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Steven Van Doorne is a member of the Board of Directors at Protection UNIT and leads business development in Flanders. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Arxia, the professional federation for the private security sector.
You have been working at Protection UNIT for a little over two years. What has been your professional background?
After studying Applied Economic Sciences and earning an MBA in International Management, I took over operational management at Cobelguard in 2005. This company was acquired by Securitas in 2011. I remained active there for two years as COO, before founding my own cash-in-transit company with two partners. We sold this business a few years ago to a Swedish group.
I therefore have solid experience in the private security sector, which is a niche market where regulations play a crucial role. Customer focus, vigilance, and discipline are fundamental values in this field.
Why did you choose to join Protection UNIT? What attracted you to the company?
I have known Samuel Di Giovanni, the founder, for five years now. He’s a born entrepreneur, and what he has achieved in terms of growth and job creation is simply unprecedented in Belgium. That inspired me to join this dynamic company.
As a member of the Board of Directors at Protection UNIT Group, I also see tremendous growth potential in Flanders. We are by far the largest Belgian security company, and there are still significant development opportunities in the north of the country.
That’s what motivated me to support the founder in achieving these ambitions.
In your opinion, what are Protection UNIT’s main strengths?
Protection UNIT combines the best of both worlds. On one hand, it’s a family-run company with a strong focus on quality, proximity, and a personalised approach. On the other hand, it benefits from the support of a very professional investor, NOSHAQ, which allows us to rely on a solid strategic structure and a long-term vision.
We also stand out for our flexibility and agility. For example, we are able to deploy several hundred agents for large-scale events, such as the F1 Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.
Our range of services is extremely diverse: we not only have a training centre but also a mobile unit (patrols), armed assignments, a monitoring centre, and a specialised canine team for explosive detection.
And last but not least: Protection UNIT is a 100% Belgian company.
Protection UNIT wants to continue expanding in Flanders. How do you plan to achieve this?
Our growth strategy in Flanders is based on targeted acquisitions, with a clear guiding principle: we want to be the best in terms of quality and customer focus. As I often say: “In a multinational, directors are constantly in meetings; in a family business, they are always in the field.”
This hands-on approach is what we want to preserve. Our goal is not to gain market share at any cost, but to work with clients who want to feel unique and who are looking for a tailor-made, 360° solution.
We are focusing our efforts on strategic sectors such as the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, as well as critical infrastructure, where specific regulations apply — which we master down to the last detail.
In the medium term, our ambition is to become THE benchmark in Flanders for premium security services. My goal is for security directors in Flanders to say: “We have to meet with Protection UNIT — they’re the best!”