It’s fair to say that GFS is a household name at least in the realm of fire and safety. Over the course of just seven years, it’s become the market leader in the field. We have a chat with its director Adil Naeem to find out a bit about the company and what fuelled its meteoric rise among other things.
Hotel Insider: How would you describe your growth over the years?
Adil Naeem: When we started our company in 2011, we had less than ten staff and about five clients in the first year, and could have not imagined this much growth in a mere seven year period with 50 clients and more than 50 staff. We credit our expansion to our clients who refer us to their sister companies and neighbouring resorts and our wonderful team who have won over our clients. We are pleased with our current position and with the number of projects and clients we currently have, but there is always room for growth and expansion here at Global Fire Services or GFS as we like to call ourselves.
Hotel Insider: What are the key areas of differentiation between you and your competitors?
Adil Naeem: We like to think the difference between ourselves and the competitors is the close relationship we have with our clients. We are available to our clients at any time and always try our best to meet their expectations in services and any other requests they may have. We maintain good relationships with people we work with and get a lot of new business when they shift to new companies.
We must also note that we provide quality products and excellent services to our clients and are able to come up with creative solutions for our clients’ issues. Here at GFS, we like to think that our system designing and installation are the best in Male’ and pride in being able to always get government bodies’ approval on matters, resulting in huge savings in time and money for our clients. All the system designs we have done so far have been accepted and approved by the relevant government bodies and clients, so we are very proud of that.
Hotel Insider: Are properties sufficiently aware of risks and how to prevent incidents or do you think that there’s more work to be done on that front?
Adil Naeem: There is certainly more work to be done. We need more properties to be aware of safety procedures such as evacuation and run drills regularly. Also, in the middle of an incident, people have to understand that the safety of everyone depends on following orders, and the team captain is in charge of the situation.
Hotel Insider: You provide a complete spectrum of services to resorts. Can we talk about that a bit?
Adil Naeem: With the help of our team of instructors who have at least eight to ten years of experience in training in MNDF’s fire-fighting department, we provide fire squad training, fire awareness training, fire drills, BA training, industrial fire brigade course to all our customers. We also have a wonderful team of technicians who can professionally install a wide array of systems including alarm systems, fire hydrant system, foam pourer and drencher system, kitchen hood systems, hold-up/panic systems and carry out inspections for any existing systems.
Hotel Insider: What do resorts stand to gain by partnering with GFS?
Adil Naeem: We are the leading provider of fire safety systems and related training courses. We provide training for installers, operators, managers and designers. Our comprehensive range of technical and non-technical safety setups and training is the best offered within the country that is certified at an international level and also is the best at the most reasonable rate possible in the country. I believe resorts would gain a lot if they choose to work with us for the reasons stated earlier and also because we put a lot of emphasis on maintaining close relationships with our clients. We understand them so we’re able to provide what they need.
Hotel Insider: As a final question, can we talk about the role you’ve played at GFS, especially in ensuring its success?
Adil Naeem: As I’ve mentioned before, one of our key focusses is fostering and maintaining relationships and that’s something we excel at. I’ve put a lot of emphasis on that and I’ve always worked to make sure that we never leave our partners and clients wanting. Also, it helps to know the business inside out. My twelve years at the MNDF’s fire and rescue services has obviously given me a wealth of insight into the nature of our business. I rose to the rank of lieutenant prior to my departure from MNDF. Also, I’d like to add that my partner Abdulla Saleem Abdul Sattar has been pivotal in the company’s success. He’s a very dedicated person and has held several important positions in both public and private sectors over the past 25 years.