry from the ground up – engineer, business owner, CIO.
'He knows how a business like ours operates, and more importantly, he sees how it can operate differently.'
Kane added that the company’s investment in AI and automation is designed to reduce administrative burdens and improve efficiency across the organisation.
'Advances in AI have made it possible to provide instant access to compliance data, smarter scheduling to minimise site visits, quicker responses and improved reporting. These are not distant goals but achievable today.
'Companies that act swiftly will set a new benchmark in fire and security customer service, while those that delay may struggle to keep up,' Kane explained.
'John has the perfect blend of sector expertise, technical skills and experience scaling businesses through such transformations.
'Our decision to invest in this is reflected in his appointment. We were looking for someone who could genuinely move the needle for us, and John is exactly that person.'
