Pushed into purpose
A soldier’s passion
Hard work, discipline and dedication best describe the strategic development executive of West Valley Armed Response, Shahid Abrahams. The 58-year-old former soldier has found solace and purpose in national security and the improvement thereof."Shahid has truly added value since he started working for us. He suggested the use of a tracking system that makes sure our employees are patrolling the area and that will alert us of any suspicious activity when not clocked in regularly," the company’s chief executive officer, Simon Shivute, said in an interview with Careers.
"He has truly brought about organisational change and introduced technologies and systems that will help take West Valley Armed Response to where we hope for it to be in the near and distant future."
Abraham explained that he grew to love security after his conscription to the then South West African Defence Force at the tender age of 18.
"I was a soldier in the South West African army and then joined the South West African police. This [industry] is what I know, it’s my lifestyle and what some people may even call my forte," Abrahams said.
Abrahams assumed his position at West Valley three months ago. He explained that his greatest achievement at the company thus far is the growth the company has achieved in the last two months because of the changes he contributed to.
The father of four has over thirty years of experience and has worked in the industry in several countries, such as South Africa and the United Kingdom. Abrahams’ professional skills include administration and maintenance, auditing, developing crime incident preventative measures; as well as safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) management.
West Valley Armed Response is a relatively new company that aims to provide tailored security solutions to protect while securing the personal safety of clients.