Our Team

Strategic Operational Capability


Jeff OrdDr Jeff Ord CBE QFSM
Head of Fire and Rescue Service (UAE)

Since 2007, Jeff has been a lead member of the team developing AssetCo’s Fire and Rescue operational capability and a key relationship builder in the UAE.
 

Jeff has over 40 years of Fire and Rescue Service experience. Prior to joining AssetCo Fire and Rescue, he held the position of Her Majesty’s Inspector for Fire and Rescue. Jeff commanded three different Fire and Rescue Services; Northumberland, South Yorkshire and Strathclyde; and was a Principal Fire Officer in Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

Serving as Chief Fire Officer in Europe’s second largest service, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service, Jeff was also responsible for the delivery of all operational and fire safety services with the associated deployment of resources and personnel. Jeff was responsible for 4,280 staff and an annual budget of £153 million. In Scotland, Jeff was a key Member of the Combined Military, Police and Government Operational Command Team, working at Gold Command level.
 
Jeff was the UK lead advisor to a number of foreign governments to provide UK Fire and Rescue advice on operational restructuring. These include Port Elizabeth Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Services in South Africa, Kutno Fire and Rescue Services in Poland and the Kiev Fire and Rescue Service in the Ukraine.

Jeff commanded major incidents and responded to International Disasters both in the UK and overseas, including the Herald of Free Enterprise Zebrugge and the hurricane that hit South East England.  As Chief Inspector, Jeff coordinated the mutual aid response to the Grange Mouth Oil Refinery’s major chemical leak and the Stockline Plastics Explosion, where 23 were rescued through multi-agency teams, provided under the Government National Civil Resilience Programme.
 

Jeff was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and the Queen’s Fire Service Medal (QFSM). Jeff is also an Honorary Doctor of Glasgow University in Humanities, a Justice of the Peace and Chair of Civil Contingencies Multi Agency Planning Group.
 

  
 

Tactical Operational Capability

  
 
Omer KiygaOmer Kiyga BAA
Senior Liaison and Administrative Support Officer (UAE)

Omer is the lead administrative support officer in our base in the UAE. His main duties include administration and liaison, translation and support to the Senior Operational Team. He is fluent in both English and Arabic, with the ability to prepare and present in both languages.

Omer is an experienced instructor who served in both the Sudanese and UAE Armies. Under employment of Al Shaheen, Omer has been involved in the development and delivery of training to UAE Armed Forces officers and NCOs. He designed training syllabuses for difference levels of courses, administered and monitored teaching practice sessions at different levels, wrote reports and provided constructive feedback.

He is a highly competent military instructor and many of his pupils are now in prominent positions in Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and UAE. He also ran training courses for the Dubai Police Force Academy.

His experience in training stems from his military training as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, honoured as the first Sudanese Officer to be commissioned at this British Academy. In addition, Omer completed courses in Sudan, including Platoon Commander courses for Weapons and Tactics, and studied academic courses in America, improving his mastery of the English language and computing systems. Omer also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Human Resources.

 


Yasser AntarYasser Antar
Assistant Chief Operations

 

Yasser joined AssetCo UAE in June 2011 as Assistant Chief Operations.  He has over 14 years of experience in project management and public relations, handling lease contracts, quality assurance and corporate communications.  During his time working for the United Arab Emirates Army in Abu Dhabi, Yasser was a qualified Firefighter Trainer and is experienced in all aspects of training including Aviation Fire and Rescue.
 

Yasser holds a Commercial Secondary Diploma from the Adults Commercial School, specialising in Marketing.
 

   

Group Support Services


Allan RichardsonAllan Richardson
Group Projects and Engineering Director

Since 2007, Allan has worked for AssetCo, applying his expertise to key account project, operations and contract management.

Allan was formally an Operations Director of Auto Electrical Services Ltd, a business which specialised in vehicle conversion and communications systems for the Emergency Services.

Allan comes from a strong public sector consultancy background, as a Director of Resilience Communications Ltd providing strategic advice to the blue chip companies for the Homeland Security UK and International markets.

Previously, he was a Consultant for the Mott MacDonald Group, providing Project Management to the UK Fire and Rescue Services and Middle East Projects.

Allan has a military services background in which he served in the Royal Marines for 16 years.
 

 

  


William WarkeWilliam Warke BA (Hons) MA
Group Head of Human Resources

Since 2007 William has played a key role in the AssetCo team as Head of Human Resources including the development of our HR Strategy and the recruitment of staff for our operations in the UK and the UAE.

Previously, William was Head of Human Resources at the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (2002-2007), leading on HR and Organisational Development Strategy; Human Capital and Succession Planning; Talent and Performance Management; and Employee Relations and Leadership Development.

He was deployed with the Royal Air Force to the Forward Mounting Base in Karachi, Pakistan (2001-2002) on the strategic coordination of air transport operations between the UK, Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

William has also served abroad in Saudi Arabia and Oman. Previous roles have included the Directorate of Recruitment and Selection for the RAF in Ireland (1998-2001) and the RAF Regiment Depot and RAF Staff College, where William was awarded two Commendations for Meritorious Service.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and an MA in Management and Leadership Studies. His professional associations include the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

 

  

Tony BarnettTony Barnett
International Business Development Director

Tony has over 15 years of international and domestic business development, marketing and business restructuring experience, working in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.  He also has particular expertise working throughout the Middle East and Africa in both public and private organisations.

He has managed global sales and marketing teams in excess of 500 heads, created and managed global business units for Fortune 500 US corporations like Hewlett Packard and Xerox Corporation and led the global strategy for clients such as Royal Dutch Shell, BP and HSBC Group.

Prior to Joining AssetCo in 2010, his most recent assignment was as the Sales and Marketing Director for the Fire Service College, a Trading Fund of the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) in the UK.
 

  
 

Leadership


  
Mark ClissettMark Clissett
Managing Director (UK)
As a key member the AssetCo team, Mark has added value to our Contract Implementation, Project Management and Operational Management capability.  In addition he has responsibility for the London Fire Brigade and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service contracts.  He has been responsible for managing the implementation of new business and operational exit from legacy contracts.

Mark joined AssetCo in 2006. Previously, Mark was Operations Director with Lex Transfleet (1998-2006). He is a Member of the Society of Operations Engineers and a Member of the Institute of Motor Industry Management.
 

  

 
Gareth WhiteGareth White BA (Hons)
Managing Director (UAE)

As a member of the AssetCo team since 2007, Gareth has managed new international business development, launching the AssetCo Middle East region through our office in Abu Dhabi.  Gareth now operates our Private Fire and Rescue Service Government contracts in the region and is responsible for future growth in the GCC region.

Gareth was previously Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simentra (2002-2007), a specialist international consultancy that AssetCo acquired in 2007, providing unique security and resilience solutions for a global client base having built, developed and managed a team of associates in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.  Prior to this Gareth was involved as a Commercial Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive of three businesses in which he held private investment operating in Ireland, the UK, Canada and the USA. 

Gareth holds a BA (Hons) in Humanistic Geography and Leisure Sociology from the University of Liverpool.