Magnus Ahlqvist: Leading Securitas Into the Future
Magnus Ahlqvist joined Securitas in August 2015 as Divisional President of Securitas Services Europe, before assuming the role of President and CEO on March 1, 2018. Prior to Securitas, he served as Corporate Vice President for EMEA and India at Motorola Mobility, bringing a strong technology and international business background to his new role.
When Ahlqvist took the helm, the path forward was not without challenges. The security industry at the time was characterized by low margins, price wars, intense competition, and ongoing consolidation. Rather than accepting the status quo, he set a bold new course. His ambition was to transform Securitas from a traditional security services provider into an intelligent protective solutions partner for clients, a significant strategic shift for a company of its scale.
Central to Ahlqvist's leadership has been a focus on purpose. Through over 45 global workshops, hundreds of colleagues helped define and articulate the company's core purpose: "We help make your world a safer place." This bottom-up approach helped unify Securitas' global workforce under a shared identity.
On technology, Ahlqvist has been clear: innovation should enable people rather than replace them, giving employees better tools to do their jobs in an industry being reshaped by advances like facial recognition and data analytics.
Today, Securitas operates in 44 countries with over 300,000 employees and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Under Ahlqvist's leadership, the company has evolved from a traditional guarding firm into a technology-forward global security leader, a transformation still very much in progress.