AS someone who enjoys sea kayaking, cycle touring and mountaineering it is fair to assume that Marcus Kneen enjoys pushing himself.
AS someone who enjoys sea kayaking, cycle touring and mountaineering it is fair to assume that Marcus Kneen enjoys pushing himself.
Indeed the IndigoVision chief executive admits his business life has an ??overlay?? with his private life and likens leading a company to pushing up a hill on a bike.
While the life of a globe-trotting executive has cut down on his opportunities to indulge his passions Mr Kneen admits a family trip to cycle the length of Chile is something which is being considered.
With staff in more than 20 countries and shipments to around 90 the CCTV provider already has a global footprint with its systems used in high profile events such as the football World Cup in Brazil this summer.
However Mr Kneen has no intention of settling for that or using technology to run the international business from the company??s headquarters in Midlothian.
He said: ??The world is a big place. If you are going to grow a business you need to be passionate about it.
??We are based here [in Scotland] and proud to be here and passionate about where we live but the global economics means we have to be where the growth is.??
A typical month will see him spend between eight and 10 days in long-haul destinations around the globe. He is candid enough to acknowledge there are some ??ridiculous?? trips but is adamant about the importance of personally going to see customers and colleagues.
He said: ??You have to be easy [going] and relaxed with what seems like a heavy travel schedule but you have to touch your customers. You have to be available and in front of them.
??The fact you actually go and spend time in Shanghai or visit the team in Brazil. I think it is really important you are involved and not remote.??
A pitch in a North African country is mentioned where officials were surprised that Mr Kneen mucked in afterwards to help pack up equipment and was travelling with the rest of the bid team.
He said: ??I??m just one guy. We??re all part of the same team.??
While the company??s focus is global Mr Kneen does express frustration that there seems to be a lack of willingness in Scotland to talk to the company about ways of upgrading the nation??s CCTV estate.
In recent years it has won business from Edinburgh Zoo, including providing the Panda cam streaming service, Glasgow museums, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports as well as universities and oil facilities. It also streams the Edinburgh Tattoo live each year and was involved at every Commonwealth Games venue in the summer.
Mr Kneen said: ??Scotland could move to [having] a state-of-the-art digital system for relatively little cost. We already do 500 cities around the world and we would welcome the opportunity to be in the discussion.??
A demonstration of IndigoVision??s technology sees high definition cameras from Edinburgh Castle, a warehouse New Jersey in the United States, its Brazilian office and a large retail customer being flicked between and manipulated from a central control room close to the Pentland Hills.
The level of detail when zooming in on objects hundreds of metres away is remarkable. A further demonstration shows the picture quality remains strong even in the dark.
Mr Kneen points out how the cameras are no longer just for security but are being used in a variety of areas such as predicting traffic flows, customer behaviour and stock monitoring.
However security is still its major market with public authorities, airports and casinos among its customers.
In Colombia, where IndigoVision provides a network of cameras across more than 160 cities monitored from a central hub, it has also installed cameras on top of police cars and motorcycles to give quicker checking of information such as number plates.
Mr Kneen said: ??If they see vehicles with the same number plate then that is a potential sign of trouble. It also flags if someone is likely to be armed. That can save lives.??
In Calgary, Canada, the police, ambulance and fire service can all use the same cameras to better coordinate their responses to incidents.
Operating in so many jurisdictions could open the company up to a range of practices far different from what would be viewed as acceptable in the UK.
Mr Kneen has a very simple rule if an uncomfortable situation arises. He said: ??Whenever there is any chance that integrity is challenged, then we step away. So that protects us and every single person. You don??t compromise integrity.??
Since taking over as chief executive in December 2011 Mr Kneen has also brought in three-year long technology roadmaps to ensure the company maintains its position in the market and take advantage of the desire for smart cities.
With 12 nationalities among the 90 staff based at its headquarters the firm has a diverse workforce.
Mr Kneen believes more needs to be done in Scotland to retain those from overseas who come here to study and also to provide those from this country with a more international and broad based outlook.
He mentions an exchange with a potential recruit in India which saw him swapping opinions on Islamist poetry and another session in Singapore where a number of candidates impressed him with their technical skills along with a deep understanding of Scottish culture.
He said: ??We need to be able to produce world class people. A word like ??youse?? doesn??t work internationally.??
As if to emphasis this point Mr Kneen mentions taking his own 14-year-old daughter on business trips in Taiwan and China where locals were surprised and delighted by the fact she is learning Mandarin.
The Scottish connection can still be a winner overseas though. Mr Kneen relates one story of being up against a large American corporation for a casino contract in Chile where Caledonian heritage gave him an advantage.
He said: ??My pitch when I got to the platform was IndigoVision has its headquarters 10 miles from the birth place of Lord Cochrane, who liberated Chile from Spain.
??The CEO of the group comes to give me a hug and says ??you are sitting next to me at lunch??. Every child in Chile knows about Lord Cochrane.??
CV
Marcus Kneen studied at Dundee University and completed his chartered accountancy training at Ernst & Young.
He then spent seven years working in various parts of transport and logistics company Christian Salvesen including overseas postings in Rotterdam, Hamburg and Berlin.
He then moved onto a number of general manager and finance positions in companies such as Howegarden, Incorporated Technologies (Holdings) and Grampian Country Foods.
In 2003 he joined IndigoVision as its finance director.
When founder Oliver Vellacott left following a failed management buyout Mr Kneen was appointed chief executive in December 2011.
Mr Kneen is married with three children. Outside of work je enjoys mountaineering, hiking, sea kayaking and cycling.
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