internationalsos.com - Press releases

Mayor Boris Johnson opens new International SOS global headquarters in London

International SOS, the leading global medical and security services company, today unveiled its new global headquarters and Alarm Centre at the official opening in Chiswick Park, West London.

The new headquarters are specially designed to support the International SOS client-centric approach, helping companies and governments to mitigate medical and security risks faced by their employees deployed abroad.  Reflecting the rapid growth in demand, the new office provides 40% more space.

London is a key location for International SOS, as it is the base for many client organisations. It is excellent to recruit a diverse and skilled pool of specialists, as an increasing number of medical and security teams are needed to help client businesses proactively assess and manage the risks that their global workforce face.  Within a global network of 10,000 people, 800 employees are based in the UK from 43 different nationalities. This represents an exponential rise from the 40 people employed by International SOS in the UK in 1998. 

International SOS' London Alarm Centre is a global hub for co-ordinating routine medical, security and travel advice services across time zones and regions.  It is also a key lead centre for integrated medical and security crisis response when political upheaval, natural disaster or pandemic impacts clients. The London team is very experienced in carrying out thousands of interventions and evacuations each year.*

London Mayor Boris Johnson welcomed the opening of the new headquarters with a speech before taking part in a guided tour of the alarm centre, exploring its new technology and the enhanced capability.  He commented: "I am delighted to be able to mark the official opening of International SOS' new global headquarters and to see an innovative, growing company make the decision to invest in London. The company's expanded presence reflects the capital's position as a major hub for business, positioned at the centre of international time zones and served by a strong and growing transport infrastructure. London continues to attract inward investment from around the world and International SOS' new headquarters are a further vote of confidence in London's position in the global marketplace."
International SOS Chairman and CEO Arnaud Vaissié said: "Increasing globalisation has allowed organisations to send more and more employees abroad, to often challenging locations. Organisations are also more aware of their duty of care responsibilities.  We are investing in the new global headquarters and Alarm Centre to further extend our ability to proactively manage the risks faced by our clients' globally deployed employees and assist them.  We are delighted that Mayor Boris Johnson has supported the opening of our new office and endorsed the contribution that our business is making to the capital's economic development."

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Notes:
*For example, during the Arab Spring last year special crisis incident teams were deployed from London to deliver end-to-end operational and logistical management of medical and security evacuations. There were 1,250 people evacuated from Egypt in January 2011 and 1,500 from Libya in February 2011.

For more information please contact:
Caroline Roycroft, Fleishman-Hillard, caroline.roycroft@fleishmaneurope.com, 0207 395 7167
Charlotte Black, Fleishman-Hillard, charlotte.black@fleishmaneurope.com 0207 395 7124

Official photographs of the event are available to download on https://webgate.epa.eu

About International SOS

International SOS (www.internationalsos.com) is the world's leading medical & security services company operating from over 700 sites in 76 countries with 10,000 employees, led by 1,100 physicians and 200 security specialists.
Our global services include medical and risk planning, preventative programs, in-country expertise and emergency response for travelers, expatriates and their dependents of over 70 percent of the Fortune 500 companies.

Notes on International SOS at Chiswick Park

The state-of-the-art site in Chiswick Park delivers operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing fully integrated medical and security services and assistance to clients around the world.