ABOUT WELCOME GATE

Jason started his career as a facilities manager, looking after a range of commercial, defence and sports stadia, both in Australia and the UK. It was these opportunities that gave him first-hand experience of what it was like to be a “buyer” of security systems. 

With so many different technologies to choose from, Jason quickly realised that he needed a company that could provide him with real advice on selecting the right system. In fact, it was because they didn’t exist, he decided to set one up, with the purpose of helping his fellow facilities colleagues. 

Giving back to an industry that provided him with so much opportunity, Jason continues to encourage Young FMs to network and share ideas. Jason’s other passion is to help support and promote young entrepreneurs, which even led him to representing the UK at the G8 Young Business Summit in Italy. 

Having grown Welcome Gate from a single client to a truly global footprint, Jason remains fascinated by how businesses work and constantly curious to learn about new security technologies and how they can solve real business problems. 

It is this open-minded approach that has led Welcome Gate to be on the forefront of cloud and mobile based systems, enabling our clients to integrate easily with their HR, IT, CRM and ERP systems.  

As Welcome Gate continues to expand internationally, Jason’s role is to ensure we are focussed on serving our clients in accordance with our “Core Values”. Finding interesting clients with unique business challenges and figuring out how to solve them as a Team is what really drives us – each doing our little part to make a difference.  

A great day for Jason would probably involve sharing ideas about business over a game of table tennis.

After 8 years in various IT roles, including a major platform migration for one of the UK’s largest security companies, James co-founded Welcome Gate with Jason Choy to be a security systems company with a fresh approach to client relationships.

Living on four different continents during childhood, and the experience of growing up among different cultures, perspectives and attitudes has given James a very open minded approach to challenges. This approach, along with the multinational makeup of the core team, has directly influenced Welcome Gate’s own internal culture of inclusion, empathy and understanding.

Now with well over a decade of experience in the security industry and a deep interest in all things technological, James answers the What and How questions clients raise as they seek their optimum solution. The ability to view challenges from the client’s point of view is invaluable to explaining why a solution is the best choice for them.

Although he is currently focused more often on complex system designs and integrations, he still enjoys getting hands-on with client systems to keep those basic skills up to date.

Upon completing his BEng Degree in Engineering, followed by a successful 10-year career with Ford Motor Company, James was drawn to travelling and the potential to work internationally. He set off for Australia in 2003 and fulfilled several senior leadership positions across a diverse range of industries in his 13 years overseas.

Whilst in Australia, James was fortunate to participate in the Kokoda Challenge, a gruelling 96km course and one that has earnt its title of Australia’s toughest team endurance event. He is proud of this achievement, the charities it supports and the fallen WWII heroes it remembers. He has used the spirit of Kokoda and values it represents throughout his professional career.

Since returning to the UK, and joining Welcome Gate in 2020 as the Head of Operations, he is enjoying the challenges that the security industry brings. 

James is passionate about leadership and continually reflects on his performance and how he can develop high performing Operational teams to meet the values and behaviours of the company.

His current mission is to improve communication, roles and accountability and create smoother processes that result in better maintenance, servicing, and project delivery at Welcome Gate. James believes it is the details that matter and he lives by the moto “It’s our people that make the difference”.

Outside of work James enjoys learning new skills and has completed a number of qualifications in his own time to become a fully qualified Electrician. This has enabled James to create a Smart Home and offer friends a fully free tradesman service.