Solihull security firm marks 10 years of keeping London Marathon safe
Two-hundred staff from a leading West Midlands security firm will be making sure more than 56,000 runners and thousands of supporters are kept safe at this weekend’s London Marathon.
MAN Commercial Protection will be working at the world’s most iconic road race for the 10th successive year, providing safety stewards, security response, supervisors, control room staff and specialists in crowd management.
The Solihull company, which enjoyed its best-ever year in 2024, will be responsible for several strategic crossing points on the last half mile of the marathon and the Sportive Finish.
This area is where the runners leave the track after the finish line and is one of the most congested points of the race.
Iain McCallister, CEO of MAN Commercial Protection said: “The London Marathon is one of the world’s biggest races and a fantastic opportunity for people to raise money for charities…it’s a real privilege to be part of it.
“It will be our 10th year ensuring the safety of runners, supporters and all the race staff that are so crucial to making it happen.
“There is a lot of customer service involved in this assignment and a visible security presence acts as a welcome reassurance to athletes and spectators alike.”
“Over 200 staff will be on hand at various stages of the race, with our events manager Scott Broadway celebrating seven years of overseeing our operation in the capital. That is some achievement in its own right.”
MAN Commercial Protection, which was founded by current CEO Iain McCallister and his father Sam, has seen revenues rise by 22 per cent over the last twelve months to £67m, creating 400 new jobs in the process.
It has been the Solihull firm’s busiest period for work, covering the record-breaking Taylor Swift concerts and picking up several new corporate contracts secured for high-profile names in the automotive, banking, finance, property and oil sectors.
Assignments in the sporting world continue to be a key sector for the business, with its professionals covering RIDE London, the World Snooker Championships, MACD Gymnastics and the famous Riyadh ‘boxing’ season for Queensberry Promotions in Saudi Arabia.
The latter included fights between Fury v Usyk and the critically acclaimed bouts between Beterbiev and Bivol.
Iain continued: “We have significant experience looking after some of the biggest sporting events in the world and ‘track record’ is so important in this sector.
“Promoters, athletes and entertainers don’t want to have to think about security, they just want to focus on delivering the best possible performance. This is where we come in…we provide the risk assessment, we identify the best strategy and we then slip into the background.
“The same applies to this Sunday’s event. Success for us will mean none of the TV viewers ever knowing of any incidents that might occur thanks to the smooth security and crowd management.”
