Transformation has been a central theme in the career of Edward Chetcuti, CEO of G4S Malta. With an undergraduate degree in engineering and a master’s degree in executive business management, Mr Chetcuti has spent the past 25 years turning good organisations into excellent ones. “Right now, I am incredibly excited about the opportunities ahead for G4S Malta, and I am confident that we will continue to build on our track record of successes spanning over three decades, into the future,” he says.

Mr Chetcuti’s career has seen him turn around the fortunes of global engineering company Method Electronics’ UK branch by turning a labour-focused business into a highly automated and sophisticated manufacturer. When he joined banknote printer De La Rue, his task was to wind down the Malta plant and relocate it to Asia.

“Instead, I led the company's transformation into a highly effective, lean organisation, saving millions of Euros,” he explains. “Instead of closing the Malta plant, the parent company invested heavily and we secured hundreds of jobs.”

After a period at the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Mr Chetcuti spearheaded the development of the BCRS recycling scheme from concept to state-of-the-art waste collection system with impressive results. “Within 14 months, we went from a recycling rate of 10 per cent to 80 per cent across the Maltese islands.”

Not one to rest on his laurels, Mr Chetcuti was looking for a new challenge after three years at the helm of BCRS. He found it in G4S Malta, part of the international G4S Group which has recently become part of Allied Universal, making it the second-largest employer worldwide. In Malta, G4S works with clients in a wide variety of verticals, including government, healthcare, banking, enforcement, airport security and other sectors.

“When G4S started in Malta 30 years ago, it was the first security company on the island,” says Mr Chetcuti “In fact, many Maltese still refer to it by its original name, Group 4.” Since then, dozens of other players have joined the industry, but G4S continues to lead the pack with a team of over 1,600 people.

“We care about delivering the highest levels of service to our clients as well as maintaining a high standard of corporate governance. Put simply, that means doing the right thing because you believe in it, even when no one is watching.” Upholding solid ESG standards, G4S is fully accredited in Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety standards namely ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 respectively and the group systems are accredited to ISO 27001 information security standard, whilst operating in total compliance to the full extent of its legal and employment obligations being extremely conscious of the precarious conditions that exist within certain parts of the security industry.

Despite celebrating three decades of trading successfully, Mr Chetcuti believes that this is no time for the company to stand still. “We have an opportunity to change the perception of security services in Malta.

“Currently, many people think of security services only in the context of having a guard at the entrance to a bank branch or another business,” Mr Chetcuti says. “But integrated security services encompass so much more.”

In brief, G4S helps its customers do business securely. Placing guards at entrance doors is one part of that, but the company’s services also include comprehensive cash management services and the operation of electronic security systems.

“You might be surprised to hear that G4S is in charge of the speed cameras around Malta, for example,” says Mr Chetcuti. “We also provide other traffic management services, many of which are driven by technologies such as CCTV and supported by artificial intelligence (AI) applications.”

These sophisticated electronic security systems can also be used in business premises to spot intruders and dispatch police to a location. “What we offer is really a suite of sophisticated security systems that can be tailored to a client’s individual needs.”

This includes monitoring and enforcement using AI powered technology such as CCTV and Drones. The acute shortage of labor in Malta necessitates a shift to technological solutions where enforcement and inspections of construction sites, road works, protected sites and advanced installations such as PV farms, can all be monitored, inspected and secured  remotely, dispatching humans only by exception thereby leveraging the human element to do mostly value added work.

When it comes to cash management, Mr Chetcuti estimates that G4S’s ultra-high security cash centre and high-security vehicle fleet handle approximately 70 per cent of Malta’s cash for the main banks and ATM providers. Aside from tasks like replenishing and servicing ATMs across Malta and Gozo, G4S offers retail distribution clients state-of-the-art options to increase the safety of cash transits.

None of this would be possible without the company’s workforce, and Mr Chetcuti is quick to highlight the importance of people, no matter which sector a business operates in. G4S is the largest private security company in Malta, and the company is always looking for additional staff to help its clients conduct their operations more securely.

“Having respect for our team and treating every staff member fairly is our highest priority,” he explains. “This starts with providing full-time employment, including any necessary training and paying for uniforms, and it continues with offering ongoing opportunities for development.” G4S employs 90 per cent Maltese nationals because many of its government contracts require staff to be Maltese speakers.

One of Mr Chetcuti’s personal goals is to level up Malta’s security services industry as a whole: “My vision is to influence the industry to elevate itself from the current state of a ‘watchman mentality’ to a more quality-driven approach. I believe that the future belongs to risk-based security services that offer a combination of different security measures and deliver value-added services.”

To turn his vision into reality, Mr Chetcuti modernised G4S’s leadership structure and augmented its leadership team, appointing Chief Financial, Chief Commercial, Chief People and Chief Operations Officers who all bring a wealth of professional experience and a commitment to excellence to their roles.

“People perform well because they are led well,” he says. “Our new leadership team will propel us into the next two decades with renewed energy, enthusiasm and ambition.” Team leaders and employees have noticed the change in leadership through a different style of communication and a greater degree of accountability.

As the company continues its transformation, Mr Chetcuti acknowledges the benefits and responsibilities that come with being part of a global company. “G4S Malta has access to a vast array of expertise and security systems. That puts us in a position to offer security services unmatched in both quality and robustness. Globally, our size and scale mean that we touch the lives of billions of people across the world. Our goal is to ensure that we have a positive impact on all the communities in which we work.”