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FY2014 Annual Report · GLOBALFOUNDRIES
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Delivering value  
for our customers 
and shareholders

Securing your world

Annual Report and Accounts 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction

G4S is the world’s leading global, integrated security 
company specialising in the provision of security and  
related services to its customers across six continents.
Our mission is to create sustainable value for our 
customers and shareholders by being the supply partner  
of choice in all of our markets.
Our strategy addresses a positive, long term demand 
outlook for our core services and seeks to deliver 
sustainable, profitable growth.
Our strategic plan focuses on growth, productivity,  
active portfolio management and disciplined financial  
and risk management. 
Our success is underpinned by our customers, our  
people and our values.

Financial highlights

Underlying revenue1 

Underlying PBITA1

£6.8bn

(2013: £6.5bn2)

£424m

(2013 £393m2)

Underlying EPS1

13.6p

(2013: 12.9p)

Total revenue3

Total PBITA3

£6.8bn

(2013: £6.6bn)

£329m

(2013: £23m)

Total EPS3

9.8p

(2013: (24.7p))

Total cash generated by 
continuing operations 

£553m

(2013: £496m)

Dividend per share 

9.24p

(2013: 8.96p)

1.  To clearly present underlying performance, specific items have been excluded and disclosed separately – see page 90. For basis  

of preparation and an analysis of specific items see page 91. 

2.  2013 underlying results are shown at constant exchange rates and have been re-stated for the adoption of IFRS10 and IFRS11  
and re-presented for businesses subsequently classified as discontinued or identified as part of the portfolio management  
programme – see page 90 for details.

3. 

Including specific items. See page 91 for details.

In this report

Strategic priorities at a glance

See page 14

See page 20 

1. Transform our culture 
through our people  
and values

2. Invest in organic growth, 
customer service and 
operational excellence

See page 24

See page 28

3. Make our organisation 
more productive

4. Actively manage our 
portfolio and performance 

See page 30

5. Embed disciplined  
financial and risk management 

Strategic report
Financial highlights 
Our services 
Business model 
Our customers and markets 
Chairman’s statement 
Chief Executive Officer’s review 
Strategy in action 
Key performance indicators 
Business review 
Risk management 
Principal risks 

Governance
Chairman’s introduction 
Board of directors 
Executive committee 
Corporate governance report 
Audit committee report 
Directors’ remuneration report 
Directors’ report 
Directors’ responsibilities 

Financial statements 
Chief Financial Officer’s review 
Independent auditor’s report 
Consolidated income statement 
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
Consolidated statement of financial position 
Consolidated statement of cash flow 
Notes to the consolidated financial statement 
Parent company balance sheet 
Parent company reconciliation of movements in  
equity shareholders’ funds 
Notes to the parent company financial statements 

Shareholder information
Notice of Annual General Meeting 
Recommendation and explanatory notes relating  
to business to be conducted at the Annual General  
Meeting on 4 June 2015 
Group financial record 
CSR performance in 2014 
Application of FRS101 
General information 

IFC
2
5
6
8
10
14
32
34
42
45

51
52
54
56
65
70
85
88

89
96
99
100
101
102
103
156

157
158

165

169
172
174
176
177

Visit: www.g4s.com for more information

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  1 

Strategic reportOur services

G4S works to safeguard the welfare  
and prosperity of millions of people 
worldwide – helping to create safer  
and better environments in which people  
live and work. The breadth of our services 
and geographic coverage provides both 
resilience and growth opportunities.

Secure solutions

84%
group revenue

Security and facilities management (FM) services

Security systems 
and technology

Market and strategy
G4S is a global provider of security and FM services with a top-three market 
position in the majority of the 91 manned security markets in which we  
operate. Security and facilities management services accounted for 59%  
of group revenues in 2014. 

As one of the few global security companies, our main international competitors 
in developed markets tend to be regional and international companies 
operating in a single market segment such as manned security, security systems 
or facilities management. There are also many local security companies operating 
in developed and emerging markets.

We aim to differentiate our business to customers through our expertise, 
excellent service delivery, integrated security solutions and geographic coverage.

The secure solutions business covers a wide range of  
services, including:

Market and strategy
Security systems and technology represented 
around 8% of group revenue in 2014.

The global security systems market is a large 
growing market (source: Freedonia, November 
2014) but regional market dynamics vary widely 
in terms of competition, products sold and 
customer segments. Our technology strategy 
therefore has to adapt to meet each region’s 
unique requirements.

We aim to drive outsourcing and enhance  
the value of traditional security services through 
greater use of technology (see p23).

Security systems and technology includes:

Risk services  
and consultancy 

Risk management and consultancy services including risk 
analysis, personal protection, compliance and investigations, 
training, mine detection and clearance services

Security installation 
and maintenance 

Monitoring  
and response 

Key holding, mobile security, patrol and response  
services, and alarm receiving and monitoring facilities

Secure facilities 
services 

Integrated facilities services for entire sites or estates  
for commercial customers and governments

Manned security 
services 

Trained and vetted security officers

Revenue

£4,004m

(2013: £3,898m)

2  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

System software/
integration 

Revenue

£566m

(2013: £550m)

Access control, CCTV, 
intruder alarms, fire 
detection and video 
analytics to identify and 
notify operators of issues

Security and building 
systems technology 
integration

Care and justice services

Market and strategy
Care and justice services represented around 9% of group  
revenue in 2014. The market structure is typically consolidated  
on the supply side with a small number of providers. Larger 
companies are usually better equipped to deliver such  
highly specialised services.

While the care and justice services market is concentrated 
primarily in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, we see  
a number of countries exploring the possibility of outsourcing 
these services to the private sector in the future 

Care and justice services offers highly specialised 
services to central and local governments and 
government agencies and authorities:

Juvenile and  
adult custody  
and rehabilitation

Management of all aspects of a facility  
and those held within the facility –  
similar centres are also used for the  
detention of asylum applicants

Prisoner 
escorting

Transportation of prisoners and asylum 
applicants between courts, police stations  
and custody and asylum centres

Asylum services  Management of housing provision and  

other services for asylum applicants

Electronic tagging and monitoring of 
offenders at home or in the community

Electronic 
monitoring 

Revenue

£605m

(2013: £586m)

Specialist 
outsourced services
Market and strategy
Based mainly in the UK, G4S offers  
a range of outsourcing services,  
which together accounted for around  
8% of group revenues in 2014.

We aim to offer innovative and  
cost-effective solutions to customers.

Police 
services 

Support for frontline 
policing including the 
provision of custody suite 
services and forensic 
medical services, and 
back-office support 
functions for police forces 

Welfare- 
to-work 
programme 

Assisting long-term 
unemployed people  
into work 

Utility 
services 

Data and meter  
services, and contact  
centre management  
for private energy  
and utility companies

Revenue

£504m

(2013: £399m)

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  3 

Strategic reportCash solutions

16%
group revenue

Cash solutions & secure logistics

Market and strategy
The cash solutions business accounted for around 16% of group 
revenue in 2014. We are the market leader or number two in  
54 of our 62 cash solutions markets. The main providers of similar 
services are a small number of international competitors in mainly 
developed markets. Our cash solutions business is integrated into 
our wider organisation and processes through shared customers, 
management structures and systems in many countries. The 
market is highly regulated, often by central banks, and the business 
requires complex infrastructure and significant expertise.

We aim to:

•  play a key role in the management of the cash cycle on  
behalf of central banks, commercial banks and retailers, 
allowing them to focus on their core business

•  use our developed market cash cycle expertise and track 
record to encourage central bank and financial institution 
outsourcing in emerging markets 

•  continue the expansion of innovative technology such  
as CASH360™ for retail customers (see page 26).

Revenue

£1,071m

(2013: £1,063m)

4  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

The cash solutions business covers a wide range  
of services including:

Cash 
management 
outsourcing

Cash 
consulting 

ATM 
management

Retail cash 
management

Managing cash on behalf of financial institutions, 
including cash transportation, high-security  
cash centres, counting and reconciling cash, 
fitness sorting of notes for use in automated 
teller machines (ATMs), counterfeit detection 
and removal, distribution of cash to bank 
branches, ATMs and retail customers

Provision of consultancy services to  
central banks and commercial banks on  
overall cash management strategy, bank note 
production and security and all aspects of  
cash cycle efficiency

Managing ATMs on behalf of banks, retailers  
and independent ATM providers – including 
cash forecasting, cash transportation and 
reconciliation services, first-line maintenance 
and ATM engineering services

Provision of systems and hardware which 
provide an automated cash office for retail  
sites to improve security and faster banking  
of cash, electronic audit trails of takings and  
a real-time view of retail cash balances

International 
transportation

Bespoke international transportation and 
insurance of currency and other valuables

Cash 
transportation

Secure transportation of cash using specialist 
vehicles, screened and trained personnel and 
purpose-built technology to transport, protect, 
count and reconcile cash to customer records

Business model

Delivering customer 
focused solutions

Our business model is market led;  
everything begins with the customer.  
We seek to understand our customers’ 
strategic and commercial objectives so  
that we can design and deliver security 
solutions which support them. 

Customer relationships and contacts
G4S has a very diverse contract portfolio. The duration of contracts 
varies from annual sporting events to 25-year contracts. In cash 
solutions, most contracts are annual, with those contracts requiring 

a higher capital intensity being usually five years in duration  
or longer. In practice many annual contracts lead to  
long-term relationships.

Service excellence

Solutions design

We foster a high performance culture which focuses on service excellence, operational 
management and financial performance. High performance leads to strong customer  
relationships, motivated employees and achievement of strategic goals – critical elements  
of delivering sustainable, profitable growth.

By analysing customers’ existing and future complex security needs and bringing together  
our expertise in market sectors, technology, project management and service delivery we  
design solutions which help our customers to manage risks, improve service, protect people  
and assets and achieve their own organisational objectives.

Customer 
understanding

Understanding customer needs is central to our success. This enables us to align  
our organisational objectives to those of the customer and means we can help our 
customers to be successful. See pages 2 to 4 for an overview of our service lines.

We build customer understanding through involvement in industry bodies and academic 
institutions, strategic work with customers, customer service assessments and feedback. 

Market Demand

There is positive demand for our core services around the world. See page 10  
for a discussion of some of the market growth drivers.

Scale and capabilities

With 623,000 dedicated employees and operations in over 110 countries,  
our ability to deploy skilled staff on a global basis to support local and international 
customers is central to our business model. This coverage means we can share 
learning and experiences across our markets to the benefit of our customers and  
our business. We work in line with relevant international standards and strive to 
achieve consistent high quality employee engagement, health and safety, training  
and ethical business practices across our operations.

G4S Secure solutions: positioned for future development

G4S Cash solutions: unique breadth and reach

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System software/integration 15

Consultancy services 17

Monitoring & response 66

System install & maintenance 73

Manned security 91

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Outsourcing services 13

ATM maintenance 34

ATM replenishment 48

Cash processing 58

Secure transportation 62

Number of G4S countries around the world

Number of G4S countries around the world

A key element of our growth and customer service strategy is to leverage the opportunity to design, sell and deliver more sophisticated, 
complex solutions in more countries. Such services tend to have longer contract terms and higher margins than manned security alone.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  5 

Strategic report 
 
 
 
 
 
Our customers and markets

Leveraging strong 
market positions…

Revenue by customer type in 2014 (%)

Consumers 5%

We are a global business with large, 
established market positions in developed 
markets and outstanding positions in fast-
growing emerging markets. Our emerging 
market businesses accounted for 36% of 
group revenues and 40% of profits in 2014.

Major corporates
and industrials 
29%

Retail 8%

Leisure and tourism 2%

Ports and airports 3%

North America

20%

Revenue
2    3  
 1

UK & Ireland

23%

Revenue
 3
 2
 1

4

 5

Europe

21%

Revenue
3
 2
 1

 5

Government 25%

Financial institutions 
18%

Utilities 8%

Transport and logistics 2%

Services:
 1   Security and facilities  

management

 2   Security systems and 

technology 
 3  Care and justice
4  Outsourcing
 5  Cash solutions

Latin America

10%

Revenue
 5
2
 1

 Developed markets
 Emerging markets
 No presence

For a detailed summary of our activities, employees  
and performance by region see the Business Review 
section on pages 34 to 41.

6  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Africa

7%

Revenue
 2
 1

3    5

Asia Middle East

19%

Revenue
 2
 1

3    5

...to meet the growing global 
demand for security

Our strategy addresses the positive long term 
demand for security across a wide range of 
commercial and government customers. We have  
a diverse range of services to meet our customers’ 
requirements and have a broad geographic footprint 
to meet their demand for security around the world.

Global security market by region ($m)

In its recent study into the  
global security industry, independent 
research firm Freedonia projects  
that the security market will grow  
at an average of 6.8% per annum 
from 2013 to 2023. See page 10  
for a description of some of the 
drivers of growth.

6.8%

expected market growth from  
2013 to 2023 per annum

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

ASIA
PACIFIC

NORTH
AMERICA

LATIN
AMERICA

WESTERN
EUROPE

AFRICA &
M/EAST

EASTERN
EUROPE

2008

2013

2018

2023

Source: Freedonia World Security Services report November 2014 excluding residential security.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  7 

Strategic reportChairman’s statement

John Connolly
Chairman

Building on  
strong foundations

“ As I reported last year, G4S has embarked on  
a group-wide transformation with a strengthened 
management team and a clear strategic plan.  
In 2014 that plan was put into action and the 
board has been pleased with the clear progress 
made in all areas of the business, including financial 
performance. This provides strong foundations  
for further progress in 2015 and beyond.”

Dividend per share

9.24p

(2013: 8.96p)

8  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

A year of progress
During the second half of 2013 the new management 
team developed a strategic plan which envisaged  
a group-wide transformation programme and extensive 
proposals to implement new processes and disciplines, 
emphasising our key values of customer service  
and integrity. 

The board approved the new strategic plan in 2013 and 
in 2014 the board devoted considerable time to assessing 
the implementation and effectiveness of that plan.

I am delighted to report that, over the course of 2014, 
the group has moved forward across a broad front  
as management has made excellent progress executing 
the group’s strategic plan with great skill and energy.  
The board has been particularly pleased with the 
progress made in strengthening the global leadership 
team, reinforcing the group’s values, investing in organic 
growth, customer service and operational efficiency. 
Management also successfully supplemented the group’s 
portfolio management programme and strengthened  
risk management. 

In March the company reached a settlement with the  
UK Government in relation to historical billing issues  
and management developed and began implementing  
a fundamental programme of corporate renewal.   
This focused on strengthening the culture and control 
processes in our UK Government business. 

As noted above, the group’s transformation programme 
extends well beyond our UK Government business and  
is being implemented on a group-wide basis. The board 
has been pleased with the progress made to date and  
will continue to monitor management’s implementation 
of the programme during 2015.

The Board
In 2015, we will be making a number of changes to  
the membership of the board. Mark Seligman has now 
served on the board for nine years and, in line with  
UK corporate governance guidelines, will retire from  
the board after the 2015 AGM. Mark has made a 
significant contribution board during a period of great 
change and I am very grateful for all that he has done. 

In preparation for his retirement from the board,  
Mark handed over the chairmanship of the Audit 
Committee to Tim Weller, a serving CFO with 
considerable financial and business skills and experience.

Mark remained on the Audit Committee until the end  
of 2014 to ensure a smooth handover and to assist with 
the tender process for the role of the company’s external 
auditor. That process resulted in a clear recommendation 
from the Audit Committee, fully endorsed by the board, 
that shareholders approve the appointment of PwC as 
the company’s external auditor for 2015.

Grahame Gibson will stand down from the board at  
the conclusion of the 2015 AGM and retire from the 
group in October 2015. Grahame is the longest serving 
member of our board, having been appointed in 2005, 
and he has been a senior executive of the G4S group  
and its predecessors since 1983. I would like to record 
the board’s gratitude to Grahame for the enormous 
contribution he has made to the group. The board 
extends its best wishes to Grahame and his family in  
his retirement.

The Nomination Committee has commenced a process 
to recruit a new non-executive director and I expect  
that process to be completed during the first half of 2015. 
With the new non-executive director in place, I believe 
we will have a board which retains a good knowledge  
of the group and its businesses whilst also having the 
broad spectrum of skills, experience and background 
appropriate for this company and the strategy it is 
pursuing. It also has a suitably diverse composition  
in terms of nationality and gender, which is important in 
any business, but particularly so in one which is as large 
and geographically and culturally diverse as G4S. In 2015 
the board will continue with a programme of regular 
engagements with management teams from across the 
group, which enables the non-executive directors to 
broaden and deepen their knowledge of the group  
and its strategy, management and operations.

Financial performance 
The progress made in 2014 was reflected in the  
group’s financial performance.

Organic growth was 3.9% overall and 9% in emerging 
markets. That growth, combined with the success of 
restructuring and efficiency programmes, saw underlying 
profit increase by 8%, underlying earnings increase  
by 12% and cash generated by operating businesses 
increase from £420 million to £526 million.

The board has confidence in the group’s performance 
and prospects and the directors propose an increase of 
5% in the final dividend which is payable on 12 June 2015. 

With an interim dividend of 3.42p (DKK 0.3198)  
per share paid on 17 October 2014 and a final dividend 
of 5.82p (DKK 0.6041) per share, the total dividend  
for the year will amount to 9.24p per share  
(2013: 8.96p per share).

The progress which has been made in 2014 was  
the result of a great deal of hard work by the group’s 
management and 623,000 employees, many of whom 
work in challenging circumstances. They provide vital 
services for the group’s customers around the world  
and I would like to express my appreciation for their 
continuing dedication.

John Connolly
Chairman

Revenue by region (%) 

UK & Ireland
23%

North America
20% 

Africa 
7%

Asia Middle East 
19%

Latin America
10%

Europe
21%

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  9 

Strategic reportChief Executive Officer’s review

Ashley Almanza
Group Chief Executive Officer

Delivering sustainable 
profitable growth

“ In 2013 we established a new strategic plan to 
transform G4S and deliver sustainable, profitable 
growth. In 2014, the group made good progress 
executing this strategic plan and I am pleased  
to report a 12% increase in underlying earnings  
(to £210 million) and a 25% increase in cash flow 
from operating businesses (to £526 million).  
The group’s performance and prospects are  
reflected in the directors recommendation to 
increase the final dividend by 5% to 5.82 pence  
per share. Much remains to be done to realise  
the full potential of our strategy.”

10  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

2014 review
Our strategic plan combines cultural transformation with 
sustained investments in organic growth and productivity 
improvements, together with active portfolio 
management and disciplined financial and risk 
management. I’m pleased to report that we made good 
progress in all of these areas during 2014.

Our markets
As the world’s leading global integrated security  
company, our mission is to create sustainable value  
for our customers and shareholders by being the  
supply partner of choice in all of our markets.

Independent studies indicate that global demand  
for security is expected to grow at a compound  
average rate of 7% per annum between 2013 and 2023, 
reaching c.£210 billion in annual revenues by 2023.  
The main drivers of industry growth are diverse and include: 
the economic environment and GDP growth; 
infrastructure investment; levels of conflict and crime; 
customer attitudes to risk and focus on security; customer 
efficiency and outsourcing objectives; regulation and the 
regulatory environment; technological change and 
innovation; interest rates and the role and policies  
of central banks influence the cash handling industry.

Through its unique market positions, G4S has  
attractive exposure to the growing demand in global 
security markets. We also have a diverse and proven 
range of services and the expertise to address this 
organic growth potential.

Investing in organic growth
In 2014 we took action to strengthen our sales capability, 
customer relationships and customer service. We invested 
in strategic account management and also implemented  
a systematic approach to measuring and monitoring 
customer satisfaction.

We continued to invest in service and product innovation 
and strengthened our sales operations and our sales 
capacity. These investments have begun to improve our 
pipeline management and in 2014 we won new contracts 
with a total value of £2.1 billion. 

In 2014, we achieved revenue growth of 8.9% in our 
emerging market businesses and 6.9% in our North 
American businesses. As expected, revenues in our UK & 
Ireland and Europe regions declined by 1%, reflecting the 
end of the Electronic Monitoring contract in the UK and 
the end of the prison service contract in the Netherlands.

Our People
It is essential for the successful and sustainable growth  
of our business that we attract, retain, develop and 
incentivise the best people in our industry.

During 2014 we made a number of key appointments to 
the Group Executive Committee (GEC). Peter Neden has 
been appointed to the role of Regional President, UK & 
Ireland. Peter is a proven service industry executive, covering 
both commercial and government sectors in the UK. 

John Kenning joined us in the role of Regional CEO, 
North America and Technology, succeeding Grahame 
Gibson who retires this year. John has a successful track 
record in sales and security technology. 

In July this year Jenni Myles will take up the role of group 
HR Director, succeeding Irene Cowden who retires in June. 
Jenni has held a number of senior HR positions at G4S 
including HR Director for our North American and Latin 
American businesses. Jenni brings a deep knowledge of our 
industry and company combined with a track record of 
leading and supporting large organisational change 
programmes. Grahame and Irene have each made an 
enormous and valuable contribution to G4S and they leave 
with our profound thanks and best wishes. 

Mel Brooks was promoted to Group Strategy  
& Commercial Director after successfully managing our  
large Indian business. Mel brings security and technology 
expertise from a variety of senior leadership roles he  
has held both in G4S and in the defence industry.

Beyond the GEC, we continued to invest heavily in 
refreshing and strengthening our senior management team. 
Since spring 2013 we have made 114 senior appointments 
to our senior leadership cadre of 220 executives, 
comprising 64 external hires and 50 internal promotions. 
The new appointments cover key positions in general 
management, sales, business development, operations, 
technology, procurement, IT, finance and risk management. 
All of these changes have been designed to strengthen  
our organisation and support the group-wide 
transformation of G4S.

Our global leadership development programme was 
re-launched in 2014. We are also simplifying and  
reinforcing succession and development planning to ensure 
that our leaders of tomorrow are identified and given the 
appropriate opportunities to develop early in their careers. 
Our investment in training and development permeates 
the entire organisation and is nowhere more important 
than in customer-facing roles.

I would like to thank the more than 623,000 colleagues 
across the world whose skill, energy and dedication to  
our customers and our company is reflected in the 
progress made by G4S in 2014.

Our Values 
During 2014, we updated and re-launched our group 
values and mounted an awareness and training programme 
to ensure that G4S managers and employees understand 
how to put our group values into practice in everyday 
business activities. To support and reinforce this 
programme we have updated and re-launched our 
whistleblowing policy and compliance monitoring  

now comes under the formal oversight of our group 
general counsel. 

We established “Safety first” as a new group value and all 
senior executives completed mandatory safety leadership 
training which we are extending across the group in 2015. 
We established the new position of Group Head of  
Health and Safety and appointed an experienced safety 
professional to this role. Whilst we have been successful  
in raising safety awareness and strengthening our resources 
and systems, we remain fundamentally dissatisfied with our 
overall safety performance. I deeply regret to report that  
in 2014, 41 of our colleagues lost their lives in work-related 
incidents (2013: 49 work-related fatalities), including 14 
colleagues who died in attack-related incidents, protecting 
our customers and their property. 

Work-related fatalities have a devastating impact on 
families and colleagues at G4S and they motivate us to put 
Safety First. Zero harm remains our goal and each and 
every member of the global leadership team is committed 
to this goal. In 2014, we also established a UK corporate 
renewal plan and made good progress in implementing the 
plan. Implementation of this plan remains a priority in 2015.

Productivity
Over the past 18 months we have established a number  
of important programmes to improve the productivity of 
G4S. Given the scale and current stage of organisational 
maturity of G4S, these programmes address a material 
opportunity to improve our performance and create 
shareholder value. Our restructuring and organisational 
efficiency programmes made good progress in 2014 and 
we believe there are further opportunities to implement 
lean processes and more efficient organisation structures. 
Any new programmes will be subject to stringent financial, 
economic and operational criteria.

Our operational reliability and efficiency programmes 
broadly fall into two categories. Firstly, direct labour 
efficiency, which aims to ensure we deploy the correct 
service at the right time, thereby helping to improve 
customer service and reduce costs (see page 27).  
Secondly, route planning and telematics, which seeks  
to reduce vehicle and crew requirements and to reduce 
fuel and maintenance costs whilst simultaneously  
improving driver safety (see page 27).

In 2014, we established the new position of Chief 
Procurement Officer and recruited an experienced 
procurement leader and team. We aim to achieve 

Our values at work – an integrated reporting framework

Our corporate values influence every aspect of  
our culture and day-to-day business activity, and  
we recognise that CSR strategies are best achieved 
when integrated into business practices. It is with  
that in mind that our CSR strategies and priorities  
are developed in conjunction with our operational 
businesses and help to improve the way we work  
and our approach to doing business. Our priority 
areas are business ethics and anti-bribery and 

corruption, health and safety, and human rights.   
To better reflect the focus which our values  
have within our organisation and the importance  
we place upon ethics and sustainability, we have this 
year implemented an integrated CSR reporting 
framework which is led by our Annual Report  
and Accounts and supported by a CSR report  
and our website. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  11 

Strategic reportChief Executive Officer’s review continued

procurement efficiencies by using our global scale to 
consolidate supply chain management and secure  
better terms of business. We are also beginning to  
improve visibility, understanding and control of our 
buying behaviours to improve efficiency.

Last year we completed the first phase of our UK 
shared service centre to standardise key processes and 
reduce the cost of functional support. In 2015 we will 
extend the scope of shared services performed at our 
UK centre and we will consolidate our North American 
back office. We have begun to assess the feasibility of 
applying our shared service model in other regions.

We are undertaking a disciplined and progressive  
IT transformation programme. During 2014, we focused 
on building our IT leadership and development 
capability. We currently spend around £180 million  
on IT services and we are now progressively employing 

IT service management models to improve consistency 
and efficiency in IT infrastructure, development  
and operations.

Active Portfolio Management
During 2014 we continued to apply the  
structured approach to portfolio management  
which we established in 2013. Since the inception  
of this management discipline we have completed the 
divestment of eight businesses at attractive exit 
multiples, generating aggregate proceeds of £248 million 
and an aggregate profit on disposal of £92 million.  
Businesses sold previously contributed revenue of over 
£700 million at an average net margin of 2.8%, well 
below the group average. We also discontinued a 
further 22 businesses. Portfolio management remains an 
important discipline in ensuring that we maintain 
strategic focus, capital discipline and effective financial 
performance across the group. 

Delivering value through our key programmes

Our strategic plan encompasses key programmes which address multiple sources of value.

1. Transform our 
culture through  
our people and 
values (p14) 

Building capacity in our people
•  Strengthened global leadership  

team – 114 appointments to top  
220 executive roles (50 internal,  
64 external)

•  Re-launched leadership programmes

Re-focusing our values
•  Greater emphasis on Health  

and Safety (Safety first)

•  Employee communications and 
training to reinforce group values

•  Enhanced whistleblowing and  

case management

Managing risk
•  Investment in improved  

risk management

Enhancing our  
performance management
•  Increased rigour in our  
performance contracts

•  Aligned incentives with values  

and performance

2. Invest in organic 
growth, customer 
service and 
operational 
excellence (p20)

Strengthening organic sales and 
business development capability  
– invested additional c£20m 
•  Appointed new sales leaders across  

the group

•  Investment in sector and  
technology specialists

•  Appointed 385 additional new hires 
into sales and business development 
roles in the past 21 months

Improving sales operations
•  More proactive management of  

sales pipeline

•  Investing in customer relationship  
and global account management
•  Better alignment of sales incentives  

with customer satisfaction

•  Extending proven services from one 

market to another

3. Make our  
organisation more  
productive (p24)

Investing in organisational efficiency
De-layering our organisation 
•  Shorter lines of communication, 

reduced costs and increased time 
focused on customers

Globalising key functions
•  Improve consistency, efficiency and 

effectiveness of our support functions

Creating shared service centres  
for back office functions
•  Leverage scale of organisation  

and standardise processes

•  Implemented first phase in finance  

in UK in 2014

•  US shared service centre in 2015

IT transformation 
•  Progressive, disciplined change 

programme to improve efficiency  
and consistency in IT infrastructure, 
development and operations

12  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Disciplined risk and financial management
During 2014 we established an enterprise risk 
management system based on the “three lines of 
defence” model. As noted above we have invested 
heavily in strengthening our senior leadership teams  
and reinforcing our group values, both of which are 
important components of our risk and financial 
management systems. We also strengthened our 
contract risk management processes and made 
significant investments in financial control resources  
and audit and assurance capacity. 

The importance of contract risk management  
was highlighted again last year with the £116 million 
settlement of the electronic monitoring contract  
and a further charge to profits of £45 million relating  
to provisions on legacy UK contracts.

Outlook
G4S’ strategy and plan address a positive,  
long term demand outlook for our core services  
and seek to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.

We are making good progress with the implementation 
of our strategic plan and this was reflected in the 
group’s commercial, operational and financial 
performance in 2014. The group’s performance  
and prospects are also reflected in the directors’ 
recommendation to increase the final dividend by 5%. 
There remains much to be done to realise the full 
potential of our strategy and we expect to make  
further progress in 2015.

Ashley Almanza
Group Chief Executive Officer

Our strategic plan encompasses key programmes which address multiple sources of value.

3. Make our  

organisation more  

productive (p24)

4. Actively manage 
our portfolio and 
performance (p30)

5. Embed 
disciplined  
financial and risk 
management (p32)

Reviewed 56 under performing  
or immaterial businesses in 2014
•  Eight businesses sold in 2014 including 

US Government Solutions
 – raised gross proceeds of £177m  

in 2014 and gross proceeds £248m  
since 2013

•  20 discontinued; 22 under review and 
14 to be retained with performance 
improvement plans

•  Businesses sold had revenue of more 

than £700m and an average net margin 
of 2.8%

Soundly financed
•  Investment grade credit rating  

and £998m of unutilised credit facilities

Global capex rationing – central 
pool of capital 
•  Investment hurdle rate 10% post  

tax IRR

•  Rebalance investment towards  

organic growth

Improve sustainable free cash  
flow and working capital 
management 
•  Implementing a  

“cash matters” culture

Strong focus on financial 
stewardship
•  Strengthened capability and  
capacity in audit, risk and  
financial management
•  Strengthened contract  

review process

Investing in operational excellence  
– accelerated best practice (ABP)
Direct labour efficiency 
•  Uses subject matter experts working with 
local line managers to deploy the correct  
service at the right time, improving  
customer service and reducing costs
•  Multi-year programme covering 39 
businesses and 376,000 employees  
in the first phase

Telematics and route scheduling  
programmes for our fleet
•  Telematics

 – reduces fuel and maintenance  
costs; improves driver safety

 – In 4,500 vehicles at the end of 2014

•  Route scheduling 

 – fewer vehicles and efficient crew 

requirements leading to improved 
customer service 

 – 7,000 vehicles to be covered by  

end of 2015

New global procurement programme 
•  Baseline study identified addressable 

spend of £1.3bn (70% in eight categories) 
– material opportunities to reduce costs

•  Negotiating with a number of key 
suppliers with the first global 
procurement deals signed

•  Leveraging our scale

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  13 

Strategic reportStrategy in action

1. Transform our culture through  
our people and values

Strengthening 
capability

Our strategic review in 2013 identified 
the need to strengthen our resource 
and capability in a number of key areas 
of the business – leadership, senior 
line management, sales and business 
development. We have also strengthened 
our teams in IT, procurement, finance  
and risk management. 

2014 highlights

114

new senior appointments to 
the global leadership team

Safety first

new value

New

whistleblowing  
policy created

2015 priorities

•  Increase health and safety focus on road safety 
•  Extend health and safety leadership training to  

a wider population 

•  Implement an online system to better capture and  

record health and safety incident data

•  Enhanced whistleblowing hotline and case management 

system to be implemented globally

•  Global engagement survey to be undertaken and fed  

back within the organisation

•  Design and implement a new single regional leadership 

programme for middle managers

14  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Our financial performance is underpinned by recruiting, 
developing and deploying the best people against our 
most important opportunities by applying our group 
values in everything we do and by delivering outstanding 
customer service. 

The group values are:
Safety first
We prioritise safety management to protect  
the health and well-being of our colleagues  
and those around us. 

Customer focus 
We have close, open relationships with our 
customers which generate trust and we work in 
partnership for the benefit of our organisations. 

Integrity 
We can always be trusted to do the right thing. 

Best people 
We employ the best people, develop their 
competence, provide opportunity and inspire  
them to live our values. 

Performance 
We seek to improve performance year on  
year to create long-term sustainability. 

Teamwork and collaboration 
We collaborate for the benefit of our  
customers and G4S. 

Expertise 
We develop and demonstrate our expertise 
through our innovative approach to creating  
and delivering the right solutions. 

Our plans to improve customer service are outlined  
in more detail on pages 20 and 23. How our values  
are integrated into the group’s strategic priorities is 
covered throughout the Strategic Report and in this 
section we discuss:

i. Safety first – protecting colleagues and those around us

ii. Integrity – being trusted to do the right thing

iii. Best people – employing the best people and  
providing opportunity

Nuclear power  
– United States 
At one of the newest and largest nuclear power 
facilities in the United States, the G4S Regulated 
Security Solutions team has worked safely for 
nearly 11 years since a recorded lost-time 
accident, and worked nearly 2 million safe 
man-hours by implementing a comprehensive 
behaviour-based safety programme.

Ethical employment 
partnership – global
Since 2008, G4S has had an ethical employment 
partnership with UNI, the global union federation. 
G4S was the first UK company to enter such  
a partnership, which drives improvements in 
employment standards across the global security 
industry, while helping to ensure that employee 
and union rights are respected throughout  
the company.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  15 

Strategic reportSecure solutions – India
With a workforce of 130,000 people across  
25 states, G4S India launched a strong health  
and safety initiative aimed at spreading the 
concept of “zero harm” for its employees and 
customers. Throughout the year, it introduced a 
series of campaigns aimed at making the 
workplace environment safer. 

16  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Driving Force – global
In 2014, 19 colleagues lost their lives in road 
traffic accidents. The Driving Force initiative  
aims to significantly reduce these incidents.  
Based on an initial pilot in seven countries, 
Driving Force is now being rolled out to every 
G4S company globally. 

Two of the pilot countries experienced significant 
reductions in the number of fatal road traffic 
accidents in the twelve-month study period.  
As well as informative literature packs distributed 
within the business, Driving Force rules include 
training, vehicle checklists, and basic driver 
evaluation and investigation tools to help 
understand the root cause of incidents. 

Best people – building capability
Since April 2013 we have strengthened our global 
leadership team materially, with 114 appointments to  
our top 220 executive roles. Of the 114 appointments,  
50 were internal promotions and role changes and 64 
were external hires. These changes have been focused on 
senior line management, sales and business development. 
We have also strengthened our teams in IT, procurement, 
finance and risk management. 

The senior leadership programme is being re-launched in 
2015 to better reflect the strategic priorities of the group. 
A new cohort of senior managers with potential to move 
to more complex roles will be identified to participate. 
The programme, which started in 2005, will support  
and challenge participants to contribute to sustainable 
business performance and continue their own personal 
leadership development. Every element of the 
programme will explicitly promote the G4S values  
and draw on good practice from existing G4S senior 
leaders around the world.

Gender diversity (%)

Board

Senior
management

Total
employees

9

2

251

32

539,000

84,000

0

20

40

60

80

100%

Male

Female

Please see page 58 for the board’s policy on diversity

Strategy in action continued 
Strengthening capability

Achievements
Our performance management approach addresses  
both non-financial and financial performance in an 
integrated way and is outlined in more detail in the  
key performance indicators section of the Strategic 
Report on pages 32 and 33.

Safety first
The nature of our work and the environments in  
which we operate can expose some of our employees  
to a high risk of harm. Mitigating and managing these risks 
so that our people return home safely every day is our 
paramount concern. Tragically, colleagues from across the 
group are injured and sometimes killed during the course 
of their work. Any death or injury is unacceptable and in 
2014 we have invested in additional health and safety 
resources with the aim of preventing such incidents 
across the group and to learn from those which do occur 
so that we can address the root causes.

The continued effort to improve the safety of our staff  
is led from the top of the organisation with personal 
leadership from each member of the Group Executive 
Committee supported by human resources experts and 
108 safety professionals across the group.

Processes and practices across the group are challenged 
frequently by our health and safety professionals, and 
critical country reviews, carried out by experts who are 
independent of the business under review, highlight 
learning points following every serious incident. 

To ensure that our managers take ownership and 
responsibility for improving health and safety, we recently 
re-designed incentive plans to ensure that avoiding harm 
to employees, and to those with whom we come into 
contact during the course of our business remains the 
focus for managers across the organisation. Improved 
health and safety performance will continue to be a  
key area of focus in 2015.

Work-related fatalities by category

60

40

49

41

17

20

14

11

8

21

19

0

Attack

Non-attack

Road

Total

2013

2014

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  17 

Strategic reportStrategy in action continued 
Strengthening capability

Employee engagement
Our employee engagement programme is based on  
the internally developed PRIDE model:

P rotect their basic needs

R espect them as individuals

I nvolve them in the business

D evelop their skills and potential 

E ngage them fully

More information on all of these areas can be found  
in our CSR reporting framework, including our CSR 
report and www.g4s.com/csr. We are currently planning 
our next global employee engagement survey in 2015. 
The survey is based on the PRIDE model and the 
principle that where employees feel Protected, Respected, 
Involved, Developed and Engaged, they are more likely  
to perform at their best, provide customers with 
exceptional service and be great advocates for the 
organisation. The last global study was undertaken in  
2013 and received over 380,000 responses – a 62% 
response rate. Feedback from the 2013 survey and the 
forthcoming 2015 survey is shared with the relevant 
business leaders, so that we can address areas which 
employees have highlighted as in need of improvement. 
Examples where feedback has resulted in change include: 

•  enhanced health and safety leadership and training
•  increased internal communications
•  leadership programme launched in the Americas
•  increased training resources being offered in  

Latin America and Europe

Performance management 
During 2014 we re-defined our performance measures 
and incentives for our employees and our approach 
continues to address both non-financial and financial 
performance in an integrated way. Performance indicators 
include measuring customer needs, and achieving 
sustainable profit and cash flow, and provide clear  
and strong alignment between management priorities  
and shareholder value.

Integrity 
Ethical conduct is not just a solution to the challenges  
of legal compliance, but a means of doing business  
which provides customers, employees, partners and 
communities with the confidence that they are working 
with an ethical organisation. Acting with integrity across 
the world is a key element of our business strategy and  
a positive differentiator.

Business ethics and anti-bribery and corruption
Every year we review our business ethics policy to ensure 
it reflects the current business and political environment 
and addresses any risks which may exist. Implementation 
of the standards described in the policy is the 
responsibility of local managers. These are subject  
to review through our internal and external audit 
programmes and from investigations triggered by 
whistleblowers or colleagues raising concerns with  
their managers.

As outlined in more detail on page 31, part of the remit 
of the Regional Risk and Audit Committees which were 
established in 2014, is to ensure compliance with our 
robust anti-corruption policies and embed the Integrity 
value across the regions. Compliance statements are now 
signed by the businesses and regions on a quarterly basis.

In 2014, we completed a review of our global 
whistleblowing policy and practices against the principles  
of the UK Whistleblowing Commission’s Code of Practice, 
making a number of changes as a result of that review.  
We have selected a new global hotline provider and  
will be implementing a new global whistleblowing  
system in 2015. We are also implementing a new case 
management tool which will enable us to capture 
information on whistleblowing cases across the group and 
to analyse trends and issues raised on a more systematic 
basis. We have re-established our ethics steering group 
– which was first created to ensure our compliance with 
the requirements of the UK Bribery Act – to ensure the 
appropriate focus on whistleblowing and ethical behaviour 
across the group and make sure that we are constantly 
challenging ourselves to meet the highest standards.

From time to time, concerns about the conduct of our 
colleagues or our business partners are brought to our 
attention. We take all such concerns seriously and work 
with internal audit and external investigators to ensure  
all issues raised are addressed appropriately. Information on 
current issues can be found on page 21 in our CSR report.

Human rights 
Our human rights framework supports the continued 
development of an ethical and sustainable business  
model that encourages the improvement of standards,  
job creation, community support and broader beneficial 
impacts on societies throughout the world.

The framework is being embedded across the group, 
along with newly-developed processes for assessing the 
group’s human rights risks in many areas such as bidding 
for contracts, entering new markets and analysing our 
existing countries of operation. These practices are driven 
by an annual assessment of human rights risks and a series 
of assessments and reviews in markets where risks exist.

Where risks or concerns are identified, action is taken  
to make sure that we put in place processes to mitigate 
or reduce any risk. In some cases, this means that  
a business or operation can be scrutinised intensely by 
either G4S or independent experts. For example, in the 
spring of 2014, the board commissioned an independent 
review into the group’s operations in Israel. The findings 
from the review were presented to the chairman of our 
CSR Committee and to a number of the Group 
Executive Committee members, and were published on 
the group’s website in the interests of transparency.

More detail on human rights risk assessment can be 
found in the Risk Management section and the group’s 
separate CSR report.

18  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Ebola response – Africa
Responding to the outbreak of Ebola in  
the region, G4S Sierra Leone, in conjunction  
with our G4S Africa head office, developed an 
Ebola awareness programme for employees, 
incorporating posters, handouts and training. 
Symptom testing, hand washing facilities and  
the provision of personal protective equipment 
were implemented at G4S offices as part of the 
programme of increased preventative measures, 
and a comprehensive contingency plan was 
developed. These measures greatly assisted  
in the prevention of infection and subsequently 
have been shared with other affected countries 
such as Mali, Nigeria and Guinea.

Compliance and Investigations 
– North America
The United States’ second largest school  
district, serving one million students and  
90,000 employees, worked with the G4S 
Compliance and Investigations team to reduce 
workers’ compensation fraud and abuse losses. 
The organisation-wide programme saved the 
customer more than $10 million in fraudulent 
claims and resulted in 24 arrests and convictions. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  19 

Strategic reportStrategy in action continued

2. Invest in organic growth, customer 
service and operational excellence

Customer focused

Following the strategic review 
undertaken in 2013, we concluded that 
the group had been under-investing in 
organic growth opportunities and since 
then we have established a number of 
programmes designed to strengthen 
organic sales and business development. 

2014 highlights

£5.5bn

annual value of sales pipeline 
as at end December 2014

£1.1bn

annual contract value of  
new business won

c.90%

contract retention rate  
for existing contracts

c.£20m

annualised additional 
investment in sales and 
business development

•  Group-wide initiatives to improve organic growth  

and customer retention rates

•  Investing in a more rigorous approach to customer 

relationship management 

•  Investment in technology development and sales 
•  Roll out of standardised sales operations  

system commenced

2015 priorities

•  Implement our standardised customer satisfaction  

survey tools across the group

•  Complete roll out of standard sales operations
•  Continue to improve pipeline management
•  Increase multi-service offerings to existing and  

new customers

20  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Achievements
Investing in organic growth opportunities
Group-wide initiatives to take advantage of the  
organic growth opportunity including:

•  sales capability assessment and recruitment
•  mandatory implementation of standard sales 

operations systems

•  sales performance in all businesses
•  customer engagement and retention
•  global account management
•  pricing policy and management

In the past 18 months, we have appointed new sales 
leaders in all of our six regions and at group level.

Across the group as a whole, we have appointed 391 
additional new employees into sales and business 
development roles, including industry sector specialists  
in a number of our regions. We have also been 
implementing a standard tool for measuring  
customer satisfaction. Through regular customer  
surveys and feedback, we will be better able to identify 
and quickly address service issues and deepen and 
strengthen customer relationships.

Customer relationship management 
We are also investing in a more rigorous approach to 
customer relationship and global account management. 

We are placing greater emphasis on managing and retaining 
the existing customer base and have continued to invest  
in new service development and innovation for existing 
customers. We have also begun to export commercially 
proven services across countries and regions.

Our investment in organic growth implemented through 
these programmes provides long-term support for our 
sales pipeline. During 2014, we won new work with  
an annual contract value of over £1.1 billion and a total 
contract value of £2.1 billion. See the Business review on 
pages 34 to 41 for a description of the type of new 
contracts won per region. We continue to build and to 
replenish our pipeline which, after taking into account strong 
conversion in 2014, had an annual contract value of £5.5 
billion at the end of December 2014.

Annual contract value  
of sales pipeline at end 
of December 2014
During 2014 we won new work  
with an annual contract value of over 
£1.1 billion and a total contract value  
of £2.1 billion. We continue to build  
and replenish our pipeline which, after 
taking into account strong conversion  
in 2014, had an annual contract value  
of £5.5 billion at the end of 2014.

Large, diversified sales pipeline

£3.9bn

Leads and prospects (unrisked)

£1.1bn

Bidding

£0.5bn

Negotiation

Global agriculture  
– Latin America
G4S provides secure solutions to one of the 
world’s leading global agriculture companies that 
has operations in more than 90 countries. In Latin 
America, G4S services more than 30 customer 
locations in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and 
Mexico, incorporating risk mitigation, integrated 
security solutions and world-class technology.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  21 

Strategic reportBank of America – global
With operations in more than 40 countries, 
serving 48 million consumers at 4,800 retail 
banking offices and 15,800 ATMs, the needs of  
a global customer like Bank of America are 
complex and dynamic. G4S partners with them  
to provide total security including software, 
systems and over 5,000 security officers posted 
at more than 1,300 buildings and banking centres 
across the world. 

22  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Lake Turkana – Africa
In April 2014, G4S was named security partner 
for the £500 million Lake Turkana sustainable 
energy project in Kenya. Lake Turkana is a 
large-scale infrastructure project in Kenya, 
transforming the lives of many Kenyans and 
providing a sustainable low-cost source of energy. 
Part of a public and private sector joint initiative, 
G4S will work alongside other international 
businesses under a three-year rolling contract for 
up to 15 years. 

The G4S solution includes securing generators 
and bore-holes, over-seeing the taking of water 
from those bore-holes and controlling access on 
and off the site. It also involves the staffing of an 
operations room with a communications system 
which all the major contractors will be using. 

Strategy in action continued 
Customer focused

We have also started to strengthen our sales  
operations so that we can manage our pipeline  
more pro-actively and improve the alignment of  
sales incentives with sales performance and customer 
satisfaction. Sales incentives have been redesigned  
for 2015 to better align them to drive growth,  
customer retention and customer satisfaction.

Investment in technology specialists
In 2014, the group initiated a strategic review of 
capabilities in technology addressing IT and back office 
technology, operational technology and customer-facing 
technology. The opportunity for using technology to  
drive back office efficiencies for areas such as payroll  
and accounts payable through shared service centres  
is outlined on page 24 and operational technology such  
as telematics is outlined on page 27. In terms of customer 
facing technology, the group derived 8% of revenue from 
security systems revenue in 2014 but this is largely 
concentrated in the North America and Europe regions. 

Security systems revenue (%)

UK & Ireland
8%

North America
20%

Africa 7%

Asia
Middle East
 7%

Latin America
12%

Europe 46%

The global security systems market is a large, growing 
market (source: Freedonia World Security Services 
Report, November 2014). 

We believe specific technologies with significant market 
potential include: 

•  advanced access control systems
•  video and image analytics software. Through  

constant automated digital screening and filtering,  
video analytics can identify and notify operators  
of potential issues, allowing security officers to make 
quick, informed decisions

•  integration software for connecting and  
controlling multiple devices to create an  
end-to-end security solution

•  data analytics software for pooling and rapidly 

synthesising large volumes of data and 
•  automated cash management systems.

The group has proven in-house product development 
capabilities in a number of these areas:

•  United States – OneFacilityTM technology solution 
spanning security, safety and facilities management, 
Secure TraxTM automation of typical security 
communication including incident reporting via  
a handheld device and Risk360 security incident 
information capture, investigation and analysis tool,

•  UK – SymmetryTM access control and building 

management system, electronic monitoring equipment;
•  South Africa – Deposita end to end cash management 

solution for retail customers and

•  Europe – CASH360TM end to end cash management 

for retail solutions (see page 26) and localised product 
centres (e.g. Hotelo access control technology).

Regional markets vary widely in terms of competition, 
products sold and customer segments, and our approach 
is adapted to meet each customer’s unique requirements.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  23 

Strategic reportStrategy in action continued

3. Make our organisation 
more productive

Leverage our 
global scale and 
technology

One of our key goals is to improve 
operational and overhead efficiency 
and organisational effectiveness. We 
also aim to better leverage the scale of 
the organisation through group-wide 
procurement and IT programmes for  
the first time. 

2014 highlights

•  Global procurement and IT functions established
•  Annual addressable procurement spend identified
•  Strategic review of IT resources and capability  

completed

•  Began implementation of accelerated best practice  

(ABP) across the group including:
 – 4,500 vehicles fitted with telematics devices by  

the end of 2014

 – Implemented route scheduling programme
 – Started our multi-year labour scheduling  
programme covering 39 countries and  
376,000 employees 

•  Phase 1 of UK shared service centre completed 

2015 priorities

•  Migrate G4S Canada into North America shared  

service centre

•  Improve development and deployment of IT systems  

and tools across the group

•  Continue implementation of direct labour  

efficiency programme

•  Supplier negotiation and rationalisation

24  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Achievements
Organisational effectiveness
As well as taking action to strengthen our organisation 
with new appointments, we have also been reviewing  
our organisational design to ensure that management 
structures are both effective and efficient. In a number of 
regions we have embarked on a de-layering programme 
which aims to shorten lines of communication, reduce 
costs and increase the amount of time devoted to 
customers and the marketplace. We have also created 
two global functions that should deliver significant 
synergies in the areas of IT and procurement. 

During 2014 we also established a project to globalise  
a number of our key functions – such as HR, 
communications, finance and legal. We believe that global 
functions will improve the consistency, effectiveness and 
efficiency of our functional services.

Shared service centres 
An example of our approach to improve back office 
efficiency through shared service centres is in the UK, 
where we have completed the first wave of consolidating 
finance functions spread across nine different accounting 
locations and six different accounting platforms into one 
combined UK-based shared service centre on a single  
IT platform.

In North America, Canada will be consolidated into the US 
shared service centre during 2015, and beyond that we see 
opportunities to bring one smaller US business into scope 
that is not currently in the US shared service centre.

In the AME region we have made tangible progress since 
last year in evaluating how we can transition to regional 
hubs by, for example, co-locating simpler transaction 
processing activities before consolidating onto a single  
IT platform.

Direct labour  
management – global
Labour costs are around 75% of the total cost base 
for the group. Our in-house employee scheduling 
system provides reporting, key performance 
indicators (KPIs) and management information 
around direct labour management, so that businesses 
can better manage their labour costs. This solution  
is already in the process of being implemented in 13 
countries and a significant number of other countries 
will have access to it in 2015. 

A detailed management information pack of KPIs has 
also been produced by the secure solutions Service 
Excellence Centre (SEC) to enable businesses to 
better measure labour efficiency by tracking unbilled 
overtime, non-billable hours and reconciliation of 
labour hours in a much clearer and more consistent 
way is proving to be very valuable. It reconciles the 
output from payroll systems – what has actually been 
paid – and compares it to the expected output from 
the operating systems i.e., what the scheduling system 
expects to pay and bill to customers. It highlights any 
variance for further review and analysis, enabling us  
to make improvements going forward.

Labour efficiency measurement

Total hours billed and paid  
(output from billing and payroll systems)

Reconciled to:
Contracted hours and actual hours delivered 
(output from operating systems)

Variance analysed and ongoing  
improvements made

Cash Solutions/SEC 
partnership – Serbia, Europe
G4S Cash Solutions, Serbia has to manage  
a very broad range of note denominations and  
so the size and volume of notes they transport 
and insert in ATMs is different compared with 
most other cash solutions businesses.

As with all cash solutions SEC reviews, the team 
looked for efficiencies that could be achieved by 
applying proven methods to improve efficiency 
and customer service, while reducing costs and 
increasing profit. These include combining routes, 
increasing productivity, reducing premium hours, 
reviewing branch boundaries, realigning customer 
sites and re-planning to reduce or eliminate route 
cross-overs, and absorbing new contracts into 
existing routes.

In Belgrade, a dedicated team from G4S Serbia 
worked with the SEC and improved productivity 
by removing routes and vehicles by integrating 
collections or deliveries into other routes and 
planning the routes differently.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  25 

Strategic reportAustralia care and justice 
services – Asia Middle East
G4S is one of the leading private providers  
of care and justice services in Australia and  
New Zealand, overseeing almost 1,500  
offenders and transporting over 100,000 
prisoners and 86,000 non-emergency patients  
in 2014. Leveraging our local knowledge and 
international expertise, a key part of the G4S 
Australia growth strategy is to develop our care 
and justice portfolio in new markets (Queensland 
and Western Australia) and new sectors (policing). 
To support this we have invested in senior 
executive level sector expertise in those states,  
in policing in Australia and transferred policing 
experts from the UK business.

26  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

CASH360TM – global
CASH360TM is the first integrated end-to-end 
cash management system that controls every 
stage, from cash payment by purchasers to 
depositing the proceeds into sellers’ bank 
accounts. It has been launched in Europe  
and other markets. Over the last three years, 
CASH360TM revenues have grown over five-fold 
and we have plans to launch in more markets. 
This will enable our banking and retail customers 
to become more efficient and secure and help 
them to spend more time with their customers. 

By automating the entire process, CASH360TM has 
been able to mitigate the risks that surround the 
management of money in a wide range of scenarios. 
The financial benefits for customers include better 
cash flow, simplified operations, a safer environment 
and reduction in losses, giving business owners and 
management more time to focus on trading 
successfully. Users have reported in-store costs of 
handling cash reduced by up to 70% and the 
elimination of “shrinkage” – loss of inventory that 
can be attributed to a variety of causes, from 
employee theft to administrative errors.

Strategy in action continued 
Leverage our global scale and technology

Group procurement
During 2014 we established the position of 
chief procurement officer and conducted a baseline 
survey of non-payroll spend. This allowed us to determine  
the scale and the nature of the opportunity to reduce 
costs by employing a global approach to procurement.  
By bringing procurement under a global function we  
can use our scale to better negotiate deals with  
suppliers, reduce costs and make more structured 
purchasing decisions. 

Operational excellence
In addition to programmes focused on organic growth, we 
have programmes under way designed to improve operating 
and organisational efficiency. These programmes are 
described collectively as Accelerated Best Practice (ABP). 
Two years ago we invested in creating Service Excellence 
Centres (SECs), for both secure solutions and cash solutions. 
SECs aim to deliver gross margin improvement and 
improved customer service by driving consistent operational 
excellence throughout the business. 

The baseline survey carried out in 2014 identified 
addressable spend of £1.3bn, of which 70% was 
attributable to eight broad categories of expenditure. 
Since then we have started the process of employing 
experienced category managers and opened negotiations 
with a number of our key suppliers. We concluded our 
first global procurement deals in early 2015 in IT and 
telecoms, and believe that this approach presents 
significant opportunities to reduce our costs and achieve 
better service and value for money. 

IT transformation 
In IT, we have a new group chief information officer,  
and have established a global leadership team.

We are adopting industry-recognised IT service 
management models, driving consistency and efficiency in 
IT infrastructure, development and operations. The first 
phase of transformation is focused on infrastructure.

In addition to improving supply chain management we  
are also using vendors’ IT platforms to give us visibility  
and control of our spending.

We are also taking a global approach to rationalise the 
numerous email systems which exist across the group, 
improving communication and productivity. We are taking 
a similar approach to the rationalisation of our telecoms 
infrastructure and data centres.

On IT development, we have begun to offshore the 
software development that underpins our accelerated 
best practice for labour scheduling and route planning. 
Finally, during 2015 we will seek to bring a standard 
approach to our IT operations.

ABP programmes include:

Telematics and route planning 
We have around 34,000 vehicles in our fleet and spend 
over £300m per year on vehicle capital investment and 
operating costs. The telematics programme involves the 
installation and use of tracking devices that enable us  
to measure and reduce fuel and maintenance costs and 
improve driving safety. At the end of 2014, 4,500 of  
our vehicles were fitted with telematic devices.

Our route scheduling programme involves the use of 
equipment and software that enables our businesses to 
plan and operate optimal routes for collections, deliveries 
and site visits. When fully deployed, the programme can 
reduce both vehicle and crew requirements and improve 
customer service by helping our crews to meet delivery, 
collection and visit windows. By the end of 2015 we plan 
to have 7,000 vehicles operating under an enhanced 
route scheduling system.

Direct labour efficiency programme
The programme aims to improve customer service and 
reduce costs by deploying the right security officers at  
the right time and at the right cost, and by minimising 
non-billable time. This is an enormous multi-year 
programme covering 39 businesses and 376,000 
employees in the first phase alone.

Direct labour efficiency reconciles the output from payroll 
systems – what’s actually been paid – and compares it to 
the expected output from the operating systems i.e., what 
the scheduling system expects to pay, and highlights any 
variance for further review and analysis enabling us to 
make improvements going forward. See the case study on 
page 25 for more information.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  27 

Strategic reportStrategy in action continued

4. Actively manage our portfolio  
and performance

Portfolio 
management

Portfolio management remains an 
important tool for capital discipline  
and performance management.

8

businesses sold

2014 highlights

56

businesses reviewed

£248m

gross proceeds raised  
since 2013

2015 priorities

•  Cease or sell 20 smaller businesses
•  Continue to invest in the organic growth opportunities  

to drive sustainable profit and cash flow

28  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Achievements
During 2013, our strategic review identified a number  
of businesses which were under-performing or lacking in 
scale. We also looked at business risk profiles and market 
values. Depending on our assessment of all of these 
factors, we decided to either sell, discontinue or invest in 
the turnaround of these businesses. During 2014, we 
reviewed 56 businesses in greater depth and detail.  
Of these we have sold eight businesses, including US 
Government Solutions, which was managed through  
a proxy structure over which we had limited control. 
Since 2013, our disposal programme has raised around 
£248m from businesses which generated a below group 
average operating margin of 2.8%. Of this, £177m was 
raised in 2014.

Portfolio management remains an important tool  
for capital discipline and performance management.  
A further 20 smaller businesses are being sold or ceased, 
and another 22 are currently under review. None of 
these smaller businesses, alone or in aggregate, has a 
material impact on our revenue, our profit or our cash 
flows. Our portfolio management programme has 
improved our strategic focus and we have released  
capital at attractive overall realisations.

At the same time as divesting under-performing 
businesses or those lacking materiality, we have been 
investing in the organic growth opportunity, where we 
expect to see good returns on our investment and to 
make G4S more productive. As outlined in the previous 
“Strategy in action” sections, we have been investing in 
our continuing businesses in the following areas: people, 
sales and business development, technology and business 
improvement programmes, including restructuring to 
drive operational excellence and organisation efficiency. 

Active portfolio management
During 2013, we conducted a “bottom-up” analysis  
of all of our businesses, evaluating their performance 
and prospects. The results showed that 62 countries 
were expected to contribute 95% of the total PBITA 
expected in 2016. 

Since then, we have reviewed 56 businesses 
looking at strategic value, risk profile and materiality  
of contribution (growth, PBITA and cash generation),  
and sold eight businesses, raising gross proceeds of  
£248 million. Twenty further businesses are being sold  
or closed.

2013 Forecast of G4S PBITA in 2016 by country
Cumulative PBITA (%)

100

80

60

40

20

0

62 COUNTRIES
CONTRIBUTE 
95% OF 2016 PBITA 

1

11

21

31

41

51

61

71

81

91

101

111

Country 2016 PBITA High to Low

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  29 

Strategic reportStrategy in action continued

5. Embed disciplined financial  
and risk management 

Improving  
cash flow

The group’s capital allocation and 
contract review processes have 
been strengthened to ensure that all 
investment opportunities compete for 
capital in a single ‘pool’ and are evaluated 
against a stringent set of economic and 
risk criteria. 

2014 highlights

£526m

Cash generated from 
operating businesses  
in 2014

£1bn

revolving credit bank facility 
refinanced in January 2015 

2015 priorities

•  Improve cash generation

£553m

Total cash generated  
from continuing operations 
in 2014

c.200 

contracts across the  
group reviewed by the  
CFO on a quarterly basis

30  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Achievements
Operating cash flow
In 2014, we made a material change to the cash  
measure used in budgets, monthly reviews, long-term 
business and incentive plans, to deliver free cash flow  
after working capital. Our performance management 
cycle around cash flow has also changed. Our debtors 
sales outstanding (DSO), based on revenue for the last  
90 days of 2014 was 48 days and there are many 
businesses where there are opportunities for 
improvement. We have moved the monitoring of cash 
and cash collections from monthly to weekly, and moved 
the collections agenda beyond finance by engaging the 
business in cash collections. We also need to be more 
disciplined about commercial terms for receivables, drive 
better terms from our supply chain through the new 
procurement processes and to reduce the time from 
event to billing. On average across the group we bill in  
13 days, and as with DSO, there is considerable variation 
in the timeliness of billing across the group.

We are developing a programme across the global 
finance and commercial communities to systematically 
look at both the order to cash cycle, and the procure  
to pay cycle and analyse the systemic root causes that 
affect cash flow and then drive improvement, based on 
this root cause analysis. 

Contracts, risk management and delivery 
assurance
We now have enhanced contract management  
processes in place across the group. There are clear 
reserved powers for the approval of contracts at group 
executive committee and board level to approve bidding 
for major, complex contracts and all material contracts 
with low profitability are subject to review at regional, 
group or board level, as appropriate, 29 contracts went 
through this process in 2014. For more detail please see 
the risk management section on page 42.

Contract risk management and governance model

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Board ris
m itt e
co m

al 
n
r
e
t
n

i

p

t
i
d
u
a

u

o

r

G

O

a

c

o

n-going
ntract
ssurance

asse

Bid ris

s

s

m

k

e

n

t

B

i

d

a
p
p
r
o
val

  C o n t r a ct
m o b ilis a tio n

 
 
 
We have also introduced a 360-degree model for 
ongoing contract assurance (“Contract 360”). As the 
name implies, this brings together a review of the  
financial, commercial, legal, delivery and reputational risks 
in taking on work for a customer and means that there  
is a holistic view of contract risk, both before we commit 
and during the contract life cycle. Then, during contract 
execution, amongst other things, we review the progress 
on delivery commitments made and we monitor 
customer satisfaction as well as commercial and financial 
performance. Contract 360 is well developed and 
embedded in our UK business and will be progressively 
implemented across all regions in 2015.

In terms of the broader contract portfolio, every  
quarter the finance organisation reviews the financial 
performance of all the major contracts, and the CFO 
performs a top-level review of the top 200 contracts  
across the group each quarter, equivalent to around a 
third of group revenue. These contract disciplines give  
us early sight of emerging contract issues, and the 
Contract 360 review process enables us to develop  
the appropriate commercial and legal strategy and 
ensures that the accounting is sound.

Capability building
These contract management changes would not be 
possible without capable people and effective processes, 
in finance, risk management and control. In Audit and  
Risk, we have appointed a Head of Global Risk and Audit. 
In finance, we have four new regional CFOs and a new 
group Financial Controller. Together with their teams they 
have significantly improved our internal financial reporting. 
We have a much more rigorous monthly and quarterly 
close process, monthly reviews through group finance 
that focus on quality of earnings, as well as enhanced 
processes around balance sheet integrity and control. 

Regional Risk and Audit Committees
We also introduced regional risk and audit committees 
across the group, and these bring together the ongoing 
risk management agenda in the region, compliance 
matters, issues arising from internal and external audit, 
and an ongoing review of any issues requiring judgement. 
They are chaired by the Regional CEO and include 
representatives from group as well as Regional Finance, 
and are also attended by our external auditor.

The Regional Risk and Audit Committees are now a  
core part of the governance processes within the group. 
Together with the other changes discussed above, they 
provide an enduring platform in risk management and 
controls and have resulted in significant strengthening  
of the stewardship in the group.

Capital discipline
We believe our new approach to capital discipline 
is working; one single capital pool; a minimum 
10% post-tax internal rate of return on all 
investments; a group wide investment committee 
that oversees both revenue and capital 
investments; and rebalancing capital away from 
acquisitions to organic capital investment. The 
more rigorous process around capital discipline 
was reflected in £138m capital expenditure  
(2013: £178m) down 22% from 2013. The lower 
spend is also a deferral of spend into 2015 as we 
bring some capital investment under the global IT, 
shared service and other programmes. 

Restructuring 
In 2013, we invested £63m to reduce costs, mainly in  
the UK and Europe. New areas of opportunity identified 
in 2014 accounted for a further £29 million charge.  
These programmes were essential in strengthening our 
competitive position, principally in the UK and in Europe. 
In the UK cash solutions business, we have reduced our 
branch footprint by 20% and headcount by around  
10%. In Europe, we have consolidated our regional HQ  
in Amsterdam, consolidated our operations in the 
Netherlands and Belgium, and across the group funded 
some modest de-layering of duplicated or overlapping 
management and supervision.

Balance sheet
The board remains committed to maintaining a strong 
balance sheet with the long-term net debt to EBITDA 
ratio of less than 2.5 times. At the end of 2014, the  
net debt/EBITDA was 2.8x – a little higher than our long 
term aim mainly because of the payment relating to the 
UK electronic monitoring contract settlement. The group’s 
revolving credit bank facility was successfully refinanced in 
January 2015 with improved pricing, terms and conditions 
achieved. The new facility is a five-year £1 billion 
committed facility provided by a consortium of leading 
international banks. Our unutilised but committed facilities 
at the year end were £998m. We continue to be soundly 
financed and have good access to capital markets as 
demonstrated by the recent renewal of the revolving 
credit facility.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  31 

Strategic reportStrategy in action: Key performance indicators

Key performance indicators

Our progress in implementing 
our key strategic objectives is 
measured using key performance 
indicators (KPIs) for the group.

In addition to the group’s financial KPIs of revenue 
growth, operating cash flow, and profit, managers 
across the group are also incentivised to achieve 
personal objectives. These are agreed on an 
individual basis and are usually linked to business 
plan milestones.

Financial KPIs

Underlying1 revenue (£bn)

Underlying1 PBITA (£m)

6.8

10

8

6

4

2

0

6.5

6.8

 13

14

424

500

400

300

200

100

0

424

393

 13

14

Description

G4S has an organic growth 
strategy based on strong 
market positions in structural 
growth markets. We are 
investing in improved customer 
service and sales and business 
development people, and aim 
to build long term relationships 
with customers. 

Performance

In 2014, revenues grew 3.9%  
to £6.8bn (2013: £6.5bn),  
with organic growth of 8.9%  
in emerging markets and 1.4% 
growth in developed markets.

We believe there is still great 
potential to sell more complex 
solutions which tend to have 
longer contract terms and 
higher margins

The group has a number of 
initiatives – called Accelerated 
Best Practice – to drive 
efficiency and operational 
improvement across the group. 

In 2014, PBITA grew 7.9%  
to £424m (2013: £393m) as a 
result of these initiatives starting 
to benefit. PBITA in emerging 
markets was up 10.3% and in 
developed markets PBITA 
increased by 12.3%. 

Key

Transform our culture through our people and values

Link to 
strategy

Invest in organic growth and customer service

Make our organisation more productive

Actively manage our portfolio and performance

Embed disciplined financial and risk management

32  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-Financial KPIs

In 2015, examples of performance contracts 
of senior managers include personal 
objectives aligned to their respective roles, 
such as customer retention for business unit 
managers, succession strategies for human 
resources roles and cost savings for 
procurement roles. We believe that strong 
employee relationships help to deliver 
excellent customer service. 

Values including Safety first

People and Organisation

Operational excellence

Business development

Safety first

Industrial relations

Employee retention

Recruitment

The objectives and targets are focused on 
maintaining the G4S values, including Safety 
First and driving sustainable profitable growth.

Cash generated by
operating businesses (£m)

Underlying1 EPS
(pence per share)

526

13.6

20

16

12

8

4

0

12.9

13.6

 13

14

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

526

420

 13

14

A key priority for the group  
is to drive improved cash 
generation, through better 
working capital management 
and capital discipline.

Total cash flow from  
continuing operations in  
2014 increased 11% to £553m 
(2013: £496m). Cash generated 
from operating businesses was 
£526m (2013: £420m), up 25% 
excluding one off corporate 
items of £27m (2013:  
£76m) per page 93. 

In 2014, underlying earnings 
increased 11.7% to £210m 
(2013: £188m). As a result of 
the share placing in August 
2013 and the subsequent 
increase in average number  
of shares in issue, EPS increased 
5.4% to 13.6p (2013: 12.9p).

G4S is looking to deliver 
sustainable growth in earnings 
over the long term.

HR standards and KPIs
In addition, our businesses are required to 
report monthly on key metrics relating to: 

1. 

 To clearly present underlying performance, specific items have been excluded 
and disclosed separately – see page 90. For basis of preparation and an 
analysis of specific items see page 91.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  33 

Strategic report 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Business review

2014  
Business review

G4S is managed through a geographic  
and functional organisational structure.

Underlying regional and group financial performance
The analysis of the group’s business performance reflects internal management reporting lines which are based on geographic regions.  
The group’s underlying segmental results are presented below, excluding specific items and operations identified in portfolio rationalisation. 
Prior year results are presented at constant currency and have been restated for the adoption of IFRS10 and IFRS11, for businesses 
classified as discontinued operations during the year, and for the transfer of business between regions to reflect the way the businesses  
are managed across the group.

At constant exchange rates

Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Emerging Markets

Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Developed Markets

Revenue 
£m

20132
440
1,192
570
2,202

1,409
1,277
1,608
4,294

20141
485
1,260
653
2,398

1,400
1,365
1,587
4,352

YoY %
10.2%
5.7%
14.6%
8.9%

(0.6%)
6.9%
(1.3%)
1.4%

Total Group before corporate costs
Corporate costs
Total Group

6,750

6,496

3.9%

6,750

6,496

3.9%

PBITA 
£m

Organic 
growth

20132
36
103
35
174

82
56
122
260

434
(41)
393

YoY %
27.8%
3.9%
11.4%
10.3%

3.7%
33.9%
8.2%
12.3%

11.5%
46.3%
7.9%

10.1%
5.7%
14.6%
8.8%

(0.7%)
6.9%
(1.4%)
1.3%

3.9%

3.9%

20141
46
107
39
192

85
75
132
292

484
(60)
424

1.  To clearly present underlying performance, specific items have been excluded and disclosed separately – refer to page 90 for a reconciliation to total results.

2.  2013 results are presented at constant exchange rates and have been restated for the adoption of IFRS 10 and IFRS 11, for businesses classified as discontinued 

operations and exclude the results of portfolio businesses.

The statutory segmental analysis as presented in note 6 of the financial statements includes revenue from businesses that are being sold  
or ceased and for the prior year the impact of foreign exchange by region was as follows – Africa £nil (2013: £56m); AME £67m (2013: £180m); 
Latin America £10m (2013: £123m); Europe £21m (2013: £117m); North America £nil (2013: £82m); UK and Ireland £nil (2013: £7m).

Operating profit in note 6 of the financial statements includes the trading results from businesses that are being sold or ceased, interest and tax 
from joint ventures and for the prior year the impact of foreign exchange by region was as follows – Africa £nil (2013: £4m); AME £6m (2013: 
£5m); Latin America £1m (2013: £9m); Europe £1m (2013: £6m); North America £nil (2013: £3m); UK and Ireland £2m (2013: profit of £3m).

2014 Revenue and PBITA by region

Revenue (%) 

UK & Ireland
23%

North America
20% 

PBITA (%) 

Africa 
7%

UK & Ireland
27%

Asia Middle East 
19%

Latin America
10%

Europe
21%

North America
15% 

34  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Africa 
10%

Asia Middle East 
22%

Latin America
8%

Europe
18%

Africa

Andy Baker
Regional President – Africa

G4S is the largest provider of integrated 
security solutions in the region, with 
operations in 24 African countries.  
We focus on core sectors in the region, 
particularly telecommunications, aviation, 
mining, oil and gas, embassies and ports,  
as well as post-conflict humanitarian work 
with government agencies and NGOs.

2014 highlights

+10%

Organic growth

$8bn

Africa security market  
in 2013*

125,000

Employees

+28%

PBITA growth

Revenue 
£m

2013b
440

2014a
485

YoY %
10.2%

2014a
46

PBITA 
£m

2013b
36

YoY %
27.8%

* 

 Source: Freedonia World Security Services report, November 2014, excluding 
residential security.

In Africa revenue and organic growth was 10% and PBITA  
increased 28%, benefiting from the growth in revenue as well  
as overhead efficiency programmes. 

New contracts won across the region include work for customers 
such as financial institutions and utilities in Kenya, gold mining in 
DRC, embassies in Tanzania and Sierra Leone, a hydro-electric 
plant in Mozambique and mine clearance work in Southern Sudan. 
In South Africa, we won major new contracts with distribution 
companies and financial institutions.

The sales pipeline in Africa has a diverse and growing number  
of new contract opportunities in areas such as financial institutions, 
aviation, mining, oil and gas and embassy security. The region also 
remains focused on embedding Accelerated Best Practices  
primarily in the areas of direct labour management and on 
organisational efficiency.

Africa case study – Tangier Med Port
In 2014, G4S Morocco was awarded a three-year contract 
for Tangier-Med Port, one of the largest capacity ports in 
the Mediterranean and Africa. G4S protects the port’s 
assets, commodities and people through a broad range  
of specialised services, including operational and technical 
security focused on passenger and freight screening.

All tables show underlying 
performance at constant 
exchange rates.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  35 

Strategic reportBusiness review continued

Asia Middle East

Dan Ryan
Regional CEO – Asia Middle East 

G4S is the leading security provider 
in the Asia Middle East region with 
operations in 29 countries. Our largest 
countries by revenue are India,  
Saudi Arabia and Australia. 

2014 highlights

+5.7%

Organic growth

$42bn

Total security market size  
in 2013*

264,000

Employees

+3.9%

PBITA growth

Revenue 
£m

20132
1,192

20141
1,260

YoY %
5.7%

20141
107

PBITA 
£m

20132
103

YoY %
3.9%

Revenue and organic growth in Asia Middle East was 6% and  
PBITA increased 4%, reflecting a good performance in the region. 
The performance on PBITA reflects only three months’ contribution 
from the Manus Island immigration processing centre contract  
in 2014, compared with the full 12 months of 2013. The contract 
ended in March 2014.

The region benefited from new contracts in aviation, demining  
and risk management for international oil and gas companies in  
Iraq, electronic security systems contracts in the UAE, Qatar and 
Guam, and the extension of a contract with a major US motor 
manufacturer into Australia and UAE.

We invested in establishing a China outbound business 
development function in the fourth quarter, which will focus  
on developing business across the group with Chinese 
multinationals with overseas operations.

The sales pipeline is strong in areas such as care and justice services  
in Australia and New Zealand and a number of port security 
systems opportunities in the region. 

We have made significant investment in sales and operational 
capability in the region. Country sales leaders have been recruited 
for most countries and a customer satisfaction programme was 
launched in the first quarter of 2015. In addition, organisational 
structures are being reviewed with the aim of streamlining regional 
and country overheads.

In terms of portfolio management, we have exited six businesses  
in the region during the year.

Asia Middle East – UAE systems 
Following investment in 2014, the Middle East systems 
business generated nearly £50 million of new business  
from customers in sectors such as government, real estate 
and transportation.

36  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Latin America

Martin Alvarez
Regional President, Latin America & Caribbean

G4S is a leading integrated cash solutions 
and secure solutions provider for 
commercial and government customers 
across 16 countries in Latin America, 
with Brazil, Colombia and Argentina 
being its largest markets in the region  
by revenue. 

2014 highlights

+14.6%

Organic growth

76,000

Employees

$26bn

Total security market size  
in 2013*

+11.4%

PBITA growth 

Revenue 
£m

20132
570

20141
653

YoY %
14.6%

20141
39

PBITA 
£m

20132
35

YoY %
11.4%

Revenue and organic growth in Latin America was 15% with  
a number of contract wins in the ports, car manufacturing, 
transportation, financial services, telecommunications and 
extractives sectors. The macro-economic slowdown impacted  
the technology businesses in Brazil and Chile.

PBITA was 11% higher with the legislated increase in pay in  
Brazil, partially recovered in the second half of the year and offset 
by the drop in commodity prices in Chile creating a difficult 
environment to pass on cost increases to mining customers.

Our sales pipeline for the Latin America region is growing well,  
with a number of large new multi-year manned security and facilities 
management opportunities for multinational customers in Brazil 
and manned security customers in Peru. 

Latin America case study –  
Food manufacturing 
G4S provides technology, security solutions, secure  
facilities management and high-level risk consulting to  
one of the world’s largest food companies and one of 
Brazil’s largest employers across more than 35 sites.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  37 

Strategic reportBusiness review continued

Europe

Graham Levinsohn
Regional CEO – Europe 

G4S Europe has activities in 23 countries 
in Scandinavia, Benelux, Southern Europe, 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It has 
strong market positions in cash solutions 
and around 20% of the region’s revenues 
are security systems-related.

In Europe revenue declined 0.6% with the insourcing of the 
Department of Justice contract in the Netherlands. This was  
largely offset by healthy revenue growth in some Eastern European 
countries, as well as Austria and Turkey. PBITA was 4% higher  
than 2013, reflecting efficiency improvements and benefits of the 
restructuring programme implemented in 2013 and 2014. 

We made further progress with portfolio management in the 
region, disposing of three businesses including the sale of our 
business in Sweden for £39 million. The region also continues  
to focus on implementation of Accelerated Best Practice; targeting 
direct labour efficiency; cost leadership in the areas of organisational 
efficiency and effectiveness, and on procurement and IT benefits.

Recent contract renewals include Schiphol airport contract for  
five years in the Netherlands and a major Belgian bank.  
Our European markets are showing some signs of stabilising, and 
with our investment in sales and business development including 
sector specialists in aviation, ports and justice, we have a diverse 
contract pipeline in these sectors. 

2014 highlights

(0.6%)

G4S Revenues

$39bn

Total security market size  
in 2013*

Europe case study – GSN
In January 2014, G4S won the majority of GSN cash 
solutions business in the Netherlands for five years, valued 
at €50m per annum. GSN serves the major banks in the 
Netherlands and is their provider of cash counting, handling 
and logistics including the maintenance of cash devices.

64,000

Employees

+3.7%

PBITA growth

Revenue 
£m

20142
1,409

20141
1,400

YoY %
(0.6%)

20141
85

PBITA 
£m

20132
82

YoY %
3.7%

38  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

North America

John Kenning
Regional CEO for North America & Technology

G4S North America is predominantly 
an integrated secure solutions business 
for commercial customers, with 
some government contracts including 
juvenile detention services and border 
protection. It has recently launched an 
innovative cash management solution  
for retail customers, CASH360™  
(see page 26).

2014 highlights

+6.9%

Organic growth

$46bn

Total security market size  
in 2013*

57,000

Employees

+33.9%

PBITA growth

Revenue 
£m

20132
1,277

20141
1,365

YoY %
6.9%

20141
75

PBITA 
£m

20132
56

YoY %
33.9%

John Kenning succeeded Grahame Gibson as CEO for the  
North America region in December 2014 following Grahame’s 
retirement from the role after 30 successful years with the group. 
John brings extensive security and systems experience to the group.

Revenue grew by 7% in North America reflecting a strong 
performance in commercial security, compliance and investigations 
and justice services. 

We have retained contracts with major financial institutions and  
IT companies, and grown our business in the wholesale retail sector. 
We have extended our youth justice services to now cover 13 
states. There were also major contract wins in the industrial, 
healthcare and biotech sectors.

PBITA for the region was 34% higher, reflecting higher revenue  
and improved direct labour efficiency resulting in a reduction in 
non-billable overtime, and overheads.

With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, effective in the 
fourth quarter of 2015, we have reviewed and modified our plans. 
We do not expect the Act to have a material impact on the group’s 
business, as our plans were broadly compliant with the legislation. 

The region is expanding its shared services centre to include 
Canada, which will generate overhead savings in 2015.

Good progress was made in the region on rationalising the  
business portfolio. The sale of the cash solutions business in  
Canada completed for £60 million in January 2014 and the sale  
of the US Government Solutions business for £36 million 
completed in November 2014.

Overall, the North American business has a strong contract pipeline 
with opportunities across diverse sectors including commerce, retail, 
industry and government.

North America case study – 
International Gem Tower 
The International Gem Tower in New York opened in  
2014 and is designed specifically for the global diamond, 
gem and jewellery industry. Because security, safety and 
speed are essential to success, the developers required  
a comprehensive, world-class solutions including security 
technology, consulting, personnel and international logistics.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  39 

Strategic reportBusiness review continued

UK & Ireland

Peter Neden
Regional President – UK & Ireland

G4S is the leading provider of cash  
and secure solutions in the region  
with a broad range of expertise covering 
specialist event security, government 
outsourcing, including care and justice 
services, and cash solutions. 

2014 highlights

(1.4%)

Organic growth

$7bn

Total security market size  
in 2013*

37,000

Employees

+8.2%

PBITA growth

Revenue 
£m

20132
1,608

20141
1,587

YoY %
(1.3%)

20141
132

PBITA 
£m

20132
122

YoY %
8.2%

Following his successful leadership of the region as interim  
regional president for the UK & Ireland region, Peter Neden  
was appointed the regional president in January 2015.

Revenue declined 1.3% and PBITA was 8.2% higher than the prior 
year with improved performance in the UK cash solutions business 
being partially offset by the ending of the MoJ Electronic Monitoring 
contract. 

Significant restructuring programmes were implemented in the  
UK cash solutions, Ireland cash solutions and secure solutions 
businesses covering branch networks (Ireland and UK cash 
solutions) and organisational design. These initiatives will mitigate 
some of the impact of the loss of a large ATM retail contract from 
the fourth quarter of 2014. The region also continues to focus on 
implementation of Accelerated Best Practice, focused on direct 
labour efficiency, and cost leadership in the areas of organisational 
efficiency and effectiveness and on procurement and IT.

UK contracts won during 2014 include selection by the 
Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to manage community 
work placement contracts for the long term unemployed; renewal 
of the Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre contract; renewed cash 
solutions and manned security contracts with major financial 
institutions; a new contract with a major property management 
company; the first major smart metering programme; the North 
East Prisons secure healthcare contract; a new seven year contract 
for national infrastructure and a regional secure solutions contract 
with a global IT company.

The UK & Ireland bidding pipeline is broad-based and has grown 
strongly in the areas of facilities management and outsourcing.

UK & Ireland case study – DWP 
The Work Programme aims to help long term  
unemployed people in the UK into work and since June 
2010. G4S has been delivering the Work Programme in 
three contract package areas, helping more than 45,000 
long-term unemployed people into work and is one of  
the highest performing providers. In April 2014, G4S  
was awarded a contract to deliver Community Work 
Placements in six areas. 

40  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Underlying service line operating review

Secure solutions

At constant exchange rates

Emerging Markets
Developed Markets
Total

Revenue
£m

20132
1,782
3,651
5,433

20141
1,951
3,728
5,679

YoY %
9.5%
2.1%
4.5%

20141
136
227
363

PBITA
£m

20132
122
206
328

YoY %
11.5%
10.2%
10.7%

The secure solutions businesses achieved 5% growth in revenue and 11% PBITA growth. 

Emerging markets revenue grew by 10%, and PBITA grew 12% driven by contract mix, price increases and cost efficiencies. 
Developed markets revenue grew 2% with PBITA growth of 10%. There was good growth in North America offset by a decline 
in the UK, resulting in part from exiting unprofitable contracts. 

Cash solutions

At constant exchange rates

Emerging Markets
Developed Markets
Total

Cash solutions revenue increased by 1% and PBITA grew  
by 14%, helped by a strong improvement in the UK cash 
solutions business and good performances elsewhere. 

Emerging markets revenue growth was 6% and PBITA was  
8% higher. Developed markets revenue declined 3% principally 
in the Ireland cash solutions business. PBITA in developed 
markets grew 20%, reflecting strong performances in the  
UK and Europe. 

Revenue
£m

20132
420
643
1,063

20141
447
624
1,071

YoY %
6.4%
(3.0)%
0.8%

20141
56
65
121

PBITA
£m

20132
52
54
106

YoY %
7.7%
20.4%
14.2%

1.  At constant exchange rates. To present clearly underlying  

performance, specific items have been excluded and disclosed 
separately – see page 90.

2.  2013 results are presented at constant exchange rates and have  

been restated for the adoption of IFRS10 and IFRS11, for businesses 
classified in discontinued operations, and exclude the results of 
businesses identified as part of the portfolio rationalisation. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  41 

Strategic reportRisk management

Embedding risk management  
in the business

Our aim is to gain a deep 
understanding of the principal risks  
we face at all levels of the business  
and to focus management attention  
on effective mitigation of the most 
critical risks.

Our risks
The last year has continued to highlight the dynamic 
nature of the markets in which G4S operates. The 
geo-political situation in the Middle East has been very 
volatile. Global economic recovery has been highly 
variable. G4S also continues to face the operational and 
health and safety risks which are particular to the security 
business, along with the financial control and commercial 
risks common to all multinational companies.

How we manage our risks
Our risks are captured in a global risk reporting 
information system. These risks are reviewed at least 
annually by the operating companies, with more material 
risks being reviewed quarterly. The group Executive  
Risk Committee and board Risk Committee review  
the most significant risks on a regular basis, and the board 
regularly reviews the overall impact of these major risks 
on the group’s activities.

“ 2014 has seen us make significant 
strides in improving our risk 
management approach. 2015 is  
about embedding this in our 
operations across the world.” 

John Connolly
Risk Committee Chairman

What we did in 2014
The improvements to our risk management processes 
have continued during 2014. The quarterly Regional  
Risk and Audit Committees are now well established  
and similar committees have been established in the 
larger countries. A new Governance Risk and Control 
(GRC) information system has been implemented and 
good progress has been made in transitioning countries 
from the previous risk management system. The new 
contract management approval and broad risk-based 
contract review process has been embedded effectively  
in the UK&I region. A quarterly financial contract review 
process has been implemented globally. 

The board has provided greater formality and detail 
concerning its risk appetite, linking it more explicitly to  
the group’s principal residual risks and a structured risk 
universe. This detailed risk appetite statement has been 
shared with all the Regional Risk and Audit Committees 
and they have provided positive feedback on it. During 
2015 the document will be shared more widely with 
individual countries and business units and increasingly 
used to inform prioritisation of risk mitigation activities. 

Alastair James, who joined G4S in 2013 as Group 
Director of Risk and Programme Assurance, has now 
been appointed Group Director of Risk and Audit.  
We will continue to have separate internal audit and  
risk management teams reporting to Alastair but we will 
ensure that these processes are appropriately integrated.

What we will do in 2015
We will complete the transition of all countries to  
using the new GRC tool for risk management. 

We will migrate existing group control standards 
self-assessments as well as Group Internal Audit to  
the GRC tool from the separate platforms which  
support them currently. This will enable a much greater 
consistency of reporting and a much tighter link between 
control effectiveness and risk assessment.

We will embed the newly formulated board risk appetite 
into the business and use it to drive prioritisation of  
risk mitigation plans.

The contract risk management processes that have been 
successfully implemented in the UK will be extended 
globally. We will work to harmonise and simplify contract 
sign-off processes to ensure that they are effective without 
being a barrier to sales success and revenue growth.

As new processes and systems stabilise there will be  
an increasing focus on ensuring quality of risk assessments 
and progress of planned mitigating actions.

42  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Board
The board has ultimate 
responsibility for assuring  
risk management processes 
by reviewing the most critical 
risks and controls.

Board audit committee
The board Audit Committee 
ensures the group’s control 
framework is operating 
effectively. Meets four times 
per year.

Regional risk and audit 
committees
The Regional Risk and  
Audit Committees review:

1.  regional level risks;

2.  the progress of mitigating 

actions; and

3.  quarterly audit and 

financial control status 
reports, internal financial 
reviews and balance  
sheet integrity, and any 
accounting judgements.

Each regional committee 
meets four times per year.

Enterprise risk management governance model

Board risk committee
The board Risk Committee 
sets the group’s risk appetite, 
assesses the group’s principal 
residual risks and assesses  
the overall enterprise risk 
management process.  
Meets four times per year.

Executive risk committee
The Executive Risk 
Committee considers the 
group’s principal residual risks 
and the progress of mitigating 
actions. Meets four times  
per year.

Operating companies
Our operating companies 
identify and assess the risks 
to their business objectives 
and plan appropriate 
mitigating actions. These are 
recorded in our group-wide 
risk management tool. 

External audit

Independent oversight of  
the entire process.

Board

Board Risk  
Committee

Board Audit  
Committee

Executive Risk  
Committee

Regional Risk and 
Audit Committees

Operating companies

We employ three lines of defence to control  
and manage risks across the group.

1st Line: Business operations and support

Responsibility for the first line sits with the managers 
of our businesses, whether line management or 
financial support. The senior management team within 
each business is responsible for implementing and 
maintaining appropriate controls across their business.

Result: Ensures standards expected by the group,  
our customers and other stakeholders are met.

2nd Line: Control and oversight functions

The second line consists of oversight functions at  
both regional and group level including: risk, finance, 
legal, human resources, operations, information 
technology, commercial and CSR. 

Result: Provides support to the business managers.

3rd Line: Internal independent assurance

The third line is designed to detect or prevent 
unexpected outcomes and comprises the internal 
audit function. As part of its annual programme  
of work, internal audit conducts regular reviews of  
risk management processes and gives advice  
and recommendations on how to improve the  
control environment.

Result: Provides independent assurance over the 
design and operation of controls.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  43 

Strategic reportRisk management continued

Contract risk management and governance model

  The board risk 
committee will 
undertake a review  
of a major contract at 
each of its meetings.

 Internal audit  
conducts audits of 
selected contracts.

 Contracts subject to 
on-going scrutiny at 
regional or group level 
based on commercial 
scale and level of risk.

e

k
Board ris
m itt e
co m

al 
n
r
e
t
n

i

p

t
i
d
u
a

u

o

r

G

O

a

c

o

n-going
ntract
ssurance

asse

Bid ris

s

s

m

k

e

n

t

B

i

d

a
p
p
r
o
val

  C o n t r a ct
m o b ilis a tio n

 Based on financial, legal, 
reputational and operational  
risk criteria.

Referred to the region, group  
or board as appropriate for  
review and approval.

Bid’s customer value proposition, 
commercial terms and risk 
mitigation strategy are challenged.

 Expected risk return is  
assessed before approval is  
given or withheld.

Key contractual requirements and 
risk mitigation strategies, based on 
complexity and risk profile of 
mobilisation, are mapped to 
accountable contract managers.

There are many opportunities for growth:

•  Broadening our service provision with  

existing customers;

•  Taking existing services into new countries;
•  Bringing new high value add services to market  
that build on our core competencies and brand; 
and we should be ambitious in seeking out  
and pursuing these opportunities.

There are many opportunities to improve the productivity 
of the business (see pages 24 to 27) and we should set 
ambitious programmes of change and improvement.

However in delivering this agenda of change and growth 
we need to manage the risks we are taking on effectively:

•  By thoroughly assessing the risks of major contracts; 
applying the best resources and our best expertise;  
and hence putting in place mitigation strategies which 
will control the risks to a commercially acceptable level;

•  By applying commercial and financial discipline  

and controls to manage our growth portfolio; and

•  By applying effective programme and project 

management to our change agenda.

What are the key risks faced  
by G4S?
During February 2015, the Regional Risk and Audit 
Committees met to agree the regional principal  
residual risks. These meetings were facilitated by group 
risk management and identified the risks to each  
region’s strategic business objectives and to on-going 
business operations. The meetings were informed by  
the country level risks recorded in the group’s risk 
management systems.

Group risk management and the CFO consolidated these 
risks and identified common themes and regional risks 
which were material to the group.

These group principal residual risks were reviewed  
and approved by the Executive Risk Committee and  
the Risk Committee of the board.

The group’s principal residual risks must be considered  
in the context of the board’s risk appetite, which can be 
summarised as follows:

G4S has a higher risk appetite with regard to growing  
and transforming its business.

•  G4S operates in high risk lines of business in which  

our core competence and value add is managing those 
risks effectively. We should be willing to take on such 
business when we have the expertise to deliver and 
achieve a good commercial return on the risk we are 
accepting from our customers.

44  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
Principal risks

Link to Strategic Priorities

Transform our culture through our people and values

Actively manage our portfolio and performance

Invest in organic growth and customer service

Embed disciplined financial and risk management

Key

Increased risk

Reduced risk

No change

Make our organisation more productive

Health and Safety (H&S)

Risk description 
The provision of integrated security 
services, often in hostile or dangerous 
circumstances across such a broad 
diversity of countries presents  
particular health and safety challenges. 
The protection of our staff, people in 
our care and third parties, including  
the public, is of utmost importance.  
We believe that accidents are 
preventable and that “zero harm” is  
an appropriate goal. We put safety first 
and prioritise the wellbeing of our 
employees, setting the benchmark for 
health and safety across the industry. 

The principal health and safety risks  
are work-related attacks and road  
traffic accidents. In 2014, 41 (2013: 49) 
employees lost their lives. We are 
committed to strengthening our  
health and safety systems, processes  
and cultures. 

Fatalities and serious injuries to our  
staff impact not only the individuals 
concerned, but also their families and 
loved ones.

Movement since 2013 
We added Safety first as a core value for 

the group. We appointed a group head 
of health and safety to provide 
leadership to our existing network of 
health and safety professionals across the 
group. We have introduced an enhanced 
Health and Safety (H&S) management 
system which has further developed our 
capabilities and processes. This has 
included increasing the personal 
responsibility borne by country Managing 
Directors for incident reporting and 
investigation of serious injuries, and an 
enhanced safety leadership training 
course for senior management. We have 
rolled out a road safety programme 
called Driving Force Rules and 
strengthened governance around 
firearms management.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
Compliance with our core H&S 
standards will continue to be monitored 
and periodically audited, with reviews  
of performance at a regional, group and 
board level via the CSR Committee. 
Management incentives are aligned  
to safety best practice. Detailed 
assessments of H&S practices in a 
number of high-risk countries will be 
undertaken, with implementation of the 

resulting action plans being 
personally monitored by the country or 
business leader. This ‘Step Up’ initiative 
will be part of a broader program, 
encompassing the roll out of safety 
leadership training to managers across 
the group, as well as implementation of a 
process whereby business leaders report 
and take ownership for follow up, close 
out and sharing of lessons learnt for any 
serious work-related incidents. We will 
continue to develop our road safety 
toolkits, and the Service Excellence 
Centres will continue to develop our 
mitigating strategies with regard to 
attacks on our people. Our Health and 
Safety management system will be 
augmented with the introduction of 
toolkits and templates to support 
implementation in local businesses, and 
we will review the training for our H&S 
practitioners across the group to ensure 
they are equipped to implement these 
enhanced procedures. An enhanced IT 
system for incident reporting will be 
implemented and self-assessments of 
H&S control compliance will be 
integrated into the risk management and 
audit IT system.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  45 

Strategic reportPrincipal risks continued

Culture and Values

Risk description 
G4S provides security to people, 
premises and valuable assets. In its  
care and justice services businesses it  
also provides services which interact with 
detainees, victims of crime, those on state 
assistance, vulnerable people and other 
members of the public. This requires our 
staff to conduct themselves with the 
utmost integrity. We operate in more 
than 110 countries around the world 
with a diversity of local and national 
cultures. These factors mean that having  
a strong set of corporate values that unite 
the organisation deeply embedded in  
our culture is of particular importance. 

If we fail to behave in accordance with the 
high standards that we set ourselves, there 
is a risk that we will not deliver on our 
commitment to customers, and fail to 
comply with legislation and international 
standards. We may also compromise the 
safety and security of our employees and 
the assets or people that we are protecting. 

People

This can lead to penalties, failure to  
renew contracts and ultimately reduced 
profitability and damage to our global 
brand and reputation.

has been undertaken, and 
management performance incentives 
explicitly linked to all of the values  
were implemented.

Movement since 2013 
We have completed a corporate renewal 
programme which has been assessed by 
the UK government. The G4S values were 
re-launched globally, with the addition of 
the Safety First value and an emphasis on 
delivering long-term sustainable value for 
customers, employees and shareholders. 

Mitigation priorities for 2015
On-line management training will be 
implemented covering all of the G4S 
values. Demonstration of the values  
will continue to be integral to 
management performance contracts in 
2015. Improved whistleblowing processes 
are also being implemented.

We have continued to embed our  
human rights framework, based on the 
UN Guiding Principles on Business and 
Human Rights, into the group’s practices, 
such as our risk and compliance systems 
and processes.

Corporate governance has been 
enhanced through the Enterprise  
Risk Management process and 
introduction of Regional Risk and  
Audit Committees. Leadership training 

A values self-assessment programme 
will benchmark managers’ views of 
performance versus the group values and 
a global employee and management 
survey being undertaken this year will 
provide essential feedback on how the 
values are working in practice across  
the organisation.

Risk description 
We are a people business and we take 
great care to ensure that we employ the 
best people to deliver quality services  
to our customers. We employ 623,000 
people world-wide, and are the largest 
security solutions provider in the world. 
This means we have expertise in 
screening and training, which together 
with our integrity and trustworthiness  
is an important factor in why customers 
choose G4S.

In a global and diverse business such as 
ours, there are inherent risks associated 
with recruiting, motivating, developing  
and training employees on a large scale,  
as well as appropriately rewarding and 
retaining our critical talent and ensuring 
effective succession in management roles. 
Screening is also a particular challenge in 
some territories which lack supporting 
infrastructure from the relevant authorities. 
In these territories we identify alternative 
measures which are approved by group 
HR to mitigate this risk as much as possible.

Failure to recruit, retain, motivate and 
develop key managers, sales  

professionals and front line staff can  
affect customer service, customer 
retention and sales growth, impacting  
our financial performance. 

Movement since 2013 
G4S’ human resource processes are well 
established and effective. During 2014 we 
appointed a significant number of new 
individuals to management positions in 
regions and countries around the globe. 
This has included recruitment from a 
range of high quality companies both 
within and outside the security sector, as 
well as the promotion of internal talent. 
We have also invested significantly in 
strengthening our sales resource.  
In a low-margin, low-salary business there 
will always be challenges in retaining staff, 
and in particular we experience this as a 
challenge in Africa and Europe.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
On 1 July 2015 Irene Cowden will retire  
as group HR Director. She will be 
succeeded by Jenni Myles, who since  
2011 has been the HR Director for  
North America and Latin America, having 
been with G4S since 1998. 

In 2015 our management incentives  
will be further reviewed to ensure they 
are competitive, motivational and drive 
the right behaviour, in line with our values 
and business objectives. Common talent 
review processes will be cascaded 
throughout the organisation, 
supplemented by the introduction of  
new leadership development programs. 
This will strengthen our succession plans 
and support retention of key talent. To 
help employee retention at all levels of 
the organisation, the global employee  
and management surveys will be 
undertaken in the first half of the year, 
providing rich insight into our employees’ 
opinions. This will assist in identifying 
priority areas for action, which will be 
implemented and tracked across the 
remainder of the year. The recruitment of 
operational employees will be augmented 
by sharing best practices across the group 
and providing detailed guidance and 
oversight to ensure appropriate screening 
standards are met.

46  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Brand and Reputation

Risk description 
We provide our customers across the 
world with a wide range of high quality, 
well controlled services. Nevertheless 
the nature of the group’s activities means 
that we can face high inherent 
reputational risks related to the 
countries in which we operate, the 
services we provide, the customers and 
suppliers we work with, the people in 
our care and our interactions with 
members of the public with whom our 
colleagues come into contact. 

Our reputation can be damaged when 
we fail to meet our own standards or 
the expectations of our key stakeholder 
groups. Service failures or behaviour  
by G4S or its partners which does not 
meet those standards can result in 
adverse publicity and damage to the 
group’s reputation.

Movement since 2013 
In the UK, we have significantly improved 
our relationship with central government 
following some high-profile issues which 

were raised in 2013, and we have since 
won new contracts. Globally we have 
implemented a process for reviewing all 
business opportunities with regard to 
our values and the reputational risks  
they bring. This enables us to make 
appropriate decisions whether or not  
to bid. There were material opportunities 
during 2014 which we decided not to 
bid for.

On occasion, services we provide meet 
significant challenges which exceed  
our reputational risk appetite, at which 
point we look for alternative options, 
which may result in non-renewal of 
existing contracts or disposal of  
certain businesses. 

Mitigation priorities for 2015
We are embedding human rights due 
diligence processes and reputational 
considerations into our systems for 
evaluating new market entries or bidding 
for new contracts. We are also reviewing 
and auditing our performance on human 
rights in existing markets which are 

considered to be high risk. Customer 
satisfaction monitoring is being 
implemented across the group.

We are promoting G4S values and 
communicating our desired behaviours 
with colleagues across the group; 
engaging proactively with ethical and 
sustainability ratings agencies and 
analysts; and increasing our dialogue  
with customers on high profile contracts 
and issues. We have invested in an 
enhanced corporate media team to 
develop relationships with and educate 
commentators and journalists; and are 
implementing a programme of political 
risk management and engagement to 
continue to build relationships with 
politicians and regulators.

We are also enhancing our  
whistleblowing and case management 
processes, to ensure that employees  
can raise issues of ethics to the highest 
level of the organisation and to enable  
us to identify trends and emerging 
reputational risks. 

Major contracts

Risk description 
The group has a number of long term, 
complex, high-value contracts with 
multi-national, government or other 
strategic customers. The group’s growth 
strategy includes a greater focus on 
higher value, and more technology-rich 
services. This will increase the complexity 
and uniqueness of customer 
requirements and contracts. 

For such contracts there are risks to  
the group accepting onerous contractual 
terms; mobilising contracts well; 
transitioning effectively from mobilisation 
to on-going contract management; 
delivering to contractual requirements; 
and managing complex billing 
arrangements, contract change control 
and sub-contractors.

Failure to ensure effective contract 
take-on, mobilise successfully and 
manage complex contracts effectively 
throughout their lifecycles can impact 
the group’s liabilities, customer 
satisfaction, reputation, revenue,  
cash flow, and profitability.

Movement since 2013 
We have established Group and 
Regional Investment Committees.  
In the UK, we have implemented a major 
contract approval process with oversight 
from these committees; strengthened 
the contract on-boarding process; and 
rolled out a 360° contract review of all 
aspects of our most significant contracts. 
A quarterly financial review of the top 
200 contracts across the group has been 
implemented. Regional legal counsels  

and regional finance directors now 
report directly to the group legal 
counsel and group CFO, providing 
greater independence. Group internal 
audit has recruited a specialist contracts 
auditor to audit both individual major 
contracts and also the effectiveness  
of the processes described above.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
The new major contract approval, and 
360° contract review processes 
implemented in the UK during 2014 will 
start to be rolled out globally in 2015.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  47 

Strategic reportPrincipal risks continued

Delivery of core service lines

Risk description 
We deliver our core secure solutions 
services in 91 markets and our core  
cash solutions services in 62 markets.  
A number of these businesses have  
been acquired over time, resulting in 
cultural differences, varying degrees of 
operational maturity and multiple  
information systems. 

This can create risks around core 
operational service delivery and 
supporting functions. Failure to meet  
the service delivery requirements of  
our customers, because we have not 
implemented the right solutions or 
followed appropriate agreed procedures, 
can create risks around cash losses; 
attacks on our staff, subcontractors or 
third parties; and the non-delivery of  
the service level agreements and KPIs 
agreed with our customers. 

Additional risks relate to business 
resilience, control systems, and the 
availability of critical systems, facilities  
and people to perform contractually 
agreed services. 

This can lead to financial penalties,  
and negatively impact customer 
retention and goodwill, to the  
detriment of financial performance.

Movement since 2013 
G4S has continued to focus on 
developing and consolidating  
IT platforms, implementing the Service 
Excellence Centre programmes  
of standardisation, and driving and 
monitoring contract formalisation 
processes across our developing markets. 
We have recruited new chief operating 
officers in a number of regions and 
countries to drive the operational 
standards expected from our customers.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
The G4S Way supports the best 
practice processes and standards for  
all aspects of service delivery with the 
aim of improving service excellence  
and margin.

Development of our technology solutions 
strategy and innovation in cash services 
will provide added value to our 
customers. Our risk management is being 
improved by integrating the Service 
Excellence Centre operational standards 
into our Governance, Risk and Control 
tool. This is supported by the continued 
implementation of our Service Excellence 
Centre standards through an Accelerated 
Best Practice programme.

A programme of customer satisfaction 
monitoring is being implemented  
across the group.

Laws and Regulations

Risk description 
G4S operates in many jurisdictions 
globally, with complex and diverse 
regulatory frameworks. 

through direct ownership or joint 
ventures; loss of management control; 
damage to our reputation; and loss  
of customer confidence. 

An additional complexity arises from  
the extraterritorial reach of some of  
the legislation to which the company  
is subject.

Risks include increasing litigation and 
class actions; bribery and corruption; 
failure to obtain operating licences; 
non-compliance with local tax 
regulations; changes to employment 
legislation; non-compliance with human 
rights legislation; and new or changed 
restrictions on foreign ownership. Risk 
also arises from new or changing 
regulations which require modification  
of our processes and staff training. 

Non-compliance with applicable laws 
and regulations could have far-reaching 
consequences, including higher costs 
from claims and litigation; inability to 
operate in certain jurisdictions, either 

Movement since 2013 
Our internal policies and procedures 
clearly set out that most of these risks, 
including compliance with local laws and 
regulations, are the direct responsibility 
of local management. An Ethics Steering 
Group has been formed to provide 
oversight and support compliance with 
the internal policies and procedures  
to mitigate the risks. Specifically,  
whilst ownership of implementing 
anti-bribery and corruption policies lies 
with the business Managing Directors, 
our legal communities have been 
assigned compliance oversight with a 
direct escalation route to the group legal 
counsel. Also, where group internal  
audit has identified non-compliance,  
for example with licensing and labour 
regulations, these have been reported 
and acted upon.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
The Ethics Steering Group will 
strengthen its effort to provide 
compliance with internal policies  
and procedures and we are introducing 
new systems and processes for 
whistleblowing and incident 
management. We will be implementing  
a process for political risk management 
to ensure that we are monitoring 
regulatory and other emerging political 
risks within our key markets. This process 
will be supported by a programme  
to enhance our engagement with 
regulators, politicians and political 
influencers across the group.  
G4S continues to liaise with relevant 
governments and authorities to 
positively influence the regulatory 
environments in which we work.

48  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Mitigation priorities for 2015
We are making significant investments  
in our sales and business development 
systems and capabilities. We are 
developing our customer relationship 
management tools as well as our 
approach to global account management. 
We are taking a more rigorous approach 
in the monthly regional pipeline reviews 
and instilling improved contract pipeline 
management disciplines.

Growth strategy

Risk description 
Our growth strategy is to leverage  
our expertise to expand our core 
service lines into more complex 
outsourcing areas which increase 
long-term customer partnerships; to 
focus on organic growth opportunities 
with less reliance on acquisitions; and  
to leverage our expertise in security 
systems technology across key markets. 

There are risks that we will lose 
contracts or growth opportunities 
through price competition and market 
changes; that we fail to successfully enter 
target markets or territories; that we 
become over-reliant on large customers; 
and that adverse government legislation 
changes could impact on our growth 
potential or force exit from markets  
and territories.

Geo-political

Failing to create higher value  
solutions that differentiate us from  
local commoditised competitors could 
impact targeted growth in revenues  
and margins.

Movement since 2013 
We appointed Mel Brooks as group 
strategy and commercial director and 
developed and enhanced the leadership 
and capacity of the regional commercial 
and strategy teams. We have 
implemented a global account 
management structure and established 
an ‘outbound’ programme for working 
with Chinese and North American 
multinational clients. We have been 
innovating and developing our core 
service lines through the application of 
technology and consulting services. The 
major elements of the growth strategy 
have been allocated to specific members 
of the group executive committee to 
ensure integrated ownership. 

Risk description 
We operate in more than 110 countries 
across the developed and developing 
world, with wide-ranging government 
and political systems, differing cultural 
landscapes, and varying degrees of rule 
of law; and within conflict and post-
conflict zones. The risk factors range 
from political volatility, revolution, 
terrorism, military intervention and 
insurgency. The geo-political risks we  
face impact us in many ways: the health 
and safety of our staff and customers; 
the continued operation of our 
businesses; and the ability to secure  
our assets and recover our profits.

Movement since 2013 
We perceive the inherent external 
threat to have increased in the last  
year given the backdrop of an increased 
global terror threat, the seizure of 
territory by Islamic State, tensions in 
Ukraine, and potential increase in 
political instability and the risk of civil 
unrest in parts of Africa, Europe and 
Latin America. Given the wide range of 
countries in which the group operates 
there will always be some with a degree 
of serious political instability. We take 
great care with our operations in these 
countries to monitor the situation closely 
and respond appropriately. 

Mitigation priorities for 2015
We have a great deal of experience  
of operating in a wide range of difficult 
territories. We collaborate with our local 
partners and/or agents; conduct early 
risk assessments before and during 
security assignments; have robust 
operating procedures; and work closely 
with our local and global customers in 
managing the risks of operating in such 
environments. We have a global process 
for assessing the geopolitical risks of 
different countries which determines the 
types of customers we will serve and 
the types of services we will provide.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  49 

Strategic reportPrincipal risks continued

Information Security 

Risk description 
The clients, staff, suppliers and partners 
of G4S that entrust their sensitive and 
confidential business information into 
our care rightly expect that we will take 
all reasonable steps to protect it.

Given the high-profile nature of some  
of G4S’ operations globally, we are at  
risk of cyber and physical attack by 
criminal organisations and individual 
hackers. There is also the risk that an 
individual with legitimate access to 
business information could disclose it 
inappropriately, or that an insider could 
disrupt the availability of key systems. 

An information security breach could 
result in: censure and fines by national 
governments; loss of confidence in the 
G4S brand and reputation; specific loss 
of trust by clients, especially those in 
government and financial sectors;  
and disruption to service delivery  
and integrity, particularly in cash solutions 
business operations.

Movement since 2013 
The sophistication of hackers continues 
to increase and we see a broad range  
of other corporates coming under attack. 
Given the high profile G4S has, and the 
nature of our business, we believe the 
threat of external attack has increased 
over the year.

G4S constantly monitors attacks against 
its systems and takes steps to safeguard 
business information entrusted to us. A 
new set of Mandatory Minimum Security 
Controls have been developed and we 
have assessed each of our businesses’ 
compliance to these standards, 
developing plans where improvements 
need to be made. Additionally we have 
assessed the operational level security  
of over 600 systems, capturing a risk 
assessment of each system in line with 
our group standards.

Additionally a group IT Auditor was 
appointed to provide independent 
assurance of our Mandatory  
Minimum Security Controls and  
Systems Risk Assessments.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
G4S will continue to manage risks  
to information by integrating the 
information risk framework with the 
global risk framework, and will ensure 
that risks above the risk appetite are 
appropriately managed. The G4S  
global information security centre of 
excellence will develop best practice in 
coordination with regional and business 
unit committees, through the publication 
of policy and the identification of risk 
with appropriate mitigation strategies.

We will be implementing new 
monitoring and compliance systems 
throughout 2015 to increase our 
controls over the unstructured 
information assets held on computers, 
file systems and email.

Cash losses

Risk description 
We have cash solutions businesses  
spread across the world responsible for 
cash held on behalf of our customers.  
We provide cash transportation from 
one site to another in high-security 
vehicles, a range of cash management 
services including secure storage, 
counting, reconciliation and sorting of 
notes for ATMs; a range of ATM services; 
and secure international transportation  
of cash and valuables. 

There are inherent risks in this business 
related to external attacks, internal theft 
and poor cash reconciliation. 

Cash losses can have a major impact  
for our customers and ourselves in 
respect of loss of profit, increased cost  
of insurance and health and safety 
considerations for our staff and the public.

Movement since 2013 
Through the work of the Service 
Excellence Centres (SECs) working with 

the regions, improvements have been 
made to processes and systems in many 
of our cash solutions businesses over the 
course of 2014. Responsibility for auditing 
cash reconciliation in our cash processing 
centres has been transferred from the 
cash solutions SEC to group Internal Audit.

Mitigation priorities for 2015
Our cash solutions SEC and group 
Internal Audit work in collaboration 
with the regions to embed robust 
procedures into every cash business to 
mitigate cash losses. Innovative security 
defence products are in use, ranging 
from pavement box tracking to vehicle 
protection foam and protective 
pavement boxes. 

All cash transactions are subject to strict 
authorisation limits and we have 
controlled cash reconciliation procedures 
that are undergoing implementation 
across the group to ensure cash is fully 
accounted for and controlled. Those 
procedures are subject to audits and a 

new system will be implemented in 
2015 for businesses to conduct 
self-assessments twice a year.  
The outcome will be controlled centrally 
at group level. In 2015, we will be 
working to harmonise the standards of 
cash reconciliation audits with those of 
group Internal Audit. We also have a 
robust process to monitor all cash-
related loss incidents through a team of 
physical security specialists and we 
ensure that lessons learned are shared 
through the SEC.

Following a reorganisation at the end of 
2014, during 2015 G4S will be 
integrating its UK & Ireland and 
European cash solutions businesses 
under the leadership of Graham 
Levinsohn. As well as strengthening our 
go-to market offering this will also 
enable enhanced development of best 
practice, which will be transmitted via 
the cash SEC to our cash solutions 
businesses in the rest of the world.

50  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Chairman’s introduction

John Connolly
Chairman

Committed to 
good governance

“ Ensuring that good governance is achieved throughout G4S  
is vital for the delivery of long term sustainable value for  
shareholders and for all the group’s stakeholders. It is important 
therefore that the right tone is set by the board and the way it 
operates. It is equally important that strong governance  
frameworks are applied throughout the group.”

Board highlights 2014
•  Concluded an investigation by external lawyers on the board’s  

behalf into events surrounding the group’s electronic monitoring 
contract with the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and agreed a financial 
settlement with the MoJ

•  Conducted visits to three business sites in the UK
•  Received in-depth presentations on the UK & Ireland and Europe 
regions, the group’s technology and IT strategy, service excellence 
centres and risk management processes
•  Conducted a review of the group’s strategy
•  Agreed to recommend a change of external auditor
•  Approved a new £1bn revolving credit finance facility
•  Focused on the health and safety of employees
•  Commissioned a review of its own performance

This report explains how the G4S group is governed  
by setting out the details of the work of the board over 
the last year and the processes adopted by the board.  
It also describes some of the mechanisms by which the 
board satisfies itself that adequate controls are maintained 
throughout the group.

In a group as large and diverse as ours, it is important  
to ensure that strong controls are in place and that there 
are adequate processes to ensure those controls are 
implemented. At the same time, we are aware of the  
need to allow our business to develop and, most 
importantly, to concentrate on meeting the needs of  
our customers. The board is conscious of the importance 
of maintaining the right balance. 

After a period of considerable change in the recent past, 
2014 was a year of stability and consolidation for the 
board in terms of membership and indeed the frequency 
with which the board met. As the new members of the 
board have learned more about the business and 
relationships between board members have developed 
and strengthened, the board has become more effective 
at providing an environment for constructive challenge 
and debate. It is my expectation that the work of the 
board will concentrate more on business as usual after 
the challenges of the past couple of years, but we will not 
lose sight of the need for the board – and for the entire 
group – to maintain the highest governance standards.

John Connolly
Chairman

In this section
Board of directors 
Executive committee 
Corporate governance report 
Audit Committee report 
Directors’ remuneration report 
Directors’ report 
Directors’ responsibilities 

Board priorities in 2014 (%)

Financial reporting/planning 
10.5%

Investment 
approvals 3%

Specific issues 
14%

Understanding 
the business 20%

Group strategy 4% 
*plus a dedicated day and a half strategy meeting

54
56
58
67
72
87
90

Investor relations 
3.5%

Board governance 
12.5%

Executive 
reports 
23.5%

Committee reports 
9%

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  51 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  51 

GovernanceBoard of directors

John Connolly
Non-executive 
director/Chairman 
of the board

N Ri

June 2012

Key strengths and experience: Developing  
the board and its governance of the group. 
Extensive experience of working in a  
global business environment and in sectors 
of strategic importance to the group.  
A chartered accountant, John spent his 
career until May 2011 with global 
professional services firm Deloitte,  
was Global Chairman between 2007  
and 2011, and prior to that Global  
Managing Director between 2003 and  
2007. He was Senior Partner and CEO  
of the UK partnership from 1999 until his 
retirement from the firm.

Current external commitments: Chairman  
of Amec Foster Wheeler plc and of a 
number of private companies. Beyond 
commercial business roles, he is on the 
Board of Governors of London Business 
School, chairman of the Board of Trustees  
of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity 
and a member of the CBI President’s 
Advisory Council. 

Mark Elliott
Non-executive 
director/Senior 
independent director

Re N

September 2006

Key strengths and experience: Extensive 
international board and executive 
experience having held a number of senior 
management positions at IBM, including 
leadership of IBM’s operations in Europe,  
the Middle East and Africa with responsibility 
for operations in more than 110 countries. 
General Manager IBM Global Solutions; 
Managing Director of IBM Europe, Middle 
East and Africa; member of the board  
of IBAX, a hospital software company  
jointly owned by IBM and Baxter Healthcare; 
formerly chairman of Reed Elsevier’s 
remuneration committee and chairman  
of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Kelly 
School of Business, Indiana University.

Current external commitments: Non-executive 
chairman of QinetiQ Group plc and 
chairman of Kodak Alaris Holdings Limited. 

Ashley Almanza
Executive director/
Chief executive

Ri  

May 2013

Adam Crozier
Non-executive 
director

A N  

January 2013

Key strengths and experience: Extensive 
board and executive management 
experience and strong track record  
working across international borders in 
complex businesses. Held a number of 
senior executive roles at BG Group  
from 1993 to 2012, including Chief  
Financial Officer from 2002 to 2011 and 
Executive Vice President from 2009 to 2012. 
As Executive Vice President he was 
accountable during 2009 and 2010 for the 
strategic and operational management of BG 
Group’s UK, European and Central Asian 
businesses. He also led a consortium of 
global companies through complex 
government negotiations in Central Asia. 

He holds an MBA from London Business 
School and was previously Chairman of  
the 100 Group of Finance Directors. 

Current external commitments: Non-executive 
director of Schroders plc and Noble 
Corporation, but will step down from the 
board of Noble Corporation in the near 
future. Board member of the Ligue 
Internationale des Sociétés de Surveillance.

Grahame Gibson
Executive director 

April 2005

Key strengths and experience: Extensive 
knowledge of the group and its predecessor 
companies in many different markets and  
in a number of executive functions. Joined 
Group 4 in 1983, starting as finance director 
(UK) followed by a number of senior roles, 
including deputy managing director (UK), 
vice president (corporate strategy),  
vice president (finance and administration), 
vice president operations (central and south 
eastern Europe and UK) and chief operating 
officer of Group 4 Falck A/S. He was the 
group’s regional CEO for the Americas until 
November 2014 and was chief operating 
officer between 2005 and 2012. Will retire 
from the board at the conclusion of  
the 2015 AGM.

Current external commitments: Board 
member of the Ligue Internationale  
des Sociétés de Surveillance.

Key strengths and experience: Wide-ranging 
experience of business transformation in  
a number of public and private sector 
organisations in the media, logistics and  
retail sectors and a serving FTSE 100 CEO.

Started his career with Mars before joining  
the Daily Telegraph followed by Saatchi  
and Saatchi, where he became joint chief 
executive. He then became chief executive 
of the Football Association and was 
subsequently appointed chief executive  
of the Royal Mail Group, where he oversaw 
an extensive programme of modernisation 
and change to enable the business to 
compete in the UK and international 
marketplaces. Since April 2010 he has  
been chief executive of ITV plc.

Current external commitments:  
Chief executive of ITV plc.

Winnie Kin Wah 
Fok
Non-executive 
director

C Re

October 2010

Key strengths and experience: International 
board and senior management experience 
with extensive knowledge of Asian markets 
and strong involvement in Scandinavia.

Takes a particular interest in the group’s 
businesses in Asia.

An auditor by training, was involved in 
management positions in finance, audit  
and corporate advisory work and a wide 
range of roles in asset management firms 
investing with a focus in Asia. Senior partner 
of EQT and CEO of EQT Partners Asia 
Limited; managing director of CEF New  
Asia Partners Limited.

Current external commitments: Senior  
adviser to Wallenberg Foundations AB; 
non-executive director of  Volvo Car 
Corporation; non-executive director of  
SEB AB, Kemira Oyj and HOPU Investments 
Co Ltd. 

52  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
52  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
Himanshu Raja
Executive director/
Chief financial 
officer

Ri

October 2013

Mark Seligman
Non-executive 
director/Deputy 
chairman

Re

January 2006

Paul Spence
Non-executive 
director

CA

Ri  

January 2013

Key strengths and experience: Strong track 
record as a financial executive in global 
services businesses.

As well as having responsibility for all core 
finance functions including tax, audit, treasury 
and investor relations, Himanshu oversees 
the IT, procurement and Service Excellence 
Centres for G4S globally.

Prior to joining G4S, Himanshu was CFO  
at Misys, and from 2010 to 2012 he was 
CFO of Logica plc. Himanshu worked for 
more than 10 years at BT Group in a 
number of divisional finance director roles 
including Chief Financial Officer of BT  
Global Services, BT Design, BT Operate  
and BT Wholesale. His early career included 
finance and systems roles at Worldcom 
International, UUNET and MFS. 

Himanshu is a qualified chartered 
accountant and holds an honours degree  
in law.

Current external commitments: None

Key strengths and experience: Extensive 
financial and management experience  
having worked in the financial services 
sector, with a focus on investment banking. 
Takes particular interest in the financial 
performance of the company, including its 
financing and transactional activity. Qualified 
as a chartered accountant with Price 
Waterhouse. Senior roles at SG Warburg  
& Co Ltd and Barclays de Zoete Wedd; 
Head of UK Investment Banking at CSFB; 
Chairman of UK Investment Banking at 
Credit Suisse; member of the Credit Suisse 
Global Investment Banking Executive Board 
and senior adviser to Credit Suisse Europe. 
Will retire from the board at the conclusion 
of the 2015 AGM.

Current external commitments: Alternate 
member of the Panel on Takeovers and 
Mergers; member of the Regional Growth 
Fund Advisory Panel; non-executive  
director and audit committee chairman  
for BG Group plc; and senior independent 
director of Kingfisher plc.

Key strengths and experience: In-depth 
knowledge of outsourcing in both the  
public and private sectors and extensive 
international experience in key developing 
countries such as India, China and Brazil.  
A graduate of the Wharton School at the 
University of Pennsylvania with a degree in 
economics and decision sciences; served a 
30-year career with Capgemini and its 
predecessors. Having started in the US  
and become managing partner of mid-
Atlantic information and technology for 
Ernst & Young, he went on to gain significant 
international experience for 16 years as 
managing partner of Ernst & Young 
Consulting Australia, CEO of Capgemini 
Ernst & Young in Asia and CEO Capgemini 
Ernst & Young UK. He then spent eight years 
serving on Capgemini’s executive 
management committee during which  
time his roles included deputy group  
CEO and CEO of Capgemini Global 
Outsourcing Services.

Current external commitments: None

Clare 
Spottiswoode
Non-executive 
director

C Re

June 2010

Tim Weller
Non-executive 
director

A Ri  

April 2013

Key strengths and experience: Considerable 
experience in the public sector, the energy 
markets and the financial services sector  
as well as setting up and managing her  
own businesses. A mathematician and 
economist by training, worked for the  
UK Treasury, director general of Ofgas,  
the UK gas regulator; policyholder advocate 
for Norwich Union’s with-profits 
policyholders at Aviva and a member of  
the Independent Commission on Banking 
and the Future of Banking Commission.

Current external commitments: Chairman  
of Gas Strategies Group and Flow Group; 
non-executive director of Ilika plc, Enquest 
plc, Partnership Assurance Group plc,  
Seven Energy International Limited and  
BW Offshore Limited; and independent 
director of the Payments Council.

Key strengths and experience: Significant 
experience of the energy and utilities sectors 
and serving FTSE 250 CFO. An accountant 
by training, joined KPMG in 1985, rising to 
partnership in 1997 before joining Granada 
plc as director of financial control. Between 
2002 and 2010, he gained significant further 
experience in the energy and utilities sectors 
holding CFO positions with Innogy (one of 
the UK’s leading integrated energy 
companies at the time), RWE Thames Water 
(the world’s third largest water and 
wastewater service company) and United 
Utilities Group PLC (a UK-based water and 
wastewater service company). He was  
Chief Financial Officer of Cable & Wireless 
Worldwide plc between 2010 and 2011.

Current external commitments: CFO of 
Petrofac Limited, the international oil and  
gas service provider and a non-executive 
director of the Carbon Trust. 

Key to committee membership
N   Nomination
Re   Remuneration
A   Audit
C   CSR
Ri   Risk

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  53 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  53 

GovernanceExecutive committee

Ashley Almanza
Executive director/
Chief executive

See page 52 for  
full biography

Martin Alvarez
Regional president, 
Latin America & 
Caribbean 

Andy Baker
Regional president 
– Africa 

Martin joined G4S as Regional President, 
Latin America and Caribbean for G4S 
Americas in 2013.

Martin has extensive experience working in 
the region and a wealth of experience in 
strategic commercial and operational roles. 
Martin joined G4S from Dell, where he 
served eight years as executive director  
of multi-country Latin America (MCLA), 
responsible for 38 countries, more than  
US $1 billion in revenue and the Americas 
|Shared Service Centre with over 3,000 
employees. Prior to Dell, Martin spent 10 
years with DHL holding various management 
and leadership roles including vice president, 
DHL Mexico. and General Manager for 
several other countries in the region.

Martin has an MBA from IESE in  
Barcelona and a Bachelor’s degree in 
International Trade and Finance from 
Louisiana State University.

Irene Cowden
Group HR director 

Andy joined G4S as Regional President  
for G4S Africa in 2012.

Andy has wide ranging experience of 
managing and building sustainable 
businesses across Africa, with a strong 
emphasis on technology and logistics. 

Andy joined G4S from Nashua Group,  
the second largest ICT business in South 
Africa, where he was Group Chief 
Executive Officer.

Prior to this, Andy spent four years as group 
chief operating officer of Altech, a JSE listed 
technology group with revenues of US 
$1.2bn and operations in 15 countries. 
Andy also spent 13 years at DHL as 
regional MD of Southern Africa and Turkey.

Andy holds an MBA from  
Cranfield University.

John Kenning
Regional CEO  
for North America 
& technology

Our executive team 
G4S is managed through a functional 
and regional structure. 

Our structure enables us to deliver 
our strategic objectives, maintain  
a strong governance framework, 
develop integrated solutions, target 
key regional markets and build 
customer relationships.

Mel Brooks
Group strategy  
& commercial 
director  

Mel became group strategy and  
commercial director in July 2014, 
responsible for ensuring that the group  
has robust strategy and planning processes, 
a technology strategy and high quality sales 
operations and bidding resources across  
the organisation.

Mel’s previous role within G4S was regional 
strategy director for the Asia Middle East 
region and CEO for G4S India where he 
lead the transformation of the businesses, 
focusing on key customer segments and 
improving customer service. 

Prior to joining G4S, Mel held a number  
of senior line and functional roles in the 
defence and technology industry where  
he was responsible for service line and 
commercial strategies, technology 
development and leadership of a number  
of business unit turnaround programmes.

Irene has spent her career in HR 
management, specialising in employee 
relations, organisational development,  
talent management, employee engagement, 
compensation and health and  
safety matters. 

John joined G4S in November 2014 to  
lead the diverse range of services the 
North America businesses provide such  
as consulting, investigations, security, 
technology and youth services solutions 
across multiple private and public sectors.

She has been involved in major change 
projects including the cultural and 
integration aspects of mergers and 
acquisitions, as well as large scale 
organisational change involving workforce 
restructuring and working in partnership 
with major trade unions. 

Irene has worked in the security industry 
for 37 years and has held director level 
positions at business unit, divisional and 
corporate level. She was appointed to the 
board of Securicor plc in 2002 as group  
HR director. She will retire from the group 
executive in June 2015.

Irene is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute 
of Personnel and Development (FCIPD). 

John has a proven track record leading 
global organisations. Prior to joining  
G4S, John was executive vice president  
and president, commercial business for 
OfficeMax where he led the global, 
business-to-business (B2B) division.  
John was formerly president, North 
America commercial for ADT/Tyco Security 
Services, where he led the transformation 
of the business to a technology services 
leader and also led the separation of  
the residential and commercial security 
businesses in North America.

John is a board member for Miami 
University Advisory Athletic Board and  
past board member of the Make-a-Wish 
Foundation. John holds a bachelor’s degree 
in business from Miami University.

54  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
54  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Graham 
Levinsohn
Regional CEO 
– Europe

Søren Lundsberg-
Nielsen
Group general 
counsel

Peter Neden
Regional president 
– UK & Ireland

Graham became Regional CEO – Europe  
in November 2013. Graham has more than 
20 years’ experience in the security industry, 
having joined Securicor Cash Services in 
1994 as general manager – marketing.

Since then, Graham has held a number of 
commercial and line management positions 
in both the cash and security lines of the 
business. Graham was responsible for the 
creation of the UK cash centres outsourcing 
business in 2001 as managing director, 
before moving on to become divisional 
managing director for G4S Cash Services 
UK, and then regional president – Nordics. 
He became group strategy and 
development director in 2008 and joined 
the executive committee in 2010. 

Graham is a fellow of the Chartered 
Institute of Marketing and a director  
of COESS, ESTA and member of the Ligue 
Internationale des Sociétés de Surveillance. 

Søren began his career as a lawyer in 
Denmark and since 1984 he has had a wide 
range of legal experience as general counsel 
for international groups in Denmark, 
Belgium and the US before joining Group 4 
Falck in 2001 as Group General Counsel. 

Peter became Regional President of UK  
& Ireland in January 2015, following his 
appointment on an interim basis in May 
2014. Peter was previously Regional 
managing director of G4S Outsourcing 
Services for the UK & Ireland region.

Søren has been involved in a wide range  
of successful mergers and acquisitions 
during his career, including the acquisition  
of Wackenhut and the Group 4 Falck 
merger with Securicor. 

Søren has overall responsibility for all 
internal and external legal services for G4S 
as well as the group’s insurance programme. 

Søren is a member of the Danish Bar and 
Law Society, a member of the advisory 
board of the Danish UK Chamber of 
Commerce and author of the book 
Executive Management Contracts, published 
in Denmark.

Previous roles included responsibility  
for the business development programme 
within G4S in the UK and Africa regions,  
as well as a number of senior positions  
in both the commercial and government 
businesses across the group.

Prior to the merger between Group 4  
Falck and Securicor, Peter was Securicor’s 
development director, having joined the 
company in 2001. Peter’s early career 
included a number of sales, marketing and 
general management roles within Centrica. 

Peter has a degree in economics from the 
University of Nottingham.

Himanshu Raja
Group chief 
financial officer

See page 53 for  
full biography

Dan Ryan
Regional CEO 
– Asia Middle East 

Debbie Walker
Group 
communications 
director 

Dan joined G4S in August 2010, from  
global logistics and transportation company 
Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), where he 
was a member of the group executive team 
and held a number of senior management 
positions including regional president roles 
for Greater China, Middle East and Europe 
during his 20-year career there. In his last 
position with the group, Dan led the project 
to review, redesign and transform NOL’s 
organisation across all its Americas divisions. 

Dan is a charter member of the Middle  
East Logistics/Supply Chain Management 
Forum, Hong Kong Liner Shipping 
Association and the American Chamber  
of Commerce – Shanghai. He holds an 
MBA from the University of Notre Dame  
in Indiana and a B.S. Finance, from California 
State University, Sacramento.

Debbie is group communications  
director, heading the corporate 
communications team which focuses on  
the group’s key audiences – media, 
government, employees and customers. 
Debbie is also responsible for the group’s 
CSR and human rights strategies. 

Prior to the merger between Group 4  
Falck and Securicor, Debbie held a number 
of senior marketing and communications 
roles within the Securicor group from  
1993 to 2004. 

Debbie is also vice chairman of the  
CBI South East Regional Council  
(the representative body for all CBI 
member companies based in the South  
East of England and the Thames Valley), 
having previously served as chairman for 
two years. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  55 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  55 

Governance  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate governance report

Our governance framework
The board leads the group’s governance framework,  
setting broad strategic targets, monitoring progress, approving 
proposed actions and ensuring appropriate controls are in 
place and operating effectively.

Management decisions, development of strategies and  
policies and implementation of board decisions fall to the 
group executive committee.

Regional management teams have responsibility for businesses 
within their regions and are tasked with implementing policies 
and controls at business unit level, as well as ensuring they 
meet agreed financial and non-financial goals.

The presence of a majority of independent non-executive 
directors on the board ensures objectivity, challenge and 
debate. It is the primary responsibility of the board to  
provide effective leadership for the group and this is done  
by, amongst other things, ensuring that decision making is 
conducted throughout the group within a strong internal 
control framework – and by setting values and standards.

There is a detailed schedule of matters which are reserved  
to the decision of the board.

These matters fall under 12 categories:

•  Strategy and management
•  Structure and capital
•  Financial reporting and controls
•  Risk and internal controls
•  Contracts
•  Communication
•  Board membership and other appointments
•  Remuneration
•  Delegation of authority
•  Corporate governance matters
•  Policies 
•  Other matters – such as settling material litigation, making 

major changes to the group’s pension scheme rules and the 
appointment of group advisors

By way of example, board approval is required for: unbudgeted 
capital projects of more than £10m; entering into a sales 
contract where annual revenue is anticipated to be more than 
£50m; any changes to the group’s capital structure; and the 
annual operating and capital expenditure budgets.

The board fulfils a number of its most important functions 
through its committees. The work of these committees is 
described below in this report. The terms of reference of  
each of the committees are available on the company’s  
website at www.g4s.com.

Governance structure

Board

Remuneration 
Committee

CSR 
Committee

Risk 
Committee

Audit 
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

See pages 70-84

See page 62

See pages 63-64

See pages 65-69

See page 61

Group Executive Committee

Group Risk & Internal  
Audit Function

Investment
Committee

Executive Risk 
Committee

Regional 
Executives

Regional 
Risk & Audit 
Committees

56  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
56  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Board balance
Board composition
As at the date of this report, the board comprises 11 members:  
the non-executive chairman (John Connolly), seven other  
non-executive directors and three executive directors. The board 
considers all the non-executive directors to be independent.

The names of the directors serving as at 31 December 2014  
and their biographical details are set out on pages 52 and 53.  
All the directors served throughout the year. Grahame Gibson,  
one of the executive directors, and Mark Seligman, the non-
executive deputy chairman, will retire from the board at the 
conclusion of the company’s 2015 Annual General Meeting.

The Nomination Committee is engaged in a process to recruit  
a new non-executive director.

Induction, information and professional development
A tailored induction is provided to new directors joining the board. 
In the case of non-executive directors, this includes spending time 
with the executive directors and other senior executives to 
understand the business, its structure and people, as well as the 
company’s strategy and financial performance. Induction also 
provides details of the group’s governance policies and structure 
and risk management framework.

To build on the induction programme, directors receive further 
briefings both to help in their own development and also to 
enhance their awareness of the different elements of the business. 
Briefings are provided to all board members on legal, governance, 
compliance and reporting developments and to those members  
of board committees on matters which are relevant to their work 
on the committees in question.

In addition, non-executive directors are encouraged to learn about 
the group’s business and to meet employees and management 
through site visits, attendance at group and regional conferences.  
In 2014, non-executive directors visited a cash centre, an adult 
prison and a youth training centre operated by the group and 
attended part of the group management conference.

Board balance

Non-Executive 
directors

8

Executive 
directors

3

John Connolly, Adam 
Crozier, Mark Elliott, 
Winnie Fok, Mark 
Seligman, Paul Spence, 
Clare Spottiswoode,  
Tim Weller
Ashley Almanza,  
Grahame Gibson, 
Himanshu Raja

Board tenure

> 8 yrs – 
3 directors 
(GG, MS, ME)

> 4 yrs < 6 yrs – 
2 directors 
(CS, WF)

> 6 yrs < 8 yrs – 0 directors

2 yrs or less – 
3 directors 
(AA, HR, TW)

> 2 yrs < 4 yrs – 
3 directors 
(AC, PS, JC)

Board performance review
In 2014, Lintstock Limited conducted a performance review for the 
board. The review involved detailed self-assessment questionnaires 
being completed by board members and regular board committee 
attendees, as well as individual interviews with each director and the 
company secretary. The resulting report was considered by the 
board when it reviewed its own performance and informed its 
planning for the board’s priorities in 2015. Lintstock also reviewed 
the performance of each of the board committees, which in turn 
considered the resulting reports when reviewing their performance. 

As part of its review process, Lintstock also reported on the 
performance of each of the directors and separately on that of  
the chairman. The individual director reviews were used as the basis 
for the chairman’s individual discussion with each of the directors 
about their performance and any training and development needs. 
The report on the chairman was used to inform the discussion 
about the chairman which was conducted by the senior 
independent director without the chairman being present.

Lintstock has no connection with the company other than 
evaluating the board and its committees’ performance. 

2015 primary board objectives
Following consideration of Lintstock’s report on the board’s 
performance, and after consideration of priorities chosen  
by the board and the strategy adopted by the company,  
the board has agreed a set of primary objectives for its work 
in 2015, which will include:

•  Reviewing progress on strategy execution and a range  
of business improvement programmes approved by  
the board

•  Monitoring the performance of the wider leadership team
•  Addressing the new requirements of the UK Corporate 

Governance Code

•  Increasing focus on people in terms of succession planning 

for the senior executives, employee satisfaction and 
management development

•  Maintaining emphasis on risk management
•  Gaining greater understanding of markets and competitors

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  57 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  57 

GovernanceRelations with shareholders
The company actively seeks to engage with shareholders 
and during 2014, senior management had contact via 
one-on-one meetings, group meetings and telephone 
conference calls with shareholders representing over  
80% of the share register across over 150 institutions.

In November, the chief executive and chief financial  
officer provided a capital markets update via a webcast, 
which is available on the company’s website. Additional 
meetings are held after the preliminary and half-year 
results are announced.

The chairman met with major shareholders as part of  
a general governance road show. The chair of the CSR 
Committee, Clare Spottiswoode, and relevant senior 
executives met with a group of socially responsible 
investors in June 2014, updating them on the group’s 
corporate responsibility programme. Tim Weller, in his 
capacity as chair of the Audit Committee, consulted major 
shareholders regarding the external audit tender. As chair 
of the Remuneration Committee, Mark Elliott engaged 
with a number of shareholders and their representatives 
on remuneration issues.

It is intended that all the directors will attend and be 
available to answer questions at the company’s Annual 
General Meeting which is an important opportunity for 
communication between the board and shareholders, 
particularly private shareholders. At the Annual General 
Meeting, the meeting is informed of the number of proxy 
votes cast and the same information is published 
subsequently on the company’s website.

Corporate governance report continued

Director re-election
The company’s articles of association require that all 
continuing directors are subject to election by shareholders 
at the next Annual General Meeting following their 
appointment and that they submit themselves for re-election 
at least every three years and that at least one-third of the 
directors not standing for election for the first time stand for 
re-election at each annual general meeting. However, in 
accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code 
provision on re-election of directors, all the continuing 
directors stand for re-election every year.

Conflicts authorisation
Each of the directors has disclosed to the board any 
situations which apply to them as a result of which they  
have or may have an interest which conflicts or may conflict 
with the interests of the company. In accordance with the 
company’s articles of association, the board has authorised 
such matters. The affected directors did not vote when their 
own interests were considered. Where the board deemed  
it appropriate, such authorisation was given subject to 
certain conditions. The board reviews such matters on  
a regular basis.

Diversity
With operations in over 110 countries, the group operates in  
very diverse communities and its workforce reflects that diversity  
in terms of its mix of gender, age, race, religion, nationality, language, 
background and experience. The board recognises that the group 
benefits greatly from this diversity and needs to continue to 
promote it in order to help create an organisation which attracts, 
supports and promotes the broadest range of talent. This allows 
individuals to reach their full potential and the group to provide the 
best service to its customers. Diversity is a consideration that forms 
part of any new recruitment for, and appointment to, the board. 
Although appointments will always be made on merit, the 
Nomination Committee and the board recognise that the board 
performs better when its members are from varying backgrounds 
and possess different experiences and perspectives. Diversity will 
therefore continue to be a key consideration when contemplating 
the composition and refreshing of the board and senior 
management, although the board has no specific targets in  
relation to diversity including gender.

58  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
58  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Board meetings and information flow
Seven board meetings were held during the year ended  
31 December 2014. One of these meetings was an extended 
two-day board and strategy session at which, in addition to normal 
board business, the board and executive committee met and 
reviewed the group strategy by region and by business line, as well 
as considering succession planning, risk appetite, the technology 
used by the group and the financial basis of the strategy.

Prior to each board meeting, comprehensive papers are circulated 
to the directors addressing not only the regular agenda items on 
which the executives will report, but also details of any matters 
requiring approval or decisions, such as significant transactions or 
events or important market issues.

At each meeting the board receives reports from the chairman,  
the chief executive, the chief financial officer and the company 
secretary, an HR and health and safety report and an investor 
relations report, which includes summaries of analysts’ reviews and 
any comments received from major shareholders since the previous 
board meeting. The board receives regular in-depth presentations 
from regional management and from the management of business 
units and the board makes visits to business sites from time to time. 
After meetings of the board committees, the respective chairmen 
report to the board on the matters considered by each committee.

Regular board dinners are held prior to board meetings which 
provide an opportunity for the directors to discuss topics in an 
informal environment outside the more formal setting of the  
board meeting.

After each board meeting the chairman holds meetings with  
the non-executive directors without the executives being present.

There are seven board meetings scheduled for the current  
year, including a two-day board and strategy meeting.

Meeting attendance in 2014

Executive directors
Ashley Almanza (CEO)
Himanshu Raja (CFO)
Grahame Gibson
Non-executive directors
John Connolly (chairman)
Mark Seligman (deputy chairman)
Mark Elliott (senior independent director)
Clare Spottiswoode
Winnie Fok
Paul Spence
Adam Crozier
Tim Weller

Board  
scheduled

7/7
7/7
6/7

7/7
7/7
7/7
7/7
7/7
7/7
6/7
6/7

Fair, balanced and understandable 
assessment
In relation to compliance with the Code, the board has given 
consideration to whether the annual report and accounts, taken  
as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable. The preparation  
of the annual report and accounts is coordinated by the finance, 
investor relations and company secretariat teams with group-wide 
support and input from other areas of the business. Comprehensive 
reviews were undertaken at regular intervals throughout the 
process by senior management and other contributing personnel 
within the group. The statement required to be given by the 
directors by Code provision C.1.1 can be found on page 88.

Risk management and internal control
The directors acknowledge their responsibility for the group’s 
system of risk management and internal control and for reviewing 
its effectiveness each year. The system is designed to manage rather 
than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business objectives and 
can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance against 
material misstatement or loss.

The group’s key risks are summarised in the principal risks section 
on pages 44 to 50.

The key features of the group’s risk management process, which 
was in place throughout the year under review, are:
•  Senior executives in each business unit and region use a  

common risk management framework* to provide a profile  
of those risks which may have an impact on the achievement  
of their business objectives. 

•  Each significant risk is documented in the group’s risk 

management system, showing an overview of the risk, its owner, 
how the risk is managed, and any improvement actions. Risk 
appetite/tolerance is considered in the context of the residual 
(after controls and mitigation) risk with a particular focus on 
“High” net risks. To be categorised as “High” a risk must meet  
at least one of the following criteria:
 – major impact on the achievement of the business strategy;
 – serious damage to business reputation;
 – severe business disruption;
 – impact of > 5% on operating profit or assets.

•  The risk profiles ensure that internal audit reviews of the 

adequacy, application and effectiveness of risk management  
and internal controls are targeted on the key risks.

•  Risk management committees have been established at  

regional and group level. 

•  Risk and control self-evaluation exercises are undertaken for  

each operating company, for most companies at least twice a year, 
and updated risk profiles are prepared. Similar exercises are 
undertaken as part of the integration process for all major 
acquisitions. The results of the company risk evaluations are 
assessed by the regional risk management committees* 
•  Both the regional committees and the group executive risk 

committee receive internal audit reports and regular reports  
on risks. They monitor the actions taken to manage risks.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  59 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  59 

GovernanceCorporate governance report continued

The process is carried out under the overall supervision of the 
group executive risk committee, which comprises the group chief 
financial officer, the group general counsel, the group 
communications director, the group human resources director,  
the group director risk and audit and the group head of risk. The 
group executive risk committee reports to the group executive and 
to the Risk Committee of the board. The process outlined above is 
reviewed regularly by the board through its Risk Committee to 
ensure its robustness and suitability to meet the group’s needs. 

The Audit Committee undertakes a high-level review of risk 
management and internal control each year. As well as the above 
processes and sources of assurance, the Audit Committee also 
considers the following year end reporting in conducting this review:
•  Summary of internal audit work including update on all open 
audits with a deficient rating, analysis of results by region, 
common audit findings and areas identified for improvement  
in internal controls

•  Summary of internal financial reviews including significant 

During 2015 the risk management improvement plan will focus on:
•  embedding the risk management approach into businesses  

across the group;

•  enhancing the quality of information being provided by businesses;
•  managing the group’s residual risk exposure;
•  progress on implementation of mitigation action plans;
•  new and emerging risks;
•  rolling-out enhanced contract approval and contract review 

processes for large contracts piloted in the UK region across  
the rest of group.

Further information about the Risk Committee, its remit, work 
during 2014 and its plans for 2015 can be found on pages 63-64. 

The internal control system includes clearly defined reporting lines 
and authorisation procedures, a comprehensive budgeting and 
monthly reporting system, and written policies and procedures.

In addition to a wide range of internal audit reports, senior 
management also receive assurance from other sources including 
security inspections, third party reviews, company financial control 
reviews, external audit reports, summaries of whistleblowing activity, 
fraud reports and risk and control self-evaluations.

The group has in place robust internal control and risk management 
systems for financial reporting. The group has a single global 
consolidation system which is used for both internal management 
reporting, budgeting and planning as well as external reporting.  
The group has a comprehensive budgeting process with the budget 
being approved by the board. Forecasts for the year are reported 
quarterly. Actual results at business unit, region and group level are 
reported monthly and variances are reviewed. A programme of 
business internal financial reviews is performed by a finance team 
from either region or group to check the accuracy of financial 
reporting and compliance with the group finance manual.

accounting or financial control issues and common  
concerns identified

•  Overview of year-end financial control status reports completed 
by all businesses confirming adherence to group standards with 
any exceptions reported

•  A broad overview of the general risk management and internal 

control systems in place during the year.

•  Review of risk management processes and of the group’s 
principal residual risks by the Risk Committee of the board

•  External audit year end reporting on financial controls  

and accounting.

Further information about the Audit Committee, its remit, work 
during 2014 and its plans for 2015 can be found on page 65-69. 

The Audit Committee has confirmed that it is satisfied that  
the group’s risk management and internal control processes and 
procedures are appropriate. The board has reviewed the group’s 
risk management and internal control system for the year to  
31 December 2014 by considering reports from the Audit 
Committee and the Risk Committee and has taken account  
of events since 31 December 2014.

*  G4S Government Solutions, Inc. (“GSI”) which was disposed of in November 
2014 was governed through a proxy agreement under which the group  
was excluded from access to operational information, therefore GSI was not 
subject to the same risk management process as is applied to other group 
companies. The board had however satisfied itself as to the adequacy of the 
internal control processes adopted by GSI which included a risk review by an 
external advisor.

Compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code
The board’s statement on the company’s corporate governance performance is based on the September 2012 edition of the  
UK Corporate Governance Code, which is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website (https://www.frc.org.uk).

The Listing Rules require companies to disclose whether or not they have complied with all relevant provisions in the Code  
and to report how the main principles in the Code have been applied by the company. The Code recognises that alternatives to 
following its provisions may be justified in particular circumstances if good governance can be achieved by other means, provided 
the reasons are explained clearly and carefully. In such cases companies must also illustrate how their actual practices are 
consistent with the principle in question and contribute to good governance.

The company complied throughout the year under review with the provisions of the Code. The Corporate governance  
report, together with the Audit committee report and the Directors’ remuneration report, describe how the board has  
applied these provisions.

60  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
60  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

The Nomination Committee

Main activities of the Nomination Committee during 
the year (%) 

“ There have been no changes to the composition 
of the board or its committees during 2014. 
Nevertheless the committee has been active 
to ensure that the membership of the board is 
appropriate and, where necessary, refreshed.  
Both Grahame Gibson and Mark Seligman will 
leave the board in 2015 and this has meant that 
the future composition of the board and its 
committees have been given careful consideration.”

John Connolly
Nomination Committee Chairman

Committee membership and attendance

John Connolly (chairman)
Adam Crozier
Mark Elliott

Meetings 
attended 

3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3

Responsibilities
The Nomination Committee is responsible for making 
recommendations to the board on appointments and on 
maintaining a balance of skills and experience on the board and  
its committees. Succession planning for the board is a matter which 
is devolved primarily to the Nomination Committee, although the 
committee’s deliberations are reported to and debated by the full 
board. The board itself also reviews more general succession 
planning for the senior management of the group.

The committee’s terms of reference are available at  
w.w.w.g4s.com/investors.

Succession planning
The entire board has considered succession planning for the  
senior management of the group in some detail during 2014 and,  
in addition, the Nomination Committee gave further consideration 
to the succession plans for the most senior board roles. 

Reviewing time demands of 
board roles 
(10%)

Succession planning 
(20%) 

Recruitment of 
new NEDs (50%)

 Extending terms of 
appointment for NEDs (20%)

Refreshing the board
After the changes to the board and the board committees made  
in 2013, it was felt that no changes were required during 2014,  
but the chairmanship of the Audit Committee passed to Tim Weller 
following the AGM. Mark Seligman will retire from the board in 
2015 and stood down from the Audit Committee at the end of 
2014. The Nomination Committee has therefore begun a process 
to seek a new non-executive director. The specification for the ideal 
candidate was drawn up after discussion by the full board and the 
Nomination Committee is being assisted by the external executive 
search consultant, the Zygos Partnership. Zygos has no other 
connection with the company other than as provider of recruitment 
consultancy services to the Nomination Committee.

Grahame Gibson will also stand down from the board in 2015,  
but the board and the Nomination Committee have agreed not to 
seek a replacement executive director at this time.

A number of the serving non-executive directors’ terms of 
appointment expired during 2014 and the committee 
recommended to the board that such appointments be extended 
after consideration of the directors’ independence, commitment to 
the role, their other commitments and the experience and qualities 
they bring to the board. When the directors concerned were also 
members of the Nomination Committee, they did not participate  
in the committee’s deliberations.

Diversity
The board’s approach to diversity is set out on page 58.

Committee performance
The performance of the Nomination Committee was reviewed  
as part of the exercise undertaken by Lintstock to assess the 
performance of the board and each of its committees. Whilst the 
Nomination Committee’s performance was determined to have 
been satisfactory, the review did identify additional issues which it 
could consider. The committee has already begun to address  
those issues.

Priorities for 2015
The committee’s primary specific focus in 2015 will be the 
recruitment of a new non-executive director. In more general terms 
though, it will continue to monitor carefully the need to refresh the 
membership of the board and each of its committees and to ensure 
that membership has an appropriate range of talents and 
experience to fulfil their duties and to meet the needs of the group 
and its strategy over the medium and longer term. It will also ensure 
that succession planning is given appropriate prioritisation.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  61 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  61 

GovernanceCorporate governance report continued

The CSR Committee

Main activities of the CSR Committee during the year (%) 

Current issues 
(15%)

CSR reporting 
(20%) 

Health and safety 
(30%)

 Business ethics, 
anti-corruption, 
human rights (35%)

As part of the CSR Committee’s focus on health and safety during 
the year, the committee oversaw a number of initiatives such as the 
roll-out of health and safety training to the senior management 
community and the Safety First campaign aimed at embedding  
10 fundamental rules of safety in all businesses. As part of its normal 
cycle of work, the committee received six critical country reviews 
(CCRs) during the year. CCRs provide important information to 
senior management and the committee and are an important tool 
to support those businesses where fatalities have occurred in 
assessing their health and safety management, raising awareness and 
sharing good practices. The committee also reviewed the process 
for and policy on serious incident reporting and investigation. 

As part of the annual review of the group’s Business Ethics  
Policy, the document which defines what the group considers are 
acceptable and unacceptable business practices, the committee 
reviewed and commented on proposed changes. In addition,  
the committee oversaw the review of the whistleblowing policy and 
practices in place across the group, which resulted in a number of 
changes being made to better align it with the principles of the 
“Whistleblowing Commission’s” code of practice in the UK.  
This review also led to the selection of a new global whistleblowing 
hotline system, which will be implemented during 2015. A new  
case management tool which will enable the capture of information 
on whistleblowing cases across the group and the analysis of  
trends and issues raised in a more systematic way is also due to  
be implemented. 

The CSR Committee receives regular updates on current issues and 
allegations from the group’s internal audit, human resources and 
CSR teams. 

Committee performance
The assessment of the committee’s performance concluded that  
it performed well in monitoring compliance with CSR policies and 
reviewing the integration of CSR processes within the group’s 
broader risk management regime. The committee’s targeted 
approach focusing on a small set of issues was found to be effective. 

Priorities for 2015
Priorities for 2015 are to drive continued improvements in  
health and safety and to monitor and review the implementation  
of enhanced whistleblowing systems and case management tools 
across the group. 

“ We are aware that both the inherent nature  
of the group’s activity and the numerous and often 
complex and challenging environments in which it 
operates has a potential impact on societies.  
Our task is to ensure that such impact is a positive 
one. The work of the committee focuses on health 
and safety, business ethics and anti-bribery and 
corruption and human rights to ensure it is closely 
aligned to the group’s values. Good progress was 
made in health and safety during the year with the 
safety rules campaign which took place across the 
group and road traffic awareness material made 
available to all businesses. However, too many of 
our colleagues still lose their lives to work-related 
incidents, therefore health and safety remains a 
priority in 2015.”

Clare Spottiswoode
CSR Committee Chair

Committee membership and attendance

Clare Spottiswoode (chair)
Winnie Kin Wah Fok
Paul Spence

Meetings 
attended 

3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3

Other regular attendees include Grahame Gibson, one of the 
executive directors of the board, the group communications 
director and the group human resources director. When Grahame 
Gibson steps down later in the year, Peter Neden, Regional 
President for the UK and Ireland region and a member of the  
group executive committee will succeed him as the regular 
executive attendee at CSR Committee meetings. Peter has already 
attended one meeting in 2015.

Responsibilities
The CSR Committee reviews and monitors the group’s CSR 
strategy, which includes developing policies on various CSR-related 
matters for consideration by the board and reviewing the activities 
of the executives who have responsibility for CSR matters. The CSR 
Committee also reviews and monitors how the group performs 
against relevant policies. The committee oversees reporting on CSR 
matters and the company’s separate CSR Report for 2014, which 
provides more detail on the group’s CSR strategy and progress 
made during the year, is available at www.g4s.com. Further details  
of the committee’s responsibilities can be found in the committee’s 
terms of reference which are available at www.g4s.com/investors

62  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
62  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

The Risk Committee

Main activities of the Risk Committee during the year (%) 

Large contracts/
bids approval 
(10%)

In depth review of 
specific high risk 
contracts 
(25%)

Risk governance 
(45%)

Contracts risk management 
(20%)

In 2014, a significant amount of the Risk Committee’s time was 
allocated to risk governance. The committee reviewed and 
approved the revised group risk framework developed in response 
to the report commissioned from Deloitte during 2013. In doing  
so, the committee sought to ensure that the proposed changes 
would reinforce the group by providing a sound risk management 
and internal controls system to identify the risks facing the group  
as a whole, assess their likelihood and impact, develop robust 
mitigation plans and define clear control processes. Throughout the  
year, the committee received regular reports on the progress of  
its implementation. 

The committee also defined the company’s risk appetite and 
developed a more precise and formal group risk appetite statement 
which was subsequently approved by the board. 

The principal residual risks to the group’s 2014 business plan  
were reviewed and approved and reports from the group risk 
function on implementation by management of mitigation actions  
to address them were also received. The committee noted that the 
progress in reducing residual risk levels over the year across the 
group was variable. In some cases, this was due to changes external 
to G4S such as an increase in terrorism threats, political instability 
and civil unrest in certain regions, while in others the level of 
investment and timescales required to drive improvement in specific 
areas needed to be recognised. For example, although there was 
significant progress in the approach to health and safety across the 
group during 2014, more time is needed to ensure new practices 
become fully embedded in all businesses and translate into a 
significant reduction in the risk of injuries. 

The committee tasked management with ensuring that the right 
balance is struck between the level of residual risk and the 
allocation of the group’s resources to opportunities for 
improvement. Further details of the principal risks and uncertainties 
facing the business are set out on pages 44 to 50.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  63 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  63 

“ In 2013, recognising that risk oversight and risk 
governance are vital to the continued growth  
and profitability of the group, the board constituted 
a separate Risk Committee. The Risk Committee 
was tasked with providing robust oversight of  
the management of risk within the group. We have 
made considerable progress in this respect. During 
the past year, changes to the governance structures 
and processes were implemented. These are now 
well embedded in the business and are supported 
by a new risk management information system. In 
2015 we will focus on ensuring that the business 
gets the maximum value from the investments 
made in 2014 by focusing on the quality of risk 
assessments and on making measurable progress 
on planned mitigation actions at all levels of  
the business.”

John Connolly
Risk Committee Chairman

Committee membership and attendance

John Connolly (chairman)
Ashley Almanza
Himanshu Raja
Paul Spence
Tim Weller

Meetings 
attended 

3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3
2 of 3

Other regular attendees include the group general counsel, and  
the group director of risk and audit. 

Responsibilities
The Risk Committee advises the board on the group’s overall risk 
appetite, develops the group’s risk management strategy, advises  
the Audit Committee and the board on risk exposures and reviews 
the level of risk within the group and assesses the effectiveness  
of the group’s internal control and risk management systems.  
The committee’s composition ensures that a broad-ranging set of 
skills and experience come together to look at how the group 
manages risk in the business. The Risk Committee will consider all 
significant risks to the group, not only financial risks. Further details 
can be found in the committee’s terms of reference available at  
www.g4s.com/investors.

GovernanceCorporate governance report continued

Contract risk management was another key area of focus for  
the committee which oversaw the inception and implementation in 
the UK of new review processes for new and ongoing contracts. 
With regard to new contracts, the group risk function was tasked 
with reviewing and improving contracts “onboarding” processes to 
ensure that, in addition to financial assessment criteria, other criteria 
focusing on the ability to win and deliver the opportunity were also 
considered. These changes to the group’s contract risk management 
were implemented in the UK during the year and implementation 
across the rest of the group is planned during 2015. 

The committee will receive regular reports on its implementation 
and key themes identified through these contract reviews are to  
be reported regularly to the committee. 

The committee also conducted a review of two large high-risk  
and complex on-going contracts in the UK and a sub-committee 
considered a major contract bid, the risks associated with it and 
proposed mitigation plans.

Committee performance
The assessment of the committee’s performance showed that the 
composition of the committee and the chairman’s leadership were 
highly rated. It was also reported that the committee was effective 
in providing oversight of the controls in place over significant risks. 

Priorities for 2015
Areas of focus for 2015 will include reviewing progress on 
embedding a risk management approach into businesses across  
the group with a view to increasing the quality of information  
being reported, reviewing the group’s residual risk exposure and 
progress of mitigation action plans, as well as reviewing new and 
emerging risks.

64  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
64  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

The Audit Committee

“ As announced in last year’s report, I succeeded 
Mark Seligman as chairman of the Audit 
Committee after the AGM in June 2014. Mark 
remained a member of the committee until the 
end of the year and I am very grateful for his 
support during this time. During the year, the  
group made significant progress in strengthening 
the organisation in terms of finance, internal audit 
and risk management. The Audit Committee’s work 
focused on the group’s system of internal controls, 
the quality of our group financial reporting and 
the effectiveness of the external and internal 
audit processes. We also conducted a tender 
for the role of the group’s external auditor. This 
has resulted in the proposal to shareholders at 
the 2015 AGM to confirm the appointment of 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as group auditor.” 

Tim Weller
Audit Committee Chairman

The committee members were selected for their range of 
commercial and financial expertise, necessary to fulfil the 
committee’s responsibilities. Each member of the Audit  
Committee brings significant and relevant experience gained at 
senior management level. Their skills and experience are set out  
on pages 52 and 53. The Audit Committee’s chairman Mr Weller is, 
and Mr Seligman was, considered by the board to be members of 
the Audit Committee with recent and relevant financial experience.

Audit Committee meetings are attended by the chief financial 
officer, the group financial controller, the head of group internal 
audit, the company secretary, the group director of risk and audit 
and representatives of the group’s external auditor. The chairman  
of the board and the chief executive also attend meetings from time 
to time in agreement with the chairman of the committee.

After each meeting, the chairman of the committee reports to the 
board on the matters which have been discussed.

Responsibilities 
The committee makes sure there is effective governance of the 
group’s financial reporting and internal controls to ensure the 
integrity of its financial statements and adequacy of related 
disclosures. The committee also has oversight of the performance  
of both the internal audit function and the external auditor. Further 
details can be found in the committee’s terms of reference available 
at www.g4s.com/investors.

Main activities of the Audit Committee during the year (%) 

Internal audit 
(10%)

External audit tender 
(10%)

Whistleblowing/fraud 
allegations (10%)

Financial reporting 
(25%)

External audit and 
non-audit services 
(20%)

Committee membership and attendance

Meetings attended 

Tim Weller (chairman)1 
Mark Seligman2
Adam Crozier
Paul Spence

Scheduled Unscheduled
2 of 2
2 of 2
2 of 2
2 of 2

4 of 4
4 of 4
4 of 4
4 of 4

Effectiveness of financial controls and 
risk management procedures (25%)

The committee has an annual agenda which includes standing items 
that the committee considers regularly, as well as specific matters 
that require the committee’s attention.

1.  Tim Weller became chairman after the AGM in June 2014. 

2.  Mark Seligman stood down as chairman after the AGM in June 2014 and  

as a member on 31 December 2014.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  65 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  65 

GovernanceCorporate governance report continued

Significant issues considered by the Audit Committee
The primary issues considered by the committee in the 2014 financial statements, and how these were addressed, were: 

During the year, management enhanced the processes and controls for contract reviews and now 
reviews on a quarterly basis the top 25 contracts for each region, as well as those contracts with 
low profitability. In addition, a new process of 360 degree contract review on the largest and most 
complex contracts was introduced, covering financial, legal, reputational and operational risk 
criteria. These reviews are attended by at least one member of the group executive committee. 

Each quarter, the Audit Committee receives a report summarising the results of these 
reviews and the contract judgements made. The committee was satisfied that the 
judgements made by management were balanced and the recommended provisions were 
appropriate.

The committee addressed these matters through receiving reports from management 
outlining the basis for the assumptions used in relation to terminal growth, resulting 
headroom and sensitivities applied by management and alternative valuation bases such  
as reference to transactions for similar assets.

The committee was satisfied with the carrying value of goodwill. 

Mitigation/Action

Significant issue considered
Revenue recognition on UK Government and other contract-related provisions
The group delivers outsourcing services that can be complex 
in nature. There is a risk that billing and revenue recognition 
on these contracts is not in accordance with contractual 
entitlements or that contracts are forecast to be loss making 
over the remaining life of the contracts and therefore 
provisions may be required. The identification of potential loss 
making contracts, and measurement of any related provision 
requires judgement to be exercised and there is a risk that 
provisions are not estimated appropriately. This was a prime 
area of focus for the Audit Committee and external audit. 
Goodwill impairment testing
The total value of the group’s goodwill and other intangible 
assets as at 31 December 2014 was £2.1bn and relates to a 
significant number of historic acquisitions. The estimation of the 
recoverable amount of goodwill supported by the group’s cash 
generating units requires significant judgement, primarily in 
relation to the achievability of long-term business plans and 
macroeconomic assumptions and related modelling assumptions 
underlying the valuation process. During the year there have 
been some changes in material contracts that required further 
focus on the review of future projections. Consequently this 
continued to be a significant area of focus for the committee, 
and a prime area of external audit focus.
Taxation
The group operates in many tax jurisdictions, including 
countries where tax legislation is not always applied 
consistently and under certain complex contractual 
circumstances where the responsibility for tax arising is  
not always clear.

The committee asked the external auditor to ensure that taxation constituted an important  
area of focus during the external audit and to report on key tax issues identified during the audit 
process. The committee also asked management to pay particular attention to the review of the 
level of estimation of tax provisions and contingencies in the financial statements. 

The committee was satisfied with the report from the external auditor and that the 
provisions in the financial statements are adequate. 

Risk of management override of internal controls
The group operates in a large number of diverse locations 
with a significant number of local financial systems and 
processes which could potentially lead to management 
override of internal controls. During the year, the group has 
continued to make significant investment in strengthening 
capability in finance, internal audit and risk, and introduced 
stronger internal controls and group oversight to mitigate 
these risks. These include monthly reviews of the quality of 
earnings, a comprehensive internal audit plan and a regular 
cycle of reviews of local business units or country balance 
sheets and controls.

Presentation of the income statement
In order to give better understanding of the underlying 
performance of the business, the underlying results of  
the group are presented with separate disclosure of 
restructuring changes and specific items. 

Going concern and liquidity risk
The group has net debt of £1,578 million and the board 
has set a goal of net debt to EBITDA of <2.5 times over  
the medium term. 

The committee reviewed the overall control environment of the group, and monitored 
progress against the approved group internal audit plan for the year, the different financial 
control and balance sheet review processes and the output of the whistleblowing process. 
In addition, the committee received regular updates on the implementation of risk and audit 
committees in each of the regions, the consistent application of the different financial 
control processes across the group, and the half year review of financial statements by  
the external auditor.

The committee also examined significant accounting estimates and judgements and the 
supporting documentation for evidence of fraud or bias that may represent a risk of 
material misstatement. The committee satisfied itself that the risk of material misstatement 
resulting from management override of internal controls was not significant.

The committee discussed the rationale for this presentation with management and with  
the external auditor and concluded that separate presentation of the restructuring charges 
and other specific items provides users of the group’s financial statements with added clarity 
and transparency and therefore facilitates a clearer assessment of the group’s performance 
over time.

Management confirmed to the committee that appropriate accounting policies, guidance 
and controls had been exercised over the treatment of restructuring items and other 
specific items, allowing the committee to be satisfied that the presentation and disclosures 
were fair, balanced and reasonable. 

The committee reviewed the group’s forecasts of cash flow and net debt, taking into account 
reasonably possible risk sensitivities; as well as the financing facilities available to the group;  
noting the group had renewed its revolving credit finance facility for up to a further seven years. 
The committee also reviewed compliance with covenants and the availability of headroom in 
relation to those covenants.

The committee was satisfied that the group adopt the going concern basis of accounting  
in the financial statements and recommended the same to the board.

66  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
66  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Internal control
The group has in place robust systems of internal control and risk 
management for financial reporting. Their main features include 
clearly defined reporting lines and authorisation procedures, a 
comprehensive budgeting and monthly reporting system, written 
policies and procedures and the use of a single global consolidation 
system for both internal management reporting, budgeting and 
planning as well as external reporting. The group budget is approved 
by the board. A regular update is provided by the group CFO on 
the outlook. Actual results at business unit, region and group level 
are reported monthly and variances reviewed. A programme of 
business internal financial reviews (IFRs) is performed by a finance 
team from either region or group to check the accuracy of financial 
reporting and compliance with the group finance manual.

The system is designed to ensure the integrity of financial reporting 
and the committee’s responsibility is to ensure these internal 
controls remain effective. The committee does this primarily through 
reviewing the process followed by management to review the 
group’s control environment such as IFRs. 

The committee also receives quarterly reports from group  
internal audit, summarising the results of internal audits carried out. 
Open audits with a deficient rating, as well as common audit 
findings and areas identified for improvement, any instances of 
alleged fraud, in particular allegations of fraud involving employees  
in roles with responsibility over internal controls, are also included. 

In addition, during 2014, the group introduced regional risk  
and audit committees in each of the regions formed by regional 
management, group management and internal and external auditors. 
They bring together a formal review of risk management for each 
region, internal and external audit issues arising and any significant 
judgements in the financial statements. The Audit Committee 
reviews the issues arising from these regional risk and audit 
committees. The Audit Committee has confirmed to the board  
that it is satisfied that the group’s risk management and internal 
control processes and procedures are appropriate. 

Internal audit review
The Institute of Internal Auditors suggests that internal audit 
functions are subject to an external assessment at least every  
five years. In May 2013, the Audit Committee commissioned  
an independent review of the group’s internal audit function  
by Deloitte.

Deloitte reported in November 2013 and found that the existing 
internal audit function was organised and diligent and made some 
suggestions for improvement in certain areas. The committee 
adopted Deloitte’s recommendations aimed at strengthening the 
internal audit function and placing more emphasis on auditing the 
“third line of defence” activities. Resources available to the internal 
audit function were increased significantly. 

A follow-up report from Deloitte was commissioned to assess  
the progress made by the group internal audit function. The report, 
submitted to the committee in August 2014, concluded that, 
although good progress had been made, certain areas required 
further work. Several initiatives, such as increasing collaboration 
between the risk and group internal audit functions, developing  

a risk-based internal audit plan, as well as changes to the reporting 
and communication on a quarterly basis of summary audit findings 
to the regional risk and audit committees, had resulted in clear 
improvements. The need to ensure the efficient coordination  
of initiatives from internal audit, the finance team and the risk 
function was identified and addressed through the creation of  
a working group. 

In October 2014, the group director, risk and programme  
assurance was appointed to the combined role of group director of 
risk and audit. The group internal audit team was reinforced 
significantly, both through increasing the size of the team and also  
its expertise through the addition of a number of specialists in the 
areas of contracts and IT. 

Each year, the committee reviews and approves the internal audit 
plan. The 2015 plan is more risk based than its predecessors and 
covers 55% of the group’s businesses and 83% of the group’s 
revenue. Reports from internal audit are reviewed at each 
committee meeting and the committee monitors senior 
management’s responsiveness to issues raised in these reports. 

External auditor 
The committee considers the reappointment of the external 
auditor, including the rotation of the audit partner, each year and 
assesses its independence on an ongoing basis. The external auditor 
is required to rotate the audit partner responsible for the group 
audit every five years. The current external auditor, KPMG Audit Plc 
was first appointed in 2005 and the current lead audit partner has 
been in place since June 2014. KPMG undertook the audit of the 
group’s consolidated accounts for the year ending 31 December 
2014, having been reappointed at the company’s 2014 AGM. 

Last year, the company indicated that it planned to put the external 
audit engagement for the 2015 financial year out to tender and  
the associated tender process is outlined on page 68. The ‘Big Four’ 
audit firms were invited to take part in the tender. After discussion 
with the committee, the company and KPMG mutually agreed  
that KPMG would not participate in the tender, noting the longevity 
of their appointment. Responses to the audit tender were assessed 
using detailed evaluation criteria which incorporated key aspects  
of the Financial Reporting Council’s audit quality framework, 
including organisation, capability and service delivery, audit quality, 
audit approach, and team capability and fit. Having concluded the 
process at the end of September 2014, the committee 
recommended to the board that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
(PwC) be appointed as the group’s external auditor for the  
2015 financial year. A resolution to this effect will be put to the 
shareholders at the company’s AGM on 4 June 2015.

Subject to shareholders’ approval, PwC will take over the audit 
engagement contract for the year ending 31 December 2015.  
There are no contractual obligations restricting the company’s 
choice of external auditor.

A tri-partite transition plan setting out the agreed principles, 
framework and timeline to ensure the efficient and effective transfer 
of the external audit arrangement from the incumbent to PwC  
has been prepared.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  67 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  67 

GovernanceCorporate governance report continued

Audit tender process
In April 2014, having considered proposed changes to the UK Corporate Governance Code and the recommendations of the  
Financial Reporting Council, the company announced its intention to put the external audit engagement for the 2015  
financial year out to tender. The process the company followed is outlined below. 

RFP development

Expressions of interest received

Preliminary meetings

Data room access

Meetings with G4S senior management

Written proposals

Evaluation and assessment  
of the proposals

High-level meetings

Presentations

Recommendation to the board  
by the Audit Committee

Board decision

A request for proposal document was developed following 
consultation between the chairman of the Audit Committee 
and the chief financial officer and distributed to the four largest 
(‘Big Four’) audit firms in May 2014.

Having received the request for proposal document,  
each of the participant audit firms completed a confidentiality 
undertaking and a conflict of interest declaration and affirmed 
its intention to respond.

A preliminary meeting was held with each of the participant 
audit firms and members of the Audit Committee and  
chief financial officer in early June 2014 in order to establish 
the committee’s overall requirements and the significance 
attached to the selected evaluation criteria.

Access was then granted to historic information held within an 
externally hosted virtual data room throughout June-July 2014.

A series of meetings and conference calls were held during 
June-July 2014 between the participant audit firms and 
members of the group finance leadership team, company 
secretariat and regional finance directors in order to 
supplement the data room material.

A written response to the request for proposal was received 
from participant audit firms in early August 2014 together  
with a preliminary indication of the firms’ independence to  
act as the group’s auditor.

During August-September 2014, these proposals were 
assessed and scored against the group’s weighted evaluation 
criteria by executives from the group finance leadership team, 
company secretariat and regional finance directors.

During August-September 2014, additional meetings were  
held between participant audit firms and the chairman of the 
Audit Committee and, separately, the chief financial officer.

At the end of September 2014, participant audit firms made  
a final presentation of their overall proposals – and confirmed 
their independence to act as the group’s auditor – to the 
members of the committee, chief executive officer and  
chief financial officer.

On the basis of the above – and in conjunction with  
the evaluation of the audit firms’ written proposals –  
the committee recommended to the board that 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP be selected as the group’s 
external auditor for the 2015 financial year.

The board accepted the committee’s recommendation at  
its October 2014 meeting.

68  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
68  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Effectiveness of the external auditors
A combination of formal and informal processes is used in the 
assessment of the effectiveness of the external audit process.  
A formal questionnaire is completed at the end of the audit by 
members of the audit committee, group finance department and 
the finance directors of significant operations across the group and 
the output is reviewed by the Audit Committee. The assessment of 
the external audit concluded that it remained effective and the 
external auditor independent. 

Committee performance
The assessment of the committee’s performance showed that the 
committee remains effective at discharging its responsibilities and in 
particular in reviewing the quality of the group’s financial reporting. 

Priorities for 2015
The priorities for the committee for the next year will include 
overseeing the transition of the group’s external audit to the new 
auditor, reviewing the implementation of further changes to the 
internal audit function and testing the effectiveness of changes made 
to the internal controls environment. 

Non-audit services
To ensure that the independence of the audit is not compromised, 
the committee has put a policy in place on the non-audit services 
that can be provided by the external auditor, the relevant approval 
process for certain services and those services the auditor is 
prohibited from providing. In essence, the external auditor is 
prohibited from providing services that could create a conflict of 
interest, result in the audit firm auditing its own work or result in 
the performance of management functions. The committee has 
pre-approved certain services which can be provided by the auditor 
subject to specified fee limits above which further approval is 
required. All other services would require prior approval by  
the committee. 

Every year the Audit Committee reviews its policy on the provision 
of non-audit services by the external auditor. This year, the Audit 
Committee’s review was carried out in light of the new EU 
regulatory framework for statutory audit, which was adopted in 
April 2014 and is due to come into force in June 2016. The review 
resulted in a number of amendments to the non-audit services 
policy to better align the policy with the proposed EU reforms.  
The list of pre-approved services, which includes consultation and 
due diligence services related to mergers and acquisitions, audits  
of employee benefit plans, reviews of internal accounting and 
control policies and general advice on financial reporting standards, 
was amended to include work of a reporting accountant nature  
(for example, stock exchange circulars or comfort letters).  
The approval process for non-audit services was also amended  
so that a two-tier approval process is now in place, whereby any 
engagement with the external auditor for pre-approved services 
above a certain threshold requires the joint prior approval of the 
Audit Committee chairman and the chief financial officer and any 
engagement with the external auditor for any other services or  
for pre-approved services above a second, higher, threshold requires 
prior approval from the committee. 

The provision of any non-audit services by the audit firm must,  
in any event, comply with the requirements in that regard of the 
Auditing Practices Board. The auditor, KPMG Audit Plc, has written 
to the Audit Committee confirming that, in its opinion, it was 
independent for the period through to 5 March 2015.

Details of the fees paid for audit services, audit-related services  
and non-audit services can be found in note 10 to the financial 
statements. The external audit is a complex exercise involving more 
than 1,000 KPMG personnel covering over 110 countries in which 
G4S operates. 

In anticipation of taking over the audit engagement contract for the 
year ending 31 December 2015, in order to ensure independence, 
PwC had previously terminated all services which fell within the 
scope of the non-audit services policy by 31 December 2014.

Since the Audit Committee is keeping under review whether and 
when to bring tax compliance and tax advisory services within  
the scope of the non-audit services policy, it is anticipated that the 
vast majority of tax compliance and tax advisory services being 
undertaken by PwC will have either terminated or transitioned by 
30 June 2015. There were around thirty such services ongoing 
across the group at the beginning of 2015, however, these are 
deemed insignificant both individually and in aggregate.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  69 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  69 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report

The Remuneration Committee

“ I am pleased to present the directors’ 
remuneration report for 2014. As indicated by  
John Connolly and Ashley Almanza in their 
respective statements, in 2014 we made 
considerable progress in the implementation of 
our strategy and improved financial results. Those 
results are reflected in the pay outcomes for  
our executive directors.”

Mark Elliott
Remuneration Committee Chairman

The Remuneration Committee spent much of its time 
communicating with management on the implementation of  
our new annual and long term incentive systems. We focused  
on ensuring that these systems supported leaders both in  
delivering desired financial results and in the delivery of our strategy. 
In particular, we discussed non-financial measures of health and 
safety and group values and the manner in which they interact with 
our financial measures. We also discussed those items to be 
included in and excluded from our underlying performance metrics 
to ensure they reflect the highest quality outcomes. We are satisfied 
that our new leadership team has embraced and communicated 
those principles as they have delivered the new incentive systems 
across the group.

How performance is reflected in remuneration outcomes
•  There was strong growth in underlying group profit before  

tax and amortisation (PBTA) and underlying group operating cash 
flow, which reflected strong operating performances overall in 
both emerging and developed markets. At group level, the stretch 
financial targets set for the annual bonus were exceeded, resulting 
in maximum payouts under the financial element of the annual 
bonus for two of the executive directors. 

•  Scoring for non-financial metrics ranged from 57% to 98%  
of maximum. As indicated above, we place a great deal of 
emphasis on health and safety across the group, and take our 
responsibilities to our employees and to wider society very 
seriously. As there were a number of health and safety incidents  
in the year, the Remuneration Committee took these into 
account for the bonus outcomes for all of our senior executives. 
Full details of the bonus outcomes for each of the executive 
directors are set out on page 79. 

70  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
70  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

•  In line with our policy, any annual bonus due to the directors in 
excess of 50% of maximum will be deferred for a period of  
three years and paid in G4S shares. 

•  Although operational performance in the year was strong, awards 
that had been made under our performance share plan in 2012 
did not pay out. The threshold level of performance over the 
three-year performance period of the plan that ended in 2014 
was not met for either relative TSR or EPS growth. This largely 
reflects the challenges the business has faced, and now addressed, 
in the earlier years of the performance period. 

How we implemented our remuneration policy
When operating the policy, the committee takes account of the 
overall approach and structure of employee reward across the 
group and pay decisions for the wider workforce as well as the 
results of relevant benchmarking data. It is the committee’s intention 
that pay should reflect the responsibility attached to the role 
fulfilled, individual performance and other relevant market 
information. Our remuneration must allow the company to attract, 
retain and motivate directors who will lead the group in the long 
term interest of its stakeholders.

Base salary increases
As disclosed last year, the CEO’s salary was increased to £890,000 
with effect from 1 January 2014, whereas salaries for other 
executive directors were unchanged. This year, both the CEO  
and CFO received a salary increase from 1 January of 3%.  
This increase took account of market salary levels as well as salary 
increases elsewhere in the group. As announced in October 2014, 
Grahame Gibson will be retiring from the board at the AGM in 
2015 and his salary will remain unchanged again in 2015. 

How we operate our annual bonus plan
There were no changes to the way in which we operated our 
annual bonus during 2014. For 2015, the committee has decided  
to operate the annual bonus with financial measures of 
performance of underlying group earnings and underlying group 
operating cash flow before capex. The non-financial measures of 
performance are aligned with the group’s strategic objectives and 
will continue to include health and safety. Underlying group earnings 
will replace the underlying group PBTA financial performance 
measure under the annual bonus for 2015, as we consider this to  
be a better indicator of the group’s performance going forward. 

Our long-term incentive plan
We gained c.97% support from our shareholders for our new 
long-term incentive plan at the AGM in 2014. We plan to continue 
to operate our long-term incentive plan unchanged in 2015.

UK Code compliance
We had anticipated the changes which were introduced by the 
revised UK Corporate Governance Code in September 2014 with 
respect to malus and clawback. Our incentive arrangements are 
already subject to malus and clawback, as explained on page 75. 

As a result, no changes were needed to our incentive arrangements 
to comply with the new requirements in 2015. The Remuneration 
Committee’s terms of reference have also been amended to bring 
them into line with the new Code requirements and can be found 
on our website at www.g4s.com/investors. 

Main activities of the Remuneration Committee 
during the year (%) 

Expenses policies 
(6%)

Reporting 
& Governance 
(18%)

Annual bonus 
(22%)

Executives’ base pay (10%)

Chairman’s fee 
(9%)

Below board level
remuneration 
(12%)

LTIP (23%)

Consulting with our shareholders
We are committed to consulting with our top shareholders on  
key remuneration issues. In late 2013 and early 2014, we consulted 
with 13 of our largest shareholders as well as certain shareholders’ 
representative bodies in respect of the proposed new LTIP and the 
directors’ remuneration policy. Their feedback caused us to add 
clarifications on our policy statement and to alter some of the 
performance measures in the new LTIP. I will be available to answer 
questions and listen to the views of our shareholders at the 
forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Retirements
Trevor Dighton stepped down from the board at the 2013 Annual 
General Meeting and retired from the company on 30 July 2014. 
Details of Mr Dighton’s termination arrangements are set out in 
detail on page 81. 

As reported above, in October 2014 it was announced that 
Grahame Gibson would retire from the board at the Annual 
General Meeting on 4 June 2015. The committee will consider  
the retirement arrangements for Mr Gibson over the coming 
months, and we will provide full disclosure of these arrangements  
in next year’s report. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Seligman,  
who will step down from the Remuneration Committee this year 
when he leaves the board at the AGM in 2015. The committee has 
benefited greatly from Mark’s knowledge and experience. 

The committee’s performance
The committee’s formal performance review carried out at the end 
of 2014 concluded that the committee was effective and continued 
to perform well. In particular, the committee had achieved its goal 
to have greater involvement in the operation of incentive schemes 
across the group and to monitor the level and structure of 
remuneration for senior managers across the group. 

Voting on remuneration 
The annual report on remuneration will be put to an advisory  
vote at this year’s Annual General Meeting, and we look forward  
to receiving shareholders’ support once again this year.

Mark Elliott
Remuneration Committee Chairman

26 March 2015

Committee membership and attendance

Meetings attended 

Mark Elliott (chairman)
Winnie Fok
Mark Seligman
Clare Spottiswoode

Scheduled Unscheduled
2 of 2
2 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 2

3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3
3 of 3

Responsibilities
The Remuneration Committee is responsible for all elements of  
the remuneration of the executive directors, other members of  
the group executive committee and the chairman of the board.  
It also agrees with the board the framework and policy for the 
remuneration of other senior managers of the group and reviews 
and recommends the remuneration of the company secretary.  
In determining remuneration policy, the committee takes into 
account a variety of legal and regulatory requirements, and the 
relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code.

The committee also determines policy on the duration, notice 
period and termination payments under the contracts with the 
executive directors, with a view to recognising service to the 
company whilst ensuring that failure is not rewarded and that the 
duty to mitigate loss is recognised.

The committee approves the design and determines the targets  
and formulae for performance-related pay schemes operated by  
the company. It approves the eligibility of executive directors and 
other group executive committee members for annual bonuses and 
benefits under long term incentive plans and assesses performance 
against the objectives of those plans.

The committee’s terms of reference are available on the company’s 
website at w.w.w.g4s.com/investors.

Our remuneration approach
We seek to attract and retain the best people whilst ensuring that 
the remuneration policy and practice drive behaviours that are in 
the long-term interests of the company and its shareholders. 
Fixed pay
•  base pay
•  retirement benefits
•  other benefits
Short-term incentives
•  annual bonus plan (one year)
Long-term incentives
•  Long term incentive plan (three years)

Remuneration Policy
The company’s remuneration policy for directors was set  
out in full in the company’s 2013 Annual Report and 
Accounts on pages 66 to 72 and can also be found on the 
company’s website. It was approved by shareholders at the 
company’s Annual General Meeting held on 5 June 2014 with 
98.38% of all votes cast in favour. The policy refers to a new 
long term incentive plan which was also approved at the 
2014 Annual General Meeting, with 96.88% of all votes cast 
in favour. That policy came into effect on 6 June 2014 and  
will continue to apply for up to three financial years unless  
a new or revised policy is approved by shareholders in the 
meantime. No changes are proposed. For convenience a 
summary of some of the main features of the policy is set 
out on pages 72 to 77 below.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  71 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  71 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report continued

Directors’ remuneration policy – summary

Remuneration policy for executive directors

Base pay

Purpose and link to strategy
Base pay is set at competitive levels in order to recruit and 
retain high calibre executives with the skills required in order 
to manage a company of the size and global footprint of G4S.

The level of pay will reflect a number of factors including 
individual experience, expertise and role.

Operation
Reviewed annually and fixed for 12 months commencing  
1 January. Interim salary reviews may be carried out following 
significant changes in role, scope or responsibility or at any 
other time at the committee’s discretion. 

The final salary decision may also be influenced by role, 
experience, individual and company performance, internal 
relativities and increases for group employees.

Maximum opportunity
Actual base pay for each executive director is disclosed  
each year in the Directors’ remuneration report. 

In determining salary increases, the committee considers 
market salary levels including those of appropriate comparator 
companies. 

Ordinarily, annual salary increases would be no more than  
the average annual increase across the group. However, in 
exceptional circumstances a higher level of increase may  
be awarded, for example:
•  following a significant change to the nature or scale of  

the business; or

•  following a significant change to the nature or scope of  

the role; or

•  for a new appointment, where the base pay may initially  
be set below the market level and increased over time,  
as experience develops and with reference to the individual’s 
performance in the first few years in the role.

Where exceptional increases are made we will fully disclose 
and explain the rationale for such increases. 

Performance measures
None, although individual performance may have a bearing  
on salary increases.

Benefits

Purpose and link to strategy
As with base salary, a suitable range of benefits is made 
available in order to recruit and retain high calibre executives. 

Operation
Executives are entitled to a number of benefits comprising  
paid holiday, healthcare for themselves and their family and life 
insurance of up to 4 times base salary, car allowance, business 
related transport, limited financial advice from time to time  
and expatriate benefits where relevant. A relocation allowance 
reflecting reasonable costs actually incurred will be paid.  
Other benefits may be granted at the discretion of the 
Remuneration Committee.

Reasonable business expenses in line with G4S’ expenses 
policy (e.g. travel, accommodation and subsistence) will  
be reimbursed and in some instances the associated tax will  
be borne by the company. 

Maximum opportunity
maximum benefits per director per annum: 
•  holidays – 30 days
•  car allowance – £20,000
•  business related local transport – £40,000
•  for financial advice, expatriate benefits and relocation 

expenses, the expense will reflect the cost of the provision 
of benefits from time to time but will be kept under review 
by the committee

•  other benefits granted at the discretion of the committee  

up to 3% of base pay per annum per director

•  reasonable business expenses which are reimbursed are  

not subject to a maximum, since these are not a benefit to 
the director

Any allowance in relation to relocation will provide for the 
reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred.

Performance measures
None.

72  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
72  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Annual bonus

Purpose and link to strategy
Rewards the achievement of annual financial and strategic 
business targets and delivery of personal objectives. 

Deferred element encourages long-term shareholding  
and discourages excessive risk taking. 

Operation
Awarded annually based on performance in the year.  
Targets are set annually and relate to the group and/or  
the business managed by the executive.

Bonus outcome is determined by the committee after the  
year end, based on annual performance against targets. 

Bonuses are paid in cash, but executives are required to defer 
any bonus payable in excess of 50% of their maximum bonus 
entitlement into shares. Deferral is for a minimum period of 
three years. Dividends or equivalents accrue during the 
deferral period on deferred shares.

Bonuses are not pensionable.

Maximum opportunity
Maximum opportunity of 150% of base pay per annum for  
the CEO and the CFO.

125% of base pay per annum for any other executive director. 

Performance measures
Typically, executive directors’ bonus measures are weighted  
so that:
•  between 70% and 85% of the bonus is based on 

achievement of challenging financial performance measures 
(e.g. profit before tax and amortisation, organic growth, 
cash-flow measures, etc.), with each measure operating 
independently of the others; and

•  the remainder is linked to personal and/or non-financial 
measures, which are strategic or operational in nature. 

Each year, the committee may use its discretion to vary the 
exact number of measures, as well as their relative weightings, 
and this will be disclosed in the annual remuneration report.

As a result of the number of factors taken into account in 
determining bonus, there is no minimum pay-out level.  
For illustrative purposes, in the event that only threshold has 
been achieved, pay-out would be 35% of maximum, rising to 
full pay-out should achievement of a stretch performance  
level be achieved for all measures assuming the non-financial 
performance measures were satisfied.

The deferred element of the bonus is not subject to any 
further performance measures but is subject to clawback  
in certain circumstances. The non-deferred part of the  
bonus, which is settled in cash, is also subject to clawback.  
(See separate section below on page 75)

Long Term Incentive Plan (current)

Purpose and link to strategy
Incentivises executives to achieve the company’s long-term 
financial goals, as well as focus on value creation, whilst aligning 
the interests of executives with those of shareholders.

Operation
Executive directors are granted awards on an annual basis, 
which vest over a period of at least three years subject to 
continued service and the achievement of a number of key 
performance measures. 

The Remuneration Committee reviews the quantum of  
awards to be made to each executive each year to ensure  
that they remain appropriate. 

Dividends or equivalents accrue during the vesting period  
on awards that vest.

The award is settled by the transfer of market-purchased 
shares to the executive directors.

All the released shares (after tax) must be retained until the 
minimum shareholder requirement is met. Currently, the 
minimum shareholding requirement is 200% of base salary  
for the CEO and 150% for the other executive directors.

Maximum opportunity
Maximum opportunity of 250% of base pay per annum for  
the CEO.

Maximum opportunity of 200% of base pay per annum for  
the other executive directors.

Performance measures
Awards vest based on performance over a period of at least 
three financial years commencing with the financial year in 
which the award is made. 

Performance will be measured based on a combination of 
earnings per share growth, total shareholder return against a 
comparator group and average operating cash flow. For awards 
made in 2014, these were in the proportion of 40%, 30% and 
30% respectively. However, the committee retains the flexibility 
to amend these proportions, provided that no single measure 
will be a significantly greater proportion than the others. 

At threshold, 25% of the relevant portion vests. This increases 
on a straight-line basis up to 100% for performance in line with 
maximum. Targets are set out on page 83.

Awards are subject to clawback in certain circumstances  
(see below on page 75.)

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  73 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  73 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report continued

Retirement benefits

Purpose and link to strategy
As with base salary and other benefits, making available a 
suitable retirement benefits package aids the recruitment  
and retention of high calibre executives, allowing such 
executives to provide for their retirement.

Operation
G4S operates a defined contribution group-wide personal 
pension plan in the UK in which executives may participate. 
Alternatively, G4S may provide a cash allowance in lieu of  
a contribution into such plan. 

The current executive directors receive cash allowances.  
The CEO receives 25% of base pay as a cash allowance; the 

CFO receives 20% of base pay and the other executive 
director receives 40% of base pay reflecting his historic 
participation in a defined benefits plan which has been closed.

The level of award is kept under review by the committee  
and is intended to be broadly market comparable for the roles.

Maximum opportunity
Maximum opportunity of up to 25% of base pay for the  
CEO and 20% for the other executive directors save that  
40% of base pay per annum is payable to Grahame Gibson. 

Performance measures
None.

Remuneration policy for non-executive directors

Chairman’s fee

Purpose
To attract and retain a high calibre chairman by offering  
a market competitive fee, which also reflects the  
responsibilities and time commitment. There are no 
performance-related elements. 

Operation
The chairman’s fee is disclosed each year in the Directors’ 
remuneration report. The fees are reviewed annually by  
the committee. The annual fee is an all-inclusive consolidated 
amount. The committee retains the discretion to review the 
chairman’s fees at any other time if appropriate.

The chairman’s fees are reviewed against other companies of  
a similar size.

Maximum opportunity
Ordinarily, any increase of the chairman’s fee would be in line 
with other increases for similar roles in other companies.

Fees payable to the chairman and other non-executive 
directors in aggregate per annum shall not exceed the 
maximum specified in the company’s articles of association  
for the relevant year.

Non-executive directors’ fees (excluding the chairman)

Purpose
To attract and retain high calibre non-executive directors 
(NEDs) by offering market competitive fees which should 
reflect the responsibilities and time commitment. There are  
no performance-related elements. 

Operation
NED fees including any additional fee for any additional  
role listed below are disclosed each year in the  
Directors’ remuneration report.

With the exception of the chairman, the fees for NEDs  
are structured by composition build-up consisting of:
•  a base fee
•  an additional fee for chairing a committee 
•  an additional fee for the role of deputy chairman 
•  an additional fee for the role of senior independent director.

The NED component fees are reviewed annually by the 
executive directors. The board retains the discretion to review 
the NED fees at other times, as appropriate, to reflect any 
changes in responsibilities or commitment.

The basic fee covers committee membership and each NED is 
expected to participate in one or more board committees. All 
the fees are reviewed against other companies of a similar size.

Maximum opportunity
Ordinarily, any increase of the NEDs’ fees would be in line  
with other increases for similar roles in other companies.

Fees payable to non-executive directors (including the 
chairman) in aggregate per annum shall not exceed the 
maximum specified in the company’s articles of association  
for the relevant year.

74  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
74  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Benefits

Purpose
Benefits may be provided from time to time in connection 
with the chairman and other NEDs performing their roles, 
such as business travel, subsistence and entertainment, 
accommodation and professional fees for tax and social 
security compliance, and other ancillary benefits. 

Operation
Reasonable business expenses in line with G4S expenses  
policy (e.g. travel, accommodation and subsistence) will be 
reimbursed and in some instances the associated tax will  
be borne by the company. 

Maximum opportunity
Reasonable business expenses which are reimbursed are  
not subject to a maximum, since these are not a benefit to  
the director.

Benefits and expenses will reflect the actual cost of provision.

Notes to the directors’ remuneration policy summary

1. Performance measures
Annual Bonus Plan – The actual performance measures and targets 
are set by the Remuneration Committee at the beginning of each 
year. The performance measures used for our annual bonus plan 
have been selected to reflect the group’s key performance 
indicators. The committee aims to ensure that the measures 
appropriately encourage the executive directors to focus on the 
company’s strategic annual priorities, whilst the targets are set to  
be stretching but achievable. 

The aim is to strike an appropriate balance between incentivising 
annual financial and strategic business targets, and each executive 
director’s key role-specific objectives for the year.

Long Term Incentive Plan – In choosing the performance measures 
for the Long Term Incentive Plan, the committee aimed to find a 
balance of measures which reflect the company’s long-term  
financial goals as well as incentivise executives to create sustainable, 
long-term value for shareholders. 

Legacy plans – The committee reserves the right to make  
any remuneration payments and payments for loss of office 
notwithstanding that they are not in line with the policy summarised 
above where the terms of the payment were agreed (i) before the 
policy came into effect or (ii) at a time when the relevant individual 
was not a director of the company and, in the opinion of the 
committee, the payment was not in consideration for the individual 
becoming a director of the company. 

For these purposes, payments may include the committee satisfying 
awards of variable remuneration. In cases where all or part of the 
variable remuneration award was in the form of shares, the payment 
terms are those agreed at the time the award was granted. 

In particular, awards made under the previous Performance Share 
Plan will continue to vest in accordance with the rules of that plan 
and to the extent that the relevant performance tests are met. 
Details of the vesting of the awards will be published in the annual 
remuneration report each year.

The non-executive directors do not participate in any incentive 
schemes nor do they receive any benefits other than those referred 
to in the above table. 

2. Malus and claw-back mechanisms
Since 2010, any cash and/or shares awarded under the annual  
bonus plans and the previous Performance Share Plan may be 
subject to clawback. The Long Term Incentive Plan and the annual 
bonus plan may be subject to malus or clawback from the executive 
director concerned if the Remuneration Committee so determines 
and, in the case of misstatement of accounts, where the Audit 
Committee concurs. The time period in which the clawback can be 
operated depends on the reason for the overpayment as  
set out in the table below. 

The amount to be clawed back directly from the executive director 
will be the overpaid amount, but the Remuneration Committee 
retains the discretion to claw-back the “net” (i.e. post-tax) amount 
of the award received by the executive director.

Malus and claw-back

Material misstatement of  
group financial accounts

Misconduct

Fraud 

Annual Bonus Plan (including 
deferred elements)
2014 Plan

up to 2 years after  
the payment of the  
cash element

up to 6 years after  
the payment of the  
cash element
unlimited

LTIPs

PSP (previous)

Current LTIP

up to 2 years after vesting 
(except where due to  
fraud or reckless behaviour 
when it shall be 6 years  
after vesting)

up to 2 years after vesting

up to 6 years after vesting

unlimited

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  75 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  75 

GovernanceService contracts
Shareholders are entitled to inspect a copy of executive  
directors’ service contracts at the company’s head office  
and annually at the AGM.

Executive directors’ service contracts all have the following features:
•  Contracts are drafted in line with best practice at the time the 

executive directors were appointed. 

•  Terminable on 12 months’ notice by either party. 

Specific provisions for Ashley Almanza and Himanshu Raja’s 
contracts (dated 2013) that are not in Grahame Gibson’s  
contract (dated 2006) include:
•  Following board approval, Ashley Almanza is allowed to hold  
two external non-executive appointments (he is currently  
a non-executive director of Noble Corporation and of Schroders 
plc, although he will stand down from the board of Noble 
Corporation in the near future) and retain the fees paid directly 
to him for the appointments. Himanshu Raja is allowed to hold 
one external non-executive appointment and retain any fees paid 
directly to him for the appointment. Grahame Gibson’s contract 
does not specifically deal with NED positions, which will 
therefore be subject solely to board discretion. 

•  Mitigation obligations on termination payments are explicitly 
included in the 2013 contracts. Notice payments for Ashley 
Almanza are payable monthly and those for Himanshu Raja  
are payable in two six-monthly instalments, in advance. 

There are no express mitigation provisions in Grahame  
Gibson’s contract.

Non-executive directors’ letters of appointment:
•  Appointment is subject to the provisions of the articles  

of association of the company, as amended from time to time 
regarding appointment, retirement, fees, expenses, disqualification 
and removal of directors. 

•  All continuing non-executive directors are required to stand  
for re-election by the shareholders at least once every three 
years, although they have agreed to submit themselves for 
re-election annually in accordance with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code. 

•  Initial period of appointment is two years. 
•  All reasonably incurred expenses will be met. 
•  Fees are normally reviewed annually. 

Directors’ remuneration report continued

Principles and approach to recruitment and internal 
promotion of directors
When hiring a new executive director, or promoting to the  
board from within the group, the committee will offer a package 
that is sufficient to retain and motivate and, if relevant, attract the 
right talent whilst at all times aiming to pay no more than is 
necessary. Ordinarily, remuneration for a new executive director  
will be in line with the policy set out in the table summarised above. 
However, discretion may be required for exceptional circumstances 
such as dealing with remuneration relinquished in a previous job. 
The maximum level of on-going variable pay that may be awarded 
to new executive directors on recruitment or on promotion to the 
board shall be limited to 400% of base salary as set out in the policy 
table summarised above (calculated at the date of grant, excluding 
any buy-out awards – see below). Remuneration and any buy-out 
arrangements will be announced as far as possible at the time a 
new executive director or chairman is appointed, or in the  
following Directors’ remuneration report.

When determining the remuneration of a newly appointed 
executive director, the Remuneration Committee will apply  
the following principles:
•  The on-going remuneration package to be designed in 
accordance with the policy table summarised above. 

•  New executive directors will participate in the annual bonus 
scheme and long term incentive plan on the same basis as 
existing executive directors. 

•  The Remuneration Committee shall have discretion to grant 
one-off cash or share-based awards to executive directors  
where it determines that such an award is necessary to secure 
the recruitment of that executive director and where it is in the 
best interests of the company to do so. Such awards would only 
be made as compensation for remuneration relinquished under  
a previous employment (i.e. buy-out arrangements) and would be 
intended to mirror forfeited awards as far as possible by reflecting 
the value, nature, time horizons and performance measures 
attached. In such circumstances, the company will disclose a full 
explanation of the detail and rationale for such one-off awards. 

•  In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to buy out long 

notice periods of previous employment. 

•   With regard to internal promotions, any commitments made 
before promotion and unconnected with the individual’s 
promotion may continue to be honoured even if they would  
not otherwise be consistent with the policy prevailing when the 
commitment is fulfilled. 

•   For external and internal appointments, the Remuneration 
Committee may agree that the company will meet certain 
relocation expenses (including legal fees), as set out in the  
policy table. 

•  In determining the approach for all relevant elements, the 

Remuneration Committee will consider a number of factors, 
including (but not limited to) external market practice, current 
arrangements for existing executive directors and other  
internal relativities.

76  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
76  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Loss of office payment 
The duration of the notice period in each of the executive directors’ 
contracts is 12 months.

The Remuneration Committee would consider the application of 
mitigation obligations in relation to any termination payments  
where such provisions exist in the executive director’s contract.

The contracts do not provide for the payment of a guaranteed 
bonus in the event of termination. Directors (other than Himanshu 
Raja) will not be eligible for bonus accrual during any period of 
garden leave. In the case of Himanshu Raja, his contract provides  
for such accrual although any payment would depend on the 
discretion of the Remuneration Committee. 

The value of the termination payment would cover the balance  
of any salary and associated benefits payments due to be paid for 
the remaining notice period, the value of which will be determined 
by the Remuneration Committee. The Remuneration Committee 
would also retain the discretion to make appropriate payments 
necessary to finalise any settlement agreement, but in exercising 
such discretion the Remuneration Committee will remain mindful 
to ensure that there is no reward for failure. 

The fees for outplacement services and reasonable legal fees in 
connection with advice on a settlement agreement may be met  
by the company.

The table below illustrates how each component of pay would be 
calculated under different circumstances:

Plan
Annual bonus (cash 
element)

Automatic “good leaver” categories
All leavers other than voluntary 
resignation and summary dismissal.

Annual bonus 
(deferred share 
element)

Performance Share 
Plan (previous)

Long Term Incentive 
Plan (current)

•  Injury, disability or ill health
•  Redundancy
•  Retirement
•  Death
•  Termination without cause
•  Change of control or sale of 

employing company or business

•  Any other circumstances at  

the discretion of the 
Remuneration Committee
•  Injury, disability or ill health
•  Redundancy
•  Retirement
•  Death
•  Change of control or sale of 

employing company or business
•  Any other circumstances, provided 

that the Remuneration 
Committee considers there  
are exceptional circumstances

•  Injury, disability or ill health
•  Redundancy
•  Retirement
•  Death
•  Change of control or sale of 

employing company or business

•  Any other circumstances at  

the discretion of the 
Remuneration Committee

Treatment for “good leavers”
Executive directors may receive a bonus to be  
paid on the normal payment date and in 
accordance with the agreed performance measures 
but reduced pro-rata to reflect the time employed.
Deferred shares may be released if the executive 
director ceases employment prior to the third 
anniversary as a result of one of the good  
leaver reasons.

Treatment for other leavers
Bonus opportunity 
will lapse.

Deferred share 
awards shall lapse.

Awards will vest on the relevant vesting date on  
a time-apportioned basis, unless the Remuneration 
Committee determines otherwise, and subject to 
the achievement of the performance measures.

Awards will lapse.

Awards will lapse.

Awards will vest on the relevant vesting date on  
a time-apportioned basis, unless the Remuneration 
Committee determines otherwise, and subject to 
the achievement of performance measures at the 
relevant vesting date.

The vesting date for such awards will normally  
be the original vesting date, unless otherwise 
determined by the Remuneration Committee.

As directors may leave employment for a wide range of reasons, the Remuneration Committee retains discretion to approve payments 
where the reason for leaving does not fall precisely within the prescribed “good leaver” category. The committee will take account of the 
director’s performance in office and the circumstances of their exit. The committee will seek to balance the interests of shareholders,  
the departing director and the remaining directors. Any awards subject to performance conditions would be assessed at the end of the 
relevant period and be subject to time apportionment.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  77 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  77 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report continued

ANNUAL REPORT ON REMUNERATION

SINGLE TOTAL FIGURE OF REMUNERATION (AUDITED INFORMATION)

Executive directors
The following table shows a single total figure of remuneration in respect of qualifying services for the 2014 financial year for each 
executive director, together with the comparative figures for 2013. Aggregate executive directors’ emoluments are shown in the final 
column of the table. 

Base pay 
£

Benefits 
£

Annual Bonus 
£

PSP 
£

Pension related benefits 
£

Total 
£

Ashley Almanza
Grahame Gibson
Himanshu Raja

Notes:

2014
890,000
609,084
625,000

2013
600,000
639,483
156,250

2014
100,559
83,604
121,729

2013

2014
61,556 1,308,300
439,823
890,625

110,652
25,179

2013
648,000
103,000
234,375

2014
n/a
0
n/a

2013
n/a
0
n/a

2014
222,500
243,633
125,000

2013

2014
150,000 2,521,359
255,793 1,376,864
31,250 1,762,354

2013
1,459,556
1,108,928
447,054

1.  Certain information in 2013 relates to part years during which Ashley Almanza and Himanshu Raja served as executive directors: 

a.  For Ashley Almanza, figures for 2013 include the period from 1 April 2013 when he commenced employment and when he was Group CFO from  

1 May 2013 (during which time his base pay was £625,000 per annum) prior to his appointment as Group CEO from 1 June 2013 (when his base pay increased  
to £850,000 per annum).

b.  For Himanshu Raja, figures for 2013 are from his appointment date on 7 October 2013 and this includes the period from 1 October 2013.

2.  Benefits include car allowance, business related travel, healthcare, disability and life assurance. Benefit values include the cost of certain travel, overnight 

accommodation and meals which HMRC treats as a taxable benefit and on which the company will pay tax in due course as it does not consider such expenses  
to be benefits in the ordinary sense. The grossed-up amounts for 2014 are £43,541 for Ashley Almanza, £59,521 for Himanshu Raja and £14,861 for Grahame 
Gibson. Benefit values also include local travel costs of £9,180 and £22,320 for Ashley Almanza and Himanshu Raja respectively who bear the tax themselves and 
other business costs which HMRC deems to be benefits. In 2014 for Grahame Gibson, the benefits value includes a total value of £31,257 relating to flights for  
him and his family between the UK and US.

3.  The benefits values for 2014 also include taxes met by the company in respect of certain expenses which were incurred in 2013. 

4.   Part of Mr Gibson’s salary is paid in sterling and part in US$. The US$ element has been converted into sterling for the purposes of reporting, at the  

exchange rates prevailing in each month in which Grahame Gibson was paid. The average exchange rate during the year was $1.65055 ($1.564933 in 2013).

5.  Any bonus due above 50% of the individual’s maximum bonus entitlement is awarded as deferred shares which vest after a period of three years.

6. 

In addition, Ashley Almanza received £122,500 from Schroders plc and a fee of $96,000 as well as shares valued at $230,993 from Noble Corporation from his 
non-executive directorships referred to on page 76 and retained such remuneration.

Non-executive directors
The following table shows a single total figure of remuneration in respect of qualifying services for the 2014 financial year for each 
non-executive director, together with the comparative figures for 2013. Aggregate non-executive directors’ emoluments are shown in  
the last column of the table. 

John Connolly
Adam Crozier
Mark Elliott
Winnie Fok
Mark Seligman
Paul Spence
Clare Spottiswoode
Tim Weller

Base fee

SID

2014
356,500
58,400
58,400
58,400
58,400
58,400
58,400
58,400

2013
348,000
56,800
56,800
56,800
56,800
56,800
56,800
42,600

2014
n/a
n/a
10,750
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Chair of Committee
2013
n/a
n/a
17,550
n/a
17,550
n/a
9,855
n/a

2014
n/a
n/a
17,775
n/a
7,582
n/a
17,775
10,192

2013
n/a
n/a
5,896
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Deputy Chair
2014
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
46,800
n/a
n/a
n/a

2013
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
46,800
n/a
n/a
n/a

Benefits

Total

Total

2014
5,307
1,489
2,495
10,087
2,166
39,545
1,916
1,954

2013
2,638
2,198
3,871
15,117
3,772
72,348
3,099
1,256

2014
361,307
59,889
89,420
68,487
114,948
97,945
78,091
70,546

2013
350,638
58,998
84,117
71,917
124,922
129,148
69,754
43,856

Notes: The above fees were pro-rated where the appointments or retirements were part way through the year. 

1.  Mark Elliott was appointed as chair of the Remuneration Committee and senior independent director on 6 June 2013. 

2.  Clare Spottiswoode was appointed as chair of the CSR Committee on 6 June 2013.

3.  Mark Seligman stepped down as chair of the Audit Committee on 5 June 2014.

4.  Tim Weller was appointed as Chair of the Audit committee on 6 June 2014.

5.  Benefit values include the cost of overnight accommodation, travel and meals which HMRC treats as a taxable benefit and on which the company will pay tax  

in due course as it does not consider such expenses to be benefits in the ordinary sense. 

6.  The 2013 benefits values differ from the figures reported in the 2013 remuneration report in some cases following a review of the calculation methodology. This is 

mainly related to the classification of the reimbursement for flights to attend board meetings.

78  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
78  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Further notes to the single total figure of  
remuneration tables

2014 Annual bonus
During the financial year ending 31 December 2014, the 
performance measures relating to the annual bonus scheme  
rules were consistent with the remuneration policy, with 85% of  
the bonus for all executive directors based on achievement of 
challenging financial performance measures set at the beginning  
of the year. The financial performance measures that applied to 
Ashley Almanza and Himanshu Raja were based on budgeted group 
profit before tax and amortisation and budgeted group operating 
cash flow before capital expenditure. The financial performance 
measures for Grahame Gibson consisted of four financial objectives, 
three of which were for the Americas region and the fourth was 
related to group PBTA. On-target performance would result in  
a payment of 60% of maximum entitlement, with 100% only being 
earned in the event of achievement of a stretch performance 
significantly in excess of budget.

The remaining 15% was linked to objectives relating to non-financial 
performance, which consist of personal objectives or relate to the 
organisation. In line with all senior business leaders across the group, 
the executive directors’ personal performance-related objectives 
included an objective on health and safety. 

The maximum bonus potential has remained unchanged from  
2013. It is 150% of base pay for Ashley Almanza and Himanshu  
Raja and 125% of base pay for Grahame Gibson. Bonuses are paid 
in cash up to 50% of maximum entitlement. Where the bonus 
amount is in excess of 50% of the maximum bonus potential, the 
amount which exceeds 50% will be delivered in the form of a 
deferred share award which vests after a period of three years.

The tables below show how pay was linked to performance in 2014 
and set out details of each of the financial measures the targets in 
respect of these measures and the actual outcomes:

Ashley Almanza

Financial measures
Group PBTA
Group OCF
Total

Targets Achievement
£304m
£279m
£553m
£511m

% of 
maximum 
bonus
70%
15%
85%

Score 
achieved
70%
15%
85%

Non-financial objectives were set in the following areas;

Health and Safety

Strategy

People, organisation & values

Governance

Stakeholder Engagement

15 % of maximum bonus potential was allocated to non-financial measures  
and the level of achievement was assessed at 13%.

Himanshu Raja

Financial measures
Group PBTA
Group OCF
Total

Targets Achievement
£304m
£279m
£553m
£511m

% of 
maximum 
bonus
70%
15%
85%

Score 
achieved
70%
15%
85%

Non-financial objectives were set in the following areas;

Health & Safety

People, capability building, values and organisation

Governance & control

Operational Excellence

Cost Leadership initiatives

15% of maximum bonus potential was allocated to non-financial measures  
and the level of achievement was assessed at 10%.

Grahame Gibson

Financial measures
Group PBTA
Regional PBITA
Regional Organic Growth
Regional OCF
Total

Targets Achievement
£304m
£279m
£114m
£118m
8.1%
9.2%
£110m
£138m

% of 
maximum 
bonus
15%
40%
15%
15%
85%

Score 
achieved
15%
19.04%
15%
0
49.04%

Non-financial objectives were set in the following areas;

Health & Safety

Business Development/growth

Operational Excellence

People, Organisation & values

Cost leadership initiatives

15% of maximum bonus potential was allocated to non-financial measures  
and the level of achievement was assessed at 8%.

The table below sets out the annual bonus awards which were 
made to executive directors in respect of the financial year  
ending 31 December 2014:

Ashley Almanza
Himanshu Raja
Grahame Gibson

2014 annual 
bonus (£)*
£1,308,300
£890,625
£439,823

2014 annual 
bonus (% of 
salary)
147%
142%
71%

2014 annual 
bonus 
deferred (% 
of salary)*
72%
68%
9%

*  Any bonus due above 50% of the individual’s maximum bonus entitlement  
is awarded as deferred shares which vest after a period of three years:

Ashley Almanza
Himanshu Raja
Grahame Gibson

Cash
£667,500
£468,750
£380,678

Deferred 
shares
£640,800
£421,875
£59,145

Performance Share Plan (PSP) 
The PSP value shown in the single figure table relates to the 2012 PSP awards made in March 2012. The performance measures  
were earnings per share growth and relative total shareholder return. Neither of these performance tests were met and the outstanding 
award lapsed. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  79 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  79 

Governance 
Directors’ remuneration report continued

TOTAL PENSION ENTITLEMENTS (AUDITED INFORMATION)
Neither Ashley Almanza nor Himanshu Raja is a member of the group’s pension plan, which is a defined contribution group personal 
pension plan available to all UK employees. Instead they receive cash allowances of 25% and 20% of their base pay, respectively.

Grahame Gibson ceased accruing pensions under the company’s defined benefit scheme in 2006. A salary supplement in lieu of pension  
of 40% of basic salary was paid. His accrued pension at the relevant dates in the defined benefits scheme (all figures are in £’000s) is shown 
in the table below.

Grahame Gibson

Notes:

Pension input 
amount 
2014
0

Pension input 
amount 
2013
0

Total accrued 
annual 
pension at 
31/12/14
24.2

Total accrued 
annual 
pension at 
31/12/13
21.7

Date accrual 
ceased
6/4/2006

Normal 
retirement 
date
17/1/2013

1. 

In 2011, Grahame Gibson transferred the majority of his pension benefits to a private pension arrangement leaving a residual pension payable from age 60. 
Grahame Gibson has passed normal retirement date and the accrued pension shown includes the application of a late retirement factor.

2.  The earliest date when entitlement to a pension arises without consent and without actuarial reduction is age 60 (the normal retirement date). 

3.  On 3 March 2015, Grahame Gibson transferred his remaining and residual pension benefits in an amount of £363,188 to a private pension arrangement.  

The transfer value was calculated using the same actuarial basis as that used by the trustees of the pension scheme for all members.
SCHEME INTERESTS AWARDED DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR (AUDITED INFORMATION)
Awards under the LTIP approved by the shareholders at the company’s AGM in June 2014 were made in July 2014. They were, however, 
deemed to have been made in March in order to be consistent with the company’s normal grant policy. Details of the awards made to  
the executive directors are summarised in the table below and further details are given in the table on directors’ shareholdings and interests 
on page 81:

Director
Ashley Almanza
Grahame Gibson
Himanshu Raja

Award type
Conditional shares
Conditional shares
Conditional shares

Number of 
shares 
962,370
463,615
540,657

Face value 
(£)
2,225,000
1,071,880
1,250,000

Performance condition
40% EPS/ 30% TSR / 30% AOCF
40% EPS/ 30% TSR / 30% AOCF
40% EPS/ 30% TSR / 30% AOCF

EPS, TSR and AOCF 
Performance period
01/01/2014 – 31/12/2016
01/01/2014 – 31/12/2016
01/01/2014 – 31/12/2016

% vesting at 
threshold
25%
25%
25%

1.  The face value calculation was based on a share price of £2.312 which represents the average closing share price during the three business days following  

the announcement of the company’s 2013 financial results. 

2.  Further details on performance conditions are set out in the table below

PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR LONG TERM INCENTIVES AWARDED IN 2014

40% of each award granted

30% of each award granted

30% of each award granted

Average annual growth in 
EPS period ending on 31 
December in the third year
Less than 5% pa
5% pa (15% over 3 years)
+ 5 to 12% pa

Greater than + 12% pa 
(36% over 3 years)

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

Ranking against the bespoke 
comparator group by 
reference to TSR
Below median
Median
Between median and upper 
quartile
Upper quartile

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Average operating cash 
flow

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

<105%
105%
Between 105% and 125%

125%

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

The bespoke comparator group consists of companies constituent 
of the FTSE 100 index corrected to exclude financial institutions 
and companies in the extractive sector and include competitor 
companies which are outside that index.

The company’s current policy is to use market purchased shares  
to satisfy LTIP awards. Participants in the LTIP will receive a further 
share award with a value equivalent to the dividends which would 
have been paid in respect of LTIP awards, vesting at the end of the 
performance period. 

The company calculates whether the EPS performance targets  
have been achieved by reference to the company’s audited accounts 
which provide an accessible and objective measure of the 
company’s earnings per share. The committee may alter the terms 
of the EPS measure if it feels that it is no longer a fair measure and 
is no longer incentivising. TSR ranking will be verified externally. 

80  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
80  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ SHAREHOLDING AND SHARE INTEREST (AUDITED INFORMATION)
The executive directors are required to build up a minimum shareholding in G4S, as explained in the remuneration policy. Shares are  
valued for these purposes at the year-end price, which was 277.90p per share at 31 December 2014.

Number of shares owned outright

2014
100,000
50,000
657,553

2013
100,000
0
659,208

Number of 
Deferred  
shares held as  
at 31/12/14
85,640
50,686
0

Total shares  
under LTIP  
awards subject  
to performance
1,739,407
888,188
1,111,310

Share  
ownership 
requirements  
(% of salary)
200%
150%
150%

Shareholding 
requirements 
achieved
31%
22%
100%

Ashley Almanza
Himanshu Raja
Grahame Gibson

Notes:

1.  Deferred share awards and PSP or LTIP awards do not include the further shares with a value equivalent to the dividends which are paid in respect of  

shares received. The number of shares is gross and will be subject to tax when they are released. 

2. 

In addition to the above, each of the directors has a deemed interest in the total number of shares held by the company’s employee benefit trust.  
As at 31 December 2014, the trustees of the employee benefit trust held 6,408,450 shares (2013 – 6,934,564).

3. 

Includes any shares owned by connected persons. 

4.  The table does not include the deferred shares awarded to Ashley Almanza, Himanshu Raja and Grahame Gibson in respect of the portion of their  

annual bonus for the 2014 financial year which exceeds 50% of their respective maximum bonus entitlement. 

5.  There were no vested but unexercised interests. 

The shareholdings for non-executive directors are shown below.

John Connolly
Adam Crozier
Mark Elliott
Winnie Fok
Mark Seligman
Paul Spence
Clare Spottiswoode
Tim Weller

As at 
31.12.2014
200,000
2,000
25,000
20,000
75,496
10,000
4,681
37,570

As at 
31.12.2013
100,000
0
25,000
20,000
75,496
10,000
4,681
37,570

There have been no changes in the interests of each of the directors between 31 December 2014 and the date of this report.

There are no requirements for the non-executive directors or former directors to hold shares once they have left the company. 

PAYMENTS TO PAST DIRECTORS (AUDITED INFORMATION)
No payments have been made to former directors of the company during the financial year ended 31 December 2014 other than  
those payments set out below (Payments for loss of office).

PAYMENTS FOR LOSS OF OFFICE (AUDITED INFORMATION)

Trevor Dighton
Trevor Dighton, who stepped down as a director of the company in June 2013, ceased to be an employee on 30 July 2014. Mr Dighton  
was entitled under the terms of his contract to payment comprising the following until his departure: 
•  Base pay of £42,500 per month
•  Car allowance of £1,333.33 per month 
•  Cash allowance in lieu of pension of £17,000 per month

The total payment made for the period from 1 January 2014 to 30 July 2014 was £425,833. No further payment is due to be made. 

Trevor Dighton has not received any bonus in respect of the year under review. His unvested awards under the PSP were subject  
to performance and were pro-rated to 30 July 2014. The award made in 2012 did not vest as the performance tests were not met.  
The award made in 2013 remains subject to performance which will be tested at the normal vesting date. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  81 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  81 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report continued

PERFORMANCE GRAPH AND TABLE
The line graph below shows the nine-year annual Total Shareholder Return (TSR) performance against the FTSE 100 index. The directors 
believe this to be an appropriate form of broad equity market index against which to base a comparison given the size and geographic 
coverage of the company and the fact that the company is itself a member of the FTSE100.

2006 – 2014 Total Shareholder Return

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

G4S

FTSE 100 index

CEO’S PAY IN LAST NINE FINANCIAL YEARS

Year

Incumbent
CEO’s total single figure of annual 
remuneration(£’000) 
Bonus % of maximum awarded 
PSP% of maximum vesting

Notes:

2006
Nick  

2007
Nick  

2008
Nick  

2009
Nick  

2010
Nick  

2011
Nick  

2012
Nick  

Buckles

Buckles

Buckles

Buckles

Buckles

Buckles

Buckles

20131

Nick  

Buckles

Ashley 
Almanza

2014

Ashley 
Almanza

1,908
76%
63%

2,269
95%
75%

2,376
83%
100%

3,248
74%
!00%

2,823
53%
58%

1,542
0%
14%

1,186
0%
0%

514
0%
0%

1,459
72%
n/a

2,521
98%
n/a

1.  Nick Buckles stepped down as CEO on 31 May 2013 and Ashley Almanza took over as CEO from 1 June 2013.

2.  After July 2011, the CEO’s total single figure of annual remuneration included payment in lieu of pension. This was 40% of base pay for Nick Buckles and is 25%  
of base pay for Ashley Almanza. Prior to July 2011, a notional sum equal to 40% of relevant base pay has been included. The value of shares that vested in the 
relevant year under the PSP (or a notional value in the case of shares vested but unexercised) have been included in the prior year’s CEO’s total figures since that  
is the most relevant year for measurement of performance.

3.  The figures before 2013 did not include taxable expenses
PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN CEO’S REMUNERATION
The table below shows how the percentage change in the CEO’s 
salary, benefits and bonus between 2013 and 2014 compares with 
the percentage change in the average of each of those components 
of pay for a selected group of G4S employees. The Remuneration 
Committee has chosen all employees in the UK as the group which 
should provide the most appropriate comparator. 

Percentage change in remuneration 
between 2013 and 2014

CEO

Salary
5.7%

Benefits
18%

Average change for all other UK employees

(2.9%)

(3.3%)

Annual 
Bonus
101%
SSSee note 
below 

* 

Information on bonuses is not readily available for all other UK employees.

G4S employs over 623,000 employees globally. Inflation is a key 
driver of general increases in salary and the structure of the  
benefits provided is often driven by the local market practice. 
Hence, as the Group CEO is based in the UK, employees in the 
same country rather than all employees within the group have been 
chosen as the comparator.

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SPEND ON PAY
The table below illustrates the relative importance of spend on  
pay compared with other disbursements from profit.

Disbursements
Dividends paid
Total employee costs

2014
£138m
£4,952m

2013
£130m
£5,333m*

Change
6.2%
(7.2%)

*  Restated for IFRS 10 and 11. 

There were no share buy-backs effected in either year.

82  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
82  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

STATEMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF 
REMUNERATION POLICY IN 2015
A summary of the directors’ remuneration policy is set out  
on pages 72 to 77 and the full policy can also be found on  
www.g4s.com/investors. 

Executive directors’ remuneration

Retirements
As reported in October 2014, Grahame Gibson will retire from  
the board at the Annual General Meeting on 4 June 2015. 

The committee will consider the retirement arrangements for  
Mr Gibson over the coming months, and we will provide full 
disclosure of these arrangements in next year’s report. 

Base pay
For 2015, at the annual pay review, it was decided to increase 
Ashley Almanza’s and Himanshu Raja’s base pay by 3% from 
£890,000 and £625,000 respectively to £916,700 and  
£643,750 respectively. No change was made to the base pay  
of Grahame Gibson.

Annual Bonus Scheme 
The annual bonus for the 2015 financial year will operate on  
the same basis as that for 2014 and will be consistent with the 
remuneration policy. The maximum bonus opportunity remains at 
150% of base pay for both Ashley Almanza and Himanshu Raja  
and 125% of base pay for Grahame Gibson. The financial measures 
are group earnings and operating cash flow. These have been 
selected as they support the company’s key strategic objectives. As 
for last year, the financial measures are allocated an 85% weighting. 
For Messrs Almanza and Raja non-financial measures will account 
again for up to 15% of their maximum bonus opportunity. 

These are based on the group’s core values and cover the following 
key areas:
•  Health & Safety
•  Growth, Market Share and Reputation
•  Best People
•  Operational Excellence
•  Cost leadership
•  Values

Mr Gibson’s bonus will be measured solely against the financial 
measures mentioned above. Details of the performance measures and 
targets are deemed to be commercially sensitive since they relate to the 
2015 financial year. To the extent that they are no longer commercially 
sensitive, targets and performance levels against them will be disclosed 
in the company’s 2015 annual report and accounts. The proposed 
target levels for 2015 have been set to be challenging and align with the 
business plan. In reviewing the targets, the committee took into account 
a number of factors including for example the fact that in relation to 
group earnings, the minimum target that needs to be met in order for 
any bonus to be payable must be at least equal to the earnings in 2014. 
The committee considered the proposed targets relating to non-
financial measures and concluded that these were also demanding. 

Long Term Incentive Plan 
The level of awards due to be granted in the 2015 financial year 
under the LTIP approved by the shareholders at the 2014 AGM  
will be consistent with the remuneration policy. As for 2014, the 
Remuneration Committee considers that a combination of earnings 
per share growth, total shareholder return and cumulative cash flow 
targets are the most appropriate performance measures for the 
2015 awards, as they provide a transparent method of assessing  
the company’s performance, both in terms of underlying financial 
performance and returns to shareholders. 

Awards granted under the LTIP during the 2015 financial year are 
subject to the performance conditions listed in the table below:

PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR LONG TERM INCENTIVES AWARDED IN 2015

40% of each award granted

30% of each award granted

30% of each award granted

Average annual growth in 
EPS period ending on 31 
December in the third year
Less than 5% pa
5% pa (15% over 3 years)
+ 5 to 12% pa

Greater than + 12% pa 
(36% over 3 years)

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

Ranking against the  
bespoke comparator group 
by reference to TSR
Below median
Median
Between median and  
upper quartile
Upper quartile

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Average operating  
cash flow

Proportion of 
allocation vesting

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

<105%
105%
Between 105% and 125%

125%

Nil
25%
Pro-rata between 25% 
and 100%
100%

The company’s current policy is to use market purchased shares  
to satisfy LTIP awards. 

Adjustments to the EPS will be made in respect of:
•  Constant exchange rates – in line with previous years, these  

Participants in the LTIP will receive a further share award with  
a value equivalent to the dividends which would have been paid  
in respect of LTIP awards vesting at the end of the  
performance period. 

The company calculates whether the EPS performance targets  
have been achieved by reference to the company’s audited accounts 
which provide an accessible and objective measure of the 
company’s earnings per share. 

will be normalised to the rates in the base year

•  Acquisitions – earnings will be added to the EPS base at the level 

used in the acquisition business case

•  Disposals – earnings will be removed from the EPS base at the 

business plan rate

•  Share buy-back – the company will only execute buy-backs if the 
investment is economically accretive and it is in the interest of the 
company. The adjusted EPS for the purposes of calculating 
performance against the LTIP target shall be further adjusted by  
(a) increasing the average number of shares in issue during the 
performance year by the number of shares bought back during 
the past three years 
(b) Decreasing the net interest cost in the performance year in 
respect of the interest charge on the cash cost of any share buy 
backs during the past three years. Interest will be calculated at the 
group’s average costs of funds for the year.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  83 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  83 

GovernanceDirectors’ remuneration report continued

The Remuneration Committee will apply discretion in the event of impairment. If the impairment is not a result of management failure,  
then it will not impact the payout. 

The Remuneration Committee may alter the terms of the EPS measure if it feels that it is no longer a fair measure and is no longer 
incentivising. 

Operating cash flow is a measure taken before capital expenditure and investments to ensure that management is not incentivised to 
under-invest in growth opportunities. Operating cash flow is expressed as EBITDA +/- working capital and provisions movement as a 
percentage of EBITDA. Average operating cash flow is the average over three years. 

TSR ranking will be verified externally. 

Non-executive directors’ remuneration
The fees payable to the non-executive directors are set by the executive directors and the chairman. The fees payable to the non-executive 
chairman are set by the Remuneration Committee. In both cases, fees are reviewed mid-year.

ADVISORS TO THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
For 2014, the Remuneration Committee received advice from Deloitte as the committee’s appointed advisor on executive and senior 
management remuneration matters. Towers Watson provided management remuneration information in respect of senior management 
who are not on the board. The Remuneration Committee has satisfied itself as to the independence of Deloitte. Deloitte is a member  
of the Remuneration Consultants Group and operates voluntarily under its code of conduct in the UK. 

Advisor

Appointment

Services provided to Remuneration Committee

Towers Watson

2006

Information on executive remuneration and pay benchmarking

Fees for 
services to 
Rem Co
£23,005

Deloitte

2014

Advice on executive remuneration

£57,200

Alithos

2007

TSR – vesting indications for in-flight plans, verifying the TSR 
vesting percentage and advice on potential peer companies

£10,000

Other services provided to Company

Provision of market remuneration  
data for senior management, collation 
of pension data for accounting 
purposes and pensions advice
Advice on controls, tax advice on 
expatriate and share plans, and also 
provided other consulting services. 
These services were provided by 
different parts  
of Deloitte.
None

Fees for services to the Remuneration Committee are at an agreed rate based 
on time involved. 

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (HSF) provided legal advice to  
the company, including in relation to the operation of the  
company’s incentive arrangements and on executive directors’ 
service agreements. This advice was available to be considered by 
the Remuneration Committee. 

The group chief executive, Ashley Almanza, provided guidance  
to the Remuneration Committee on remuneration packages for 
senior executives within the group. Further guidance was received 
from the group’s HR director, Irene Cowden and the director of 
compensation and benefits Sok Wah Lee. Neither the group chief 
executive nor the group HR director participated in discussions 
regarding their own remuneration.

STATEMENT OF VOTING AT GENERAL MEETING 
At the company’s Annual General Meeting which took place on  
5 June 2014, two ordinary resolutions were passed, one to approve 
the Directors’ Remuneration Policy set out in the annual report for 
the year ended 31 December 2013 and another to receive and 
approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year ended  
31 December 2013. 

The results of the vote are set out in the table below:

Resolution
Directors’ Remuneration Policy
Directors’ Remuneration Report 

For
98.38%
98.25%

Against Withheld
787,216
37,767,285

1.62%
1.75% 

Mark Elliott
Remuneration Committee Chairman

The Remuneration Committee is satisfied that the advice it received 
during the year was objective and independent based on the 
experience of its members generally. 

26 March 2015

Information about who are the members of the Remuneration 
Committee and their attendance at meetings of the committee 
during the year under review can be found on page 71.

84  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
84  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
Directors’ report

This is the report of the directors of the board of G4S plc for  
the year ended 31 December 2014. 

1 The company
G4S plc is a parent company with subsidiaries, associated 
undertakings and joint ventures in numerous jurisdictions.  
G4S plc has its primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a 
secondary listing on the NASDAQ OMX exchange in Copenhagen.

2 Reporting obligations
In compliance with relevant listing rules and also DTR4.1.5.R  
and DTR4.1.8R, the annual report contains the consolidated result 
for the year, shown in the consolidated income statement on page 
99, a management statement contained in the Strategic Report and 
in the Directors’ report and responsibility statements on  
pages 85 to 88. 

Details of the development and performance of the group’s 
business during the year, its position at the year end, future 
developments, principal risks and uncertainties and prospects of  
the group and other information which fulfil the requirements of  
a management report are contained on pages 8 to 50 of the 
Strategic Report and are incorporated by reference in this 
Directors’ report. The Corporate governance report, the Audit 
Committee report and the Directors’ remuneration report set  
out on pages 51 to 84 and the chief financial officer’s review on 
pages 89 to 95 are also incorporated in this report by reference. 
The group’s financial risk management objectives and policies in 
relation to its use of financial instruments, and its exposure to price, 
credit, liquidity and cash flow risk, to the extent material, are set  
out in note 31 to the consolidated financial statements on pages 
137 to 141 which is also incorporated by reference in this  
Directors’ report.

3 Dividends
The directors propose the following net dividend for the year:
•  Interim dividend of 3.42p (DKK 0.3198) per share paid on  

17 October 2014

•  Final dividend of 5.82p (DKK 0.6041) per share payable on  

12 June 2015

Shareholders on the Danish VP register will receive their dividends 
in Danish kroner. Shareholders who hold their shares through 
CREST or in certificated form will receive their dividends in sterling 
unless they prefer to receive Danish kroner, in which case they 
should apply in writing to the Registrars by no later than  
7 May 2015.

4 Significant business acquisitions, disposals and 
developments
•  In January 2014, G4S Cash Solutions (Canada) Limited  

was disposed of in Canada. 

•  In January 2014, G4S Holdings (Norway) AS was disposed of  

in Norway. 

•  In March 2014, a settlement agreement was entered into with  
the Ministry of Justice in the UK in relation to contracts for 
electronic monitoring services provided between 2005 and 2013 
and two facilities management contracts.

•  In July, G4S Secure Solutions AB was disposed of in Sweden.
•  In November 2014, the US Government Solutions business  

was disposed of in the USA. 

•  In January 2015, refinancing of the multi-currency revolving  
credit facility agreement with a new principal amount of  
GBP 1,000,000,000 was completed.

5 Capital
The issued share capital of G4S plc at 31 December 2014 is as  
set out on page 151 (note 35 to the consolidated financial 
statements) and consisted of 1,551,594,436 ordinary share of  
25 pence each. The number of shares in issue as at 26 March 2015 
remains unchanged.

Resolutions granting the directors power, subject to certain 
conditions, to allot and make market purchases of the company’s 
shares will be proposed at the company’s Annual General Meeting. 
The resolutions are set out in the Notice of Meeting on pages 165 
and 166 and further explanation is provided on pages 169 and 170. 
At 31 December 2014 the directors had authority in accordance 
with a resolution passed at the company’s Annual General Meeting 
held on 5 June 2014 to make market purchases of up to 
155,159,000 of the company’s shares.

The company does not hold any treasury shares as such. However 
the 6,408,450 shares held within the G4S Employee Benefit Trust 
(“the Trust”) and referred to on page 151 (note 36 to the 
consolidated financial statement) are accounted for as treasury 
shares. The Trust has waived its right to receive dividends in  
respect of the company’s shares which it held during the period 
under review.

6 Significant agreements 
The company was party to a GBP 1,100,000,000 multi-currency 
revolving credit facility agreement which required prompt 
notification of a change of control event following which funds 
committed but unutilised could be cancelled and repayment of 
outstanding commitments would need to be made within 45 days.

This facility was refinanced, effective 7 January 2015, with a new 
principal amount of GBP 1,000,000,000. The change of control 
clause remains unchanged.

The company entered into two US Private Placement Note 
Purchase Agreements (the “USPP Agreements”), on 1 March 2007 
and 15 July 2008 respectively. The first USPP Agreement is for  
USD 550,000,000 and series B-D senior notes representing  
USD 450,000,000 remain outstanding and mature between  
1 March 2017 and 1 March 2022. The second USPP Agreement  
is for USD 513,500,000 and GBP 69,000,000 and series B-F senior 
notes representing USD 448,500,000 and GBP 69,000,000 remain 
outstanding and mature between 15 July 2015 and 15 July 2020. 
Under the terms of both USPP Agreements, the company is 
required to offer the note holders the right to purchase the  
notes at par value together with interest thereon upon a change  
of control.

Under the terms of the GBP 2,000,000,000 Euro Medium  
Term Note Programme the company issued three tranches of 
Medium Term Notes (MTNs) to various institutions on 13 May 
2009 (GBP 350,000,000), 2 May 2012 (Euro 600,000,000) and  
6 December 2012 (Euro 500,000,000), In the event of a change  
of control, a put option comes into force, according to which 
holders of any MTN may require the company to redeem the 
MTNs at par if the MTNs carry a sub-investment grade in the 
period immediately prior to the change of control, or in certain 
circumstances where the MTNs are downgraded to sub-investment 
as a result of the change of control.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  85 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  85 

GovernanceDirectors’ report continued

7 Research and development expenditure
Research in connection with the development of new services  
and products and the improvement of those currently provided  
by the group is carried out continuously. Research and development 
written-off to profit and loss during the year amounted to  
£10m (2013: £5m).

8 Employees
For the group’s business to be successful and sustainable in the 
future, the directors recognise the importance of having highly 
engaged employees. They act as ambassadors for the G4S brand  
by providing great customer service and many want to stay with the 
organisation long term. To continually improve levels of employee 
engagement, the group aligns its strategies to the PRIDE model 
which sets out how the group should protect, respect, involve, 
develop and engage people. Businesses develop their own 
employee engagement plans based on feedback obtained from a 
group-wide biennial employee survey where the questions asked 
relate to the PRIDE model. In the last survey in 2013, over 380,000 
employees shared their views about how they felt about working 
for G4S and for the last 12 months plans have been implemented 
to respond to the issues they raised.

As an organisation with a hugely diverse workforce, the group  
has opportunities for generating innovative ideas and creating 
competitive advantage. The group’s ability to leverage this advantage 
is best achieved if an environment is created where employees  
feel included and able to share their own ideas and challenge other 
people’s. To help create such an environment the group has 
employment policies and procedures that do not discriminate and 
make it clear that behaviours that seek to undermine the dignity  
of others will not be tolerated. These policies cover aspects of 
employment such as recruitment and training, development and 
promotion opportunities. They are intended to ensure that the 
group is able to reach the widest talent pools in order to source  
the best people. Once recruited, the group wants to enable people 
to reach their full potential regardless of their background or any 
disabilities. The group’s inclusive approach to employment and 
efforts to support employees who face challenges when they 
become disabled in the course of their work are some of the  
many reasons why over 80% of respondents in the last employee 
engagement survey stated that they would recommend G4S as  
an employer to a friend.

Protecting the group’s employees is important not only as one of 
the drivers of engagement, but also as a business priority given the 
group’s challenging and sometimes hostile operating environments. 
Having robust security practices helps ensure the safety of the 
group’s own employees as well as those of its customers, so that 
both can perform their duties without fear of harm. As well as these 
procedures, the group has a clearly defined health and safety 
strategy and management system that identifies the actions needed 
for businesses to improve their safety performance. This includes 
communication and consultation with employees on matters of 
health and safety. Safety committees and representatives fulfil a vital 
role in raising potential problems, reinforcing safety messages and 
updating processes and procedures as operations change. 

In the last 12 months the group has accelerated its efforts to 
embed a health and safety culture with the addition of ‘safety first’ 
as a core value, the delivery of a series of toolkits and templates  
to improve road safety awareness and the provision of on-line 
training about safety leadership. There is much more to do and 
efforts will continue in 2015 to protect the group’s people and 
work towards its goal of zero harm.

The group is committed to union relations at global, European  
and local country and business unit levels and has both a  
well-established international framework agreement with the  
global union federation, UNI, and a European Works Council.  
Some of the group’s union relationships have existed for over a 
decade, with high levels of trust and respect developed on both 
sides. Regular meetings with employee representatives take place 
with consultation and communication including updates on the 
company’s performance and any financial or economic factors 
affecting it. The meetings also enable businesses to gather  
feedback on employee views about proposed changes and any 
concerns which may otherwise escalate if not addressed quickly.  
In non-unionised businesses, other employee forums and 
communication channels such as newsletters and employee 
briefings are used to ensure people are updated regularly on the 
company’s performance and have the opportunity to ask questions 
on matters likely to affect their interests. 

9 Financial instruments
Details of the financial risk management objectives and policies  
of the group and exposure to interest risk, credit risk, liquidity risk 
and foreign exchange risk are given in note 31 to the consolidated 
financial statements.

10 Political donations 
Each year the company’s shareholders have passed a resolution,  
on a precautionary basis to allow the company and its subsidiaries 
to make political donations to political organisations or incur 
political expenditure not exceeding £50,000. However the board 
confirms that the group’s policy is not to make any financial 
contribution to political parties and that the company and its 
subsidiaries have made no contributions during the year to political 
parties carrying on activities, or to candidates seeking election 
within the EU, or anywhere else in the world.

11 Greenhouse gas emissions
Alongside the risks faced by people and infrastructure from climate 
change are the challenges presented by the economic climate. 
Increased fuel costs and the introduction of “carbon taxes” ensure 
that energy efficiency and environmental impact remain important 
to the effectiveness and sustainability of our business. We recognise 
the impact that our business activities can have on the environment 
and are committed to managing this impact in a responsible manner. 
Through our climate action programme we measure, report and 
aim to reduce the intensity of our environmental impact.

What we are doing
Since 2008 we have used WBCSD* and WRI GHG** protocols  
to measure our Scope 1 and 2 emissions – vehicle fleet, fuel, 
refrigerants and electricity usage for G4S businesses over which  
we have financial and operational control. In addition we have 
measured Scope 3 emissions from employee business air travel.

86  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
86  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

The businesses that reported data in our 2014 GHG measurement 
represent 95.4% of the group’s operations, across a 12 month 
period. This level of measurement, including each of our main 
service types, allows us to calculate reliably the total GHG  
emissions for 100% of the group.

How we are performing
The G4S total carbon footprint during 2014, extrapolated to 100% 
of the business equates to some 538,303 t/CO2e. Since 2010, our 
carbon intensity has decreased by 15.7% per £m of revenue. This 
reduction translates to a real reduction of 5.6% in carbon emissions 
against a 24.6% growth in the business during the same period, 
much of which includes carbon emissions from services which our 
customers have outsourced to G4S. This is a positive achievement 
which recognises the efforts made to increase the energy and fuel 
efficiency of our business.

*  World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

**  World Resources Institute greenhouse gas.

GHG emissions

(Based on 95.4% measurement)
Vehicles (inc refrigerants)
Total buildings (inc refrigerants)
Including electricity emissions of
Air travel

2013

2014
319,902 322,674
169,435 157,031
129,352 124,000
20,925
23,793

Carbon intensity

Tonnes CO2e per 
£m turnover

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

90.5

85.4

79.3

81.4

76.3

Due to a failure of our supplier’s management systems it has  
been necessary to estimate 33% of our UK energy consumption 
during 2014, equating to some 2% of our overall energy usage. 

To estimate this figure, we calculated an average daily consumption 
rate based on our previous usage, taking national weather and 
temperature data into account, this was then extrapolated to  
cover the missing period.

Priorities for 2015
Continue to implement energy efficiency strategies with the aim  
of reducing carbon intensity by at least 4.5% per annum.

For further details of our climate action programme, please  
visit www.g4s.com/cap

12 Substantial holdings
The company had been notified under DTR 5 of the following 
interests in the ordinary capital of G4S plc:

As at 31.12.2014

Invesco
Tweedy, Brown Company LLC
College Retirement Equities Fund

217,113,381(13.99%)
71,420,862 (5.06%)* 
49,655,900 (3.2%)

13 Auditor
A resolution to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, chartered 
accountants, as auditor to the company for 2015 and for their 
remuneration to be fixed by the Audit Committee will be 
submitted to the Annual General Meeting. The financial statements 
on pages 99 to 164 have been audited by KPMG Audit Plc.

14 Directors
The directors, biographical details of whom are contained on  
pages 52 and 53, held office throughout the year.

In accordance with the code provisions on re-election of directors 
in the UK Corporate Governance Code 2012, each of the directors 
continuing in office will offer themselves for re-election. Messrs 
Gibson and Seligman will retire from the board at the conclusion  
of the company’s Annual General Meeting in 2015 and will not 
therefore stand for re-election. The board believes that the directors 
standing for re-election possess experience and expertise relevant 
to the company’s operations; that they continue to be effective; that 
they are committed to the success of the company; and that they 
should be re-elected at the Annual General Meeting.

The contracts of service of the executive directors have no 
unexpired term since they are not for a fixed term. They are 
terminable at 12 months’ notice. None of the non-executive 
directors has a contract of service. 

The company has executed deeds of indemnity for the benefit  
of each of the directors in respect of liabilities which may attach to 
them in their capacity as directors of the company. These deeds are 
qualifying third party indemnity provisions as defined by section 234 
of the Companies Act 2006 and have been in effect since  
3 November 2006 for Messrs Elliott, Seligman and Gibson,  
14 June 2010 for Ms Spottiswoode, 1 October 2010 for Ms Fok,  
8 June 2012 for Mr Connolly, 1 January 2013 for Messrs Spence and 
Crozier, 1 April 2013 for Mr Weller,1 May 2013 for Mr Almanza and 
7 October 2013 for Mr Raja. Copies of the forms of indemnity are 
available on the company’s website. In addition, indemnities have 
been granted by the company in favour of certain of the directors 
of certain of the group’s subsidiaries in the UK, Germany and the 
Netherlands. The company has maintained a directors’ and officers’ 
liability insurance policy throughout the year under review.

Details of directors’ interests (including the interests of their 
connected persons) in the share capital of G4S plc and of the 
directors’ remuneration are set out on pages 70 to 84.

The directors who held office at the date of approval of this 
Directors’ report confirm that, so far as they are each aware,  
there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s 
auditor is unaware and each director has taken all the steps that  
he or she ought to have taken as a director to make him or herself 
aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the 
company’s auditor is aware of that information.

None of the directors had a material interest in any contract 
significant to the business of the group during the financial year.

*  notification received prior to the issue of 140,925,757 new shares on  
28 August 2013, therefore percentage based on total shares in issue  
prior to that date. 

Between 1.1.2015 and 26.3.2015

College Retirement Equities Fund

47,686,279 (3.073%)

By order of the board

Peter David
Company Secretary

26 March 2015 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  87 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  87 

GovernanceDirectors’ responsibilities

Statement of directors’ responsibilities in respect of the 
annual report and the financial statements
The directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report  
and the group and parent company financial statements in 
accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare group and parent 
company financial statements for each financial year. Under that law 
they are required to prepare the group financial statements in 
accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU and applicable law  
and have elected to prepare the parent company financial 
statements in accordance with UK Accounting Standards.

Under company law the directors must not approve the financial 
statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair 
view of the state of affairs of the group and parent company and  
of their profit or loss for that period. In preparing each of the  
group and parent company financial statements, the directors are 
required to:
•  select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

consistently;

•  make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
•  for the group financial statements, state whether they have been 

prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU;
•  for the parent company financial statements, state whether 

applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject 
to any material departures disclosed and explained in the parent 
company financial statements; and

•  prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis 
unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group and the 
parent company will continue in business. 

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting 
records that are sufficient to show and explain the parent 
company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any 
time the financial position of the parent company and enable them 
to ensure that its financial statements comply with the Companies 
Act 2006. They have general responsibility for taking such steps as 
are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the group 
and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Under applicable law and regulations, the directors are also 
responsible for preparing a Strategic Report, Directors’ Report, 
Directors’ remuneration report and Corporate governance 
statement that comply with that law and those regulations.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity  
of the corporate and financial information included on the 
company’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation 
and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation 
in other jurisdictions.

Directors’ responsibility statement
Each of the directors, the names of whom are set out on pages  
52 and 53 of this annual report, confirm that, to the best of his or 
her knowledge:
•  the financial statements in this annual report have been prepared 
in accordance with the applicable accounting standards and give  
a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and 
profit of the company and the group taken as a whole; and 
•  the management report required by DTR4.1.8R (contained in  
the Strategic Report and the Directors’ report) includes a fair 
review of the development and performance of the business  
and the position of the company and the group taken as a whole, 
together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties 
they face.

The Strategic Report from the inside front cover to page 50  
and pages 89 to 95 includes information on the group structure, the 
performance of the business and the principal risks and 
uncertainties it faces. The financial statements on pages 99 to  
164 include information on the group and the company’s financial 
results, financial outlook, cash flow and net debt and balance sheet 
positions. Notes 22, 26, 27, 30 and 31 to the consolidated financial 
statements include information on the group’s investments, cash and 
cash equivalents, borrowings, derivatives, financial risk management 
objective, hedging policies and exposure to interest, foreign 
exchange, credit, liquidity and market risks. In addition to the above, 
the directors have considered the group’s cash flow forecast for the 
next 12 months. The directors are satisfied that these cash flow 
forecasts, taking into account reasonably possible risk sensitivities 
associated with them and the group’s current funding and facilities 
and its funding strategy show that the group will continue to 
operate for the foreseeable future.

Accordingly, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the 
group and the company will continue to operate within the level  
of available funding for the foreseeable future and it is therefore 
appropriate to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the 
financial statements.

The directors consider that the annual report and accounts, taken 
as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the company’s 
performance, business model and strategy. 

The statement of directors’ responsibilities and the Strategic  
Report was approved by a duly authorised committee of the board 
of directors on 26 March 2015 and signed on its behalf by 
Himanshu Raja, chief financial officer.

Himanshu Raja
Chief Financial Officer

26 March 2015

88  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
88  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Himanshu Raja
Chief Financial Officer

Disciplined financial 
and risk management

We have made good progress in embedding a 
new and robust financial and risk framework 
into the business and building the capability 
to ensure that the change is enduring.

Introduction
We made good progress during the year in executing our strategic 
plans; this is reflected in the progress in our financial performance. 

The group’s revenue from continuing operations increased by  
3.9% to £6,750m. PBITA was £424m1, a 7.9% increase on £393m2  
in 2013, and earnings grew by 11.7% to £210m.

Revenue in our emerging markets grew by 8.9% to £2,398m and 
now represents 36% (2013: 34%) of the group’s total revenue and 
40% (2013: 40%) of the group’s PBITA. In our developed markets, 
revenue increased by 1.4% to £4,352m with growth of 6.9% in 
North America and modest declines in the UK and Europe of  
1.3% and 0.6%. PBITA in both emerging and developed markets 
grew faster than revenue reflecting good operating leverage  
across our markets.

Other specific items in the current year were a net £66m charge 
and resulted from increases in provisions for contract losses of 
£45m relating to UK government contracts, the re-measurement of 
certain balance sheet assets and liabilities and other items of £32m 
and a net £10m charge relating to losses from smaller portfolio 
entities being sold or ceased and interest and tax from joint 
ventures. These charges were offset by a pension settlement gain of 
£21m relating to the transfer of the Netherlands secure solutions 
defined benefit pension scheme into an industry-wide scheme. 

Our restructuring programmes in 2013 and 2014 continued to 
deliver good returns; making the group more efficient and effective 
in its operating and overhead base. During 2014, we invested a 
further £29m in restructuring programmes, principally in the UK  
& Ireland to bring the Ireland business under UK management and 
to introduce a shared services centre in the region; and in  
Europe we accelerated some of the best practice plans to reduce 
our overheads.

The group also recognised a profit of £63m on discontinued 
operations principally from the sale of the cash solutions business  
in Canada, the businesses in Sweden and Norway and the disposal 
of US Government Solutions for combined gross proceeds of 
£177m. We now operate in over 110 countries. Portfolio 
management remains an important discipline in ensuring we 
maintain strategic focus, capital discipline and disciplined financial 
management across the group. 

PBIT for the year was £270m compared with the loss of £67m  
in 2013. Total profit for the year was £169m compared with a loss 
of £351m in 2013. 

The group has previously highlighted its focus on cash and free  
cash flow, and it is pleasing to report that cash flow from continuing 
operations improved by 11% to £553m (2013: £496m). There 
remains more to do to improve our operational processes around 
billing and cash collections and this remains a key target for 2015.

The group’s net debt at 31 December 2014 was £1,578m  
(2013: £1,552m) resulting in a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.8. 

In January 2015 the group renewed its £1.1bn revolving credit 
facility. We saw good demand for the new facility of £1bn which 
matures in January 2020, with the option of two one year 
extensions which if exercised give the group facilities through  
to January 2021 and January 2022 respectively. 

Underlying EPS was 13.6p, up 5.4% on 12.9p in 2013 and total 
earnings per share was 9.8p, compared with loss per share of 24.7p 
in 2013. The group has declared a final dividend of 5.82p (2013: 
5.54p), making the total dividend for the year 9.24p (2013: 8.96p).

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  89 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  89 

Financial statementsChief Financial Officer’s review continued

Strengthening our capability
During 2014, we made good progress in strengthening our financial 
and risk management across the group.

We made a number of key changes across the finance organisation 
with the appointment of a new group financial controller; and 
appointed new regional finance directors in four of our six regions. 
They in turn have begun to strengthen the finance capability in their 
teams. We also went live on the first phase of our regional shared 
service centres for the UK & Ireland, and are developing plans to 
implement similar shared services in some of our other regions.

We brought together our risk and audit functions with the 
appointment of a Director of Risk and Audit.

We made progress in embedding our three lines of defence  
model with the introduction of regional risk and audit committees. 
These provide a key forum to review the regional level risks for 

each region, mitigations and actions and a quarterly review  
of internal and external audit matters arising and any key 
judgements. Significant matters arising from the regional risk  
and audit committee are reported to the Board Audit Committee 
by the Director of Risk and Audit.

As reported under the governance report, we have also 
strengthened our contract risk and management processes.

Outlook
Our strategic plan addresses a positive, long term demand outlook 
for our core services and seeks to deliver sustainable, profitable 
growth. We are making good progress with the implementation of 
our strategic plan and this was clearly reflected in the group’s 
commercial, operational and financial performance in 2014. There 
remains much to be done to realise the full potential of our strategy 
and we expect to make further progress in 2015. 

GROUP FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Summary income statement 
For the year ended 31 December 2014 

Revenue 
PBITA before restructuring costs 
Restructuring costs
PBITA 
Amortisation
Goodwill impairment
Acquisition-related expenses
Profit on disposal of subsidiaries
PBIT 
Interest 
PBT 
Tax 
PAT 
Discontinued operations
Profit/(loss) for the year 
Non-controlling interests 
Profit/(loss) attributable to equity holders of the parent
Earnings per share: Basic and diluted 

Specific items

Underlying 
results1 
2014 
£m
6,750 
424 
–
424 
–
–
– 
– 
424 
(120) 
304 
(76) 
228 
– 
228 
(18) 
210 
13.6p 

Other specific 
items 
2014 
£m 
98
(66) 
(29)
(95)
–
–
–
–
(95) 
(2)
(97) 
21
(76) 
63
(13) 
1
(12)

Acquisition 
related 
charges 
2014 
£m
– 
– 
–
– 
(58) 
–
(1)
–
(59) 
– 
(59) 
13 
(46) 
– 
(46)
– 
(46) 

Total 
2014 
£m 
6,848 
358 
(29)
329
(58)
–
(1) 
–
270 
(122)
148 
(42)
106 
63
169 
(17)
152 
9.8p 

Underlying

results1 
20132
£m
6,496
393
–
393
–
–
–
–
393
(122)
271
(68)
203
–
203
(15)
188
12.9p

Total 
results
20132
£m
6,615
86
(63)
23
(69)
(41)
(4)
24
(67)
(123)
(190)
(47)
(237)
(114)
(351)
(8)
(359)
(24.7)p

Reconciliation of summary income statement to consolidated income statement:
The table below reconciles revenue and PBITA as originally presented in the prior year consolidated income statement to the results 
presented in the current year consolidated income statement.

Statutory results as reported
Effect of discontinued operations
Effect of adoption of IFRS10 and IFRS11
Restated results reported in consolidated income statement
Portfolio businesses and joint ventures
Exchange differences
Restated results as reported in the summary income statement

90  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
90  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

2014
Revenue
£m
6,848
–
–
6,848
(98)
–
6,750

2014
PBITA
£m
414
–
–
414
10
–
424

2013
Revenue
£m
7,428
(145)
(222)
7,061
(119)
(446)
6,496

2013
PBITA
£m
442
(4)
(21)
417
5
(29)
393

Basis of preparation
The following discussion and analysis is based on, and should be 
read in conjunction with, the consolidated financial statements, 
including the related notes, that form part of this annual report.  
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB and as adopted by the 
EU. A reconciliation of the summary income statement to the 
statutory results is set out on page 90.

To clearly present the underlying results of the group, PBITA 
represents the underlying continuing profit before interest, tax and 
amortisation of the group, excluding the interest and tax from joint 
ventures and the profits and losses of smaller portfolio businesses 
being sold or ceased, in line with the group’s strategy. Specific items 
have been disclosed separately. The prior year income statement 
comparative information is shown at constant exchange rates on 
pages 89 to 95, unless otherwise stated. The statutory results of the 
group at actual exchange rates are set out on pages 99 to 155.

Specific items are those that in management’s judgment need to  
be disclosed separately by virtue of their size, nature or incidence. 
Specific items also include provisions for onerous contracts, 
non-recurring restructuring costs, remeasurement of certain  
assets and liabilities and the profit and losses from smaller  
portfolio businesses.

Revenue
Revenue was £6,750m, an increase of 3.9% on 2013. Organic 
growth was impacted by the loss of three significant contracts in  
the UK, Netherlands and Australia. 

Emerging markets grew 8.9% year on year and, with revenues  
of £2.4bn, now represent 36% of group revenue (2013: 34%). 
Developed markets revenues were 1.4% higher than the prior  
year with growth in North America of 6.9% offset by a small decline 
in Europe of 0.6%. As expected, UK & Ireland revenues declined by 
1.3% as the Electronic Monitoring contract ended in Q1 2014 and 
due to contract rationalisation.

Gross margin and PBITA

Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Gross margin (%)
Selling, general and administrative costs
PBITA

2014 
£m
6,750
(5,409)
1,341
19.9%
(917)
424

2013 
£m
6,496
(5,202)
1,294
19.9%
(901)
393

Gross margin for the year ended 31 December 2014 remained  
at the same level as the prior year. Developed markets gross  
margin remained constant year on year at 18.7%, emerging markets 
gross margins declined by 20 basis points to 22.0% (2013: 22.2%). 
Across the group gross margin benefited from our targeted 
restructuring programmes and from the progress on our 
accelerated best practice programmes on direct labour efficiency, 
route planning and telematics. 

Our selling, general and administrative expenses were £917m,  
a 1.8% increase year on year. This was after the investment of  
£20m we made in sales and business development capability.  
There remains much to do to continue to drive productivity across 
the group. We will continue to seek more efficiency in our 
organisation and to introduce more efficient and leaner processes.

PBITA
PBITA of £424m up 7.9% (2013: £393m) represents the ongoing 
operations of the group. PBITA margin increased to 6.3%  
(2013: 6.0%) benefiting from the progress on our Accelerated  
Best Practice programmes on direct labour efficiency, route planning 
and telematics, focus on organisational efficiency. It included the 
investment of £20m annualised we made in sales and business 
development capability. Corporate costs reflect the investment in 
financial control risk management, procurement and IT capability, 
together with an increase in non-cash items, resulting in a  
£12m increase principally related to pensions and LTIPs.

2013 PBITA has been restated to adjust for discontinued operations, 
portfolio businesses that have been sold or discontinued and for the 
impact of adopting the new consolidation and joint arrangement 
standards (IFRS10 and IFRS11). PBITA also excludes interest and  
tax relating to joint ventures, which are presented on the associated 
lines in the summary income statement.

Specific items
Specific items have been disclosed separately from the underlying 
results to provide a clear understanding of the underlying trading 
performance of the group.

Other Specific items

Contracts review
Review of assets and liabilities
Pension settlement gain
Portfolio businesses and joint ventures
Restructuring
Discontinued operations and profit on 
disposal
Tax, interest and NCI

2014 
£m
(45)
(32)
21
(10)
(29)

63
20
(12)

2013 
£m
(136)
(166)
–
(5)
(63)

(90)
6
(454)

Other specific items that have been charged to PBITA in 2014 
totalled £95m (2013: £370m) and comprised:
•  £45m increase in provisions for legacy UK Government contracts. 

In 2013 a provision £136m was taken on onerous contracts, 
including £116m for the Electronic Monitoring contract which 
was settled in March 2014.

•  A net £11m charge, mainly arising from the re-measurement  
of the 2013 review of assets and liabilities of £32m, offset by a 
pension settlement gain of £21m in the Netherlands. In the prior 
year the group provided £166m against certain assets and 
liabilities as part of the 2013 review.

•  A net £10m charge, being the profit and losses from the smaller 
portfolio entities being sold or ceased and interest and tax from 
joint ventures.

•  The group invested £29m in restructuring programmes during 

the year (2013: £63m), including programmes in the UK & Ireland. 
In addition, major programmes were continued in Europe 
implementing accelerated best practice programmes focused  
on organisational effectiveness and back office synergies. 

In 2013 £41m was written off goodwill on acquisitions and the 
group recognised a gain of £24m following the disposal of the 
Colombia Data Solutions business.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  91 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  91 

Financial statements 
 
Chief Financial Officer’s review continued

Amortisation and impairment
Acquisition-related intangible assets included in the balance sheet  
at 31 December 2014 consisted of £1,939m goodwill,  
£83m acquisition-related intangible assets and £82m other 
intangible assets.

The charge for the year for the amortisation of acquisition-related 
intangible assets other than goodwill amounted to £58m  
(2013: £69m).

Goodwill is not amortised, but it is tested for impairment annually  
and the group did not incur any impairment charge to continuing  
or discontinued operations for 2014. In 2013 the group incurred a 
charge of £41m (at constant exchange rates) relating to goodwill 
impairment. See note 18 on page 128 for details of the results of 
the group’s impairment test for the year ended 31 December 2014.

Interest and tax
Net interest payable on net debt was £100m (2013: £103m); 
benefiting from lower interest rates and a decrease in 2014 average 
net debt. The pension interest charge was £22m (2013: £20m), 
resulting in total net interest costs of £122m (2013: £123m).

The effective tax rate for the year on underlying earnings was  
25% (2013: 25%).

Discontinued operations
The profit from discontinued operations of £63m comprised  
£71m of profit on disposal, offset by losses from discontinued 
operations of £8m. 

The profit on disposal arises from the sale of the cash solutions 
business in Canada, the businesses in Sweden and Norway and  
the disposal of the US Government solutions business in  
November 2014. 

Proceeds received on the disposal of businesses was £177m during 
2014 (comprising £159m cash proceeds and £18m relating to the 
settlement of outstanding leases). A further $55m mainly relating  
to retained receivables is due to be received over the next  
18 months from the US Government solutions business of which 
$15m was received in January 2015.

Joint ventures
The group has adopted the three new consolidation standards: 
IFRS10 ‘Consolidated Financial Statements’, IFRS11 ‘Joint 
Arrangements’ and IFRS12 ‘Disclosure of Interests in Other  
Entities’ for the year ended 31 December 2014. For more details  
on the impact of adopting these standards please see note 3(w).

The adoption of these new standards resulted in certain group 
businesses being re-classified from subsidiaries to joint ventures  
and therefore changing from being fully consolidated to  
equity accounted.

As a result of adopting these standards the group has restated  
its prior year results which reduced revenue for the year ended  
31 December 2013 by £222m and reduced PBITA by £21m  
(both at 2013 exchange rates). The entities affected are largely in 
the Middle East with a lower or zero effective rate of tax, and have 
the effect of increasing the group’s effective tax rate on underlying 
PBT to 25%. 

Non-controlling interest
Underlying profit attributable to non-controlling interests was  
£18m in 2014, an increase on £15m for 2013, mainly due to the 
partners’ share of profit increasing in certain strongly performing 
businesses in the Asia Middle East region. Total profit attributable to 
non-controlling interests was £17m in 2014, an increase on £8m 
due to the partners’ share of specific items charges in 2013.

Profit for the year 
The group made a total underlying profit attributable to equity 
holders (‘earnings’) of £210m (2013: £188m), an increase of  
12% for the year ended 31 December 2014.

The group made a profit of £169m (2013: loss of £351m) for the 
year after specific items, interest, tax, amortisation and the results  
of discontinued operations.

Earnings per share (EPS)

Underlying earnings per share

2013 
at constant 
exchange rates 
£m
203
15

2013 
at actual 
exchange rates 
£m
222
15

188

207

2014 
£m
228
18

210

1,545
13.6p

1,452
12.9p

1,452
14.3p

Total earnings/(loss) per share

2013 
at constant 
exchange rates 
£m
(351)
8

2013 
at actual 
exchange rates 
£m
(357)
8

(359)

(365)

2014 
£m
169
17

152

1,545
9.8p

1,452
(24.7)p

1,452
(25.1)p

Profit for the year
Non-controlling interest
Profit attributable  
to shareholders
Average number of  
shares (m)
EPS (p)

Profit/(loss) for the year
Non-controlling interest
Profit/(loss) attributable  
to shareholders
Average number of  
shares (m)
EPS (p)

Underlying earnings per share increased to 13.6p (2013:12.9p).  
Total earnings per share was 9.8p (2013: loss per share 24.7p). 
These are based on weighted average number of shares in  
issue of 1,545m (2013: 1,452m).

Underlying earnings excludes the results from discontinued 
operations and smaller portfolio entities being sold, amortisation 
and impairment of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-
related costs and specific items, all net of tax. This better allows the 
assessment of operational performance, the analysis of trends over 
time, the comparison of different businesses and the projection  
of future performance.

92  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
92  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Cash flow
A reconciliation of profit/(loss) to movement in net debt is 
presented below, with 2014 presented at the actual rates in the 
year and the prior year presented at 2013 exchange rates:

Profit/(loss) retained for the year

Adjustments for non-cash and  
other items (page 102)
Net cash flow from operating activities 
of continuing operations

Adjustments to exclude:
Pension deficit payments
Electronic Monitoring payments  
(including fees)
Restructuring investment
Corporate items (see below)
Cash flow from operating businesses

Corporate items:
Electronic Monitoring contracts receivable 
(2013: Olympics receivable)
Cash flow from continuing operations
Cash from discontinued operations
Net cash generated by operations
Investment in the business
Purchase of fixed assets, net of disposals
Restructuring spend
Acquisitions of businesses
Disposal proceeds
Net debt in disposed entities
Net movement in finance leases
Net investment in the business
Net cash flow after investing in the 
business
Other (uses)/sources of funds
Net financing
Tax
Pensions
Dividends
Share capital
Electronic Monitoring (including fees)
Other3
Net uses of funds
Net cash flow after investment, financing 
and tax
Net debt at beginning of year
Foreign exchange
Net debt at end of year

2014 
£m
152

196

348

42

116
47
(27) 
526 

27 
553
(12)
541

(122)
(47)
(3)
159
(12)
(9)
(34)

2013 
£m
(365)

789 

424 

38

–
34
(76)
420 

76 
496
31
527

(167)
(34)
(23)
35
(12)
(12)
(213)

507

314

(114)
(81)
(42)
(149)
–
(116)
(23)
(525)

(108)
(83)
(38)
(151)
343
–
18
(19)

(18)
(1,552)
(8)
(1,578)

295
(1,829)
(18)
(1,552)

Cash generated from continuing operations was £553m  
(2013: £496m). Operating cash flow from operating businesses  
was £526m (2013: £420m) before corporate items. 2013 included 
£76m relating to the 2012 Olympics and 2014 included the £27m 
receipt following the Electronic Monitoring contract settlement with 
the UK Government. The group invested £122m in capex, net of 
asset disposals in the year (2013: £167m) and received proceeds  
of £177m from the disposal of portfolio businesses (including £18m 
for the settlement of outstanding leases). 

The net cash flow after investing in the business and proceeds  
from portfolio rationalisation was £507m (2013: £314m),  
an increase of 61%.

Net debt
The net debt position as at 31 December 2014 was £1,578m 
(2013: £1,552m). The group’s net debt to EBITDA ratio was 2.8  
(2013: 2.8). 

Net debt maturity
The group’s credit rating was confirmed by Standard & Poor’s  
as BBB- (Stable) in August 2014. As of 31 December 2014 the 
group had access to unutilised and committed facilities of £998m. 
The group has sufficient borrowing capacity to finance its current 
and medium term investment plans.

The group has no material debt maturities until May 2017 and has  
a diverse range of finance providers. Borrowings are principally in 
pounds sterling, US dollars and Euros, reflecting the geographies of 
significant operational assets and profits.

The group’s primary source of bank finance is a £1.1bn  
multi-currency revolving credit facility (‘RCF’) provided by a 
consortium of lending banks at a margin of 1.3% over LIBOR, 
maturing on 16 March 2016. 

The RCF was successfully renewed on 7 January 2015 with 
improved pricing, terms and conditions achieved. The new facility is 
a five-year £1bn committed facility with the option of two one-year 
extensions which, if exercised, gives the group facilities through 2021 
and 2022 respectively. The initial margin over LIBOR is 70 bps.

The group also has US $450m in financing outstanding from the 
private placement of unsecured senior loan notes on 1 March 2007, 
maturing at various dates between 2017 and 2022 and bearing 
interest at rates between 5.86% and 6.06%. The fixed interest rates 
payable have been swapped into floating rates for the term of the 
notes, at an average margin of 0.60% over LIBOR.

On 15 July 2008, the group completed a further US $514m and 
£69m private placement of unsecured senior loan notes, of which 
US $449m and £69m remain outstanding, maturing at various dates 
between 2015 and 2020 and bearing interest at rates between 
6.43% and 7.56%. US $200m of the loan note proceeds have been 
swapped into £101m fixed rate sterling for the term of the notes 
and the interest rate on £44m swapped to floating rate linked to six 
month LIBOR until July 2017.

On 13 May 2009 the group issued a £350m note bearing an 
interest rate of 7.75% and maturing in 2019. In April 2014 the fixed 
interest rate payable on the note was swapped to floating rate 
linked to six month LIBOR until May 2017.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  93 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  93 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financing and treasury activities
The group’s treasury function is responsible for ensuring the 
availability of cost effective finance and for managing the group’s 
financial risk arising from currency and interest rate volatility and 
counterparty credit. Treasury is not a profit centre and it is not 
permitted to speculate in financial instruments. The treasury 
department’s policies are set by the board. Treasury is subject to  
the controls appropriate to the risks it manages. These risks are 
discussed in note 31 on pages 137 to 141.

To assist the efficient management of the group’s interest costs,  
the group operates a multi-currency notional pooling cash 
management system with a wholly owned subsidiary of an A-rated 
bank. At year end, credit balances of £300m were pooled with debit 
balances of £301m, resulting in a net pool debit balance of £1m. 
There is legal right of set off under the pooling agreement and an 
overdraft facility of £3m.

Interest rate risk and interest rate swaps
The group’s investments and borrowings at 31 December 2014 
were a mix of fixed rates of interest and floating rates of interest 
linked to LIBOR and EURIBOR.

The private placement notes in March 2007 and July 2008 and the 
public notes in May 2009, May 2012 and December 2012 were all 
issued at fixed rates, whilst the group’s investments and bank 
borrowings were all at variable rates of interest linked to LIBOR  
and EURIBOR.

The group’s interest risk policy requires Treasury to fix a proportion 
of its interest exposure on a sliding scale in US dollars, sterling and 
Euro, using the natural mix of fixed and floating interest rates 
emanating from the bond and bank markets and by utilising interest 
rate and cross currency swaps. Part of the proceeds of the private 
placement and public notes have been swapped to floating interest 
rates and accounted for as fair value hedges, with a net gain at  
31 December 2014 of £49m. The market value of the pay-fixed 
receive-variable swaps and the pay-fixed receive-fixed cross 
currency swaps outstanding at 31 December 2014, accounted for  
as cash flow hedges, was a net gain of £9m.

Chief Financial Officer’s review continued

On 2 May 2012 the group issued a €600m note bearing an interest 
rate of 2.875% and maturing in 2017. €325m was swapped into 
£266m fixed rate sterling and the interest rate on €90m was 
swapped to a floating rate linked to six month EURIBOR.

On 6 December 2012, the group issued a €500m note bearing an 
interest rate of 2.625% and maturing in 2018. €350m was swapped 
into £287m fixed rate sterling and the interest rate on €120m was 
swapped to a floating rate linked to six month EURIBOR.

Dividend
The directors recommend a final dividend of 5.82p (DKK 0.6041) 
per share, an increase of 5% compared to 2013. The interim 
dividend was 3.42p (DKK 0.3198) per share and the total dividend, 
if approved, will be 9.24p (DKK 0.9239) per share, an increase of  
3% compared to 2013.

The proposed dividend cover is 1.5 times (2013: 1.6 times)  
on adjusted earnings. The board’s intention is that dividends  
will increase broadly in line with underlying earnings over the 
medium term. 

Other information

Pensions
As at 31 December 2014 the defined benefit pension obligation  
on the balance sheet was £319m (2013: £504m), or £255m net  
of tax (2013: £405m) of which £264m (2013: £472m) related to 
material funded defined benefit schemes. At 31 December 2014 
the group transferred its Netherlands secure solutions defined 
pension scheme into the industry wide defined benefit scheme, 
resulting in a net settlement gain of £21m which was recorded 
within specific items. 

The most significant pension scheme is in the UK and accounts  
for 91% (2013: 95%) of the total material scheme obligation. The 
scheme has approximately 30,000 members and further details of 
the make up of the scheme are given in note 32 on page 141. 

Defined benefit obligation – UK scheme

Scheme assets
Obligations
Total UK obligations

2014 
£m
1,983
(2,222)
(239)

2013 
£m
1,562
(2,011)
(449)

Movement 
£m
421
(211)
210

The movement in the UK scheme was as a result of an increase  
of £421m in the value of scheme assets principally arising from an 
increase in underlying asset values, partly offset by the scheme 
obligations increasing by £211m. The increase in the obligation is 
mainly due to actuarial losses incurred in the year, resulting from 
discount rates decreasing to 3.7% (2013: 4.4%) partly offset by 
inflation rates decreasing to 3.0% (2013: 3.4%). 

The group made additional pension contributions of £42m  
(2013: £38m) into the scheme during the year. Following the latest 
triennial valuation in 2012, the group agreed with the Trustees to 
increase next year’s annual deficit recovery payment to £44m  
and extended the term of these payments from 2022 to 2024.  
The next triennial valuation is in 2015.

94  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
94  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
Foreign currency
The group has many overseas subsidiaries and joint ventures 
denominated in various different currencies. Treasury policy is to 
manage significant translation risks in respect of net operating assets 
and its consolidated net debt/EBITDA ratio by holding foreign 
currency denominated loans, where possible. The group no longer 
uses foreign exchange contracts to hedge the residual portion of 
net assets not hedged by way of loans. The group believes cash flow 
should not be put at risk by these instruments in order to preserve 
the carrying value of net assets.

At 31 December 2014, the group’s US dollar and Euro net assets 
were approximately 78% and 74% respectively, hedged by foreign 
currency loans. As at 31 December 2014, net debt held in US dollar 
and Euro and in those currencies officially pegged to these two 
currencies, equated broadly to a ratio of 2.3 times EBITDA 
generated from these currencies. 

Corporate governance
The group’s policies regarding risk management and corporate 
governance are set out in the Corporate governance report on 
pages 56 to 69.

Going concern
The directors are confident that, after making enquiries and on  
the basis of current financial projections and available facilities,  
they have a reasonable expectation that the group has adequate 
resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable 
future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern 
basis in preparing the financial statements as set out in the 
Directors’ responsibility statement on page 88.

Himanshu Raja
Chief Financial Officer

1.  To clearly present underlying performance, specific items have been disclosed 
separately. Total results include specific items. For an analysis of specific items 
see page 91. The group’s statutory results at actual exchange rates are set out 
on pages 99 to 155.

2.  2013 results are shown at constant exchange rates and have been restated 
for the adoption of IFRS10 and IFRS11 and re-presented for businesses 
subsequently classified as discontinued or identified as part of the portfolio 
rationalisation – see page 90 for details. 

3. 

Includes £22m of outflows related to movements in customer cash balances 
(2013: £22m inflows), £10m of cash outflows related to transactions with 
non-controlling interests (2013: £2m outflows) and £9m of cash inflows from 
equity accounted investments (2013: £2m outflows). 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  95 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  95 

Financial statementsIndependent auditor’s report to the members of G4S plc only

Opinions and conclusions arising from our audit
1. Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified 
We have audited the financial statements of G4S plc for the year ended 31 December 2014 set out on pages 99 to 164. In our opinion:
•  the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 31 December 2014 

and of the group’s profit for the year then ended; 

•  the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted 

by the European Union; 

•  the parent company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with UK Accounting Standards; and
•  the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006; and, as regards the  

group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. 

2. Our assessment of risks of material misstatement
In arriving at our audit opinion above on the financial statements the risks of material misstatement that had the greatest effect on our  
audit were as follows:

Revenue recognition and related provisions on UK Government and other contracts 
Refer to page 66 (Audit Committee Report), page 108 (accounting policy) and page 114 (financial disclosures).

The risk – The group delivers outsourcing services that may be governed by unique and complex contractual arrangements. There is  
a heightened risk that billing and revenue recognition on these contracts are not in accordance with contractual entitlements and therefore 
provisions may be required for refunds due. There is a further risk that the provisions for refunds are not appropriately disclosed and 
presented. Many of the outsourcing arrangements are contracts of more than one year, and where such contracts are forecast to be loss 
making, it would be necessary to recognise a provision for future losses. The identification of potential loss making contracts, and 
measurement of any related provision, requires significant judgement and there is a risk that provisions are not appropriately estimated. 

Our response – In this area our audit procedures included testing the revenue, billing and contract review process, on complex and 
significant contracts in order to critically assess risks which might lead to revenue recognition issues, and comparing the contractual terms  
of the relevant agreements to the accounting treatment adopted. We made inquiries with contract managers and inspected customer 
correspondence to identify, investigate and evaluate any areas of dispute or subjectivity within contracts and related billing. We also tested 
the recovery of significant overdue receivables, taking into account the ageing of receivables and comparing any provision to recovery levels 
post year end. We also critically assessed significant accrued (unbilled) revenue balances and tested these against the contractual 
entitlement and, where relevant, post year-end billing. 

We evaluated the process to identify potentially loss making contracts, taking into account our knowledge of those contracts, and the 
assessment of onerous contract provisions required, including evaluating and challenging future cash flow forecasts and performance 
improvement plans. We also considered the adequacy of the group’s disclosures in respect of the judgments taken regarding revenue 
recognition, provisions arising from contracts disputes and provisions for loss making contracts.

Recoverable value of goodwill and other intangible assets
Refer to page 66 (Audit Committee Report), page 105 (accounting policy) and page 125 (financial disclosures).

The risk – The group has £2.1 billion of goodwill and other intangible assets. Although the majority of this relates to business units where 
the carrying value is exceeded by the calculated ‘value in use’ by a significant margin, in the current economic environment there is a risk  
of impairment related to particular business units within the Group. The estimation of the recoverable amount of cash generating units 
requires significant judgement in relation to the appropriate discount rates, growth rates, terminal values, forecast cash flows and, where  
the fair value less costs to sell approach is used, the appropriate market valuation multiple. 

Our response – In this area our audit procedures included challenging the forecast earnings and cash flows over the three year forecast 
period by comparison to historical results and business plans and by seeking explanations for any assumed trends and growth rates.  
We also challenged the discount rates and terminal values and, where a fair value less costs to sell approach is used, challenged the 
valuation multiples employed compared to multiples achieved on disposal transactions elsewhere in the Group and by reference to other 
companies in the sector. We compared the Group’s assumptions to externally derived data. Our valuation specialists assisted in the 
challenge of key input assumptions in the valuation model for the more material cash generating units and those with greatest risk of 
impairment of goodwill. We challenged the Group’s sensitivities to help us assess whether the key assumptions and drivers considered  
are correctly identified. We also assessed the reasonableness of the group’s aggregate recoverable amount by comparing it to the group’s 
market capitalisation.

We have also assessed the adequacy of the group’s disclosures on goodwill impairments (see note 18) and considered whether the 
sensitivity analysis provided properly reflects the risks inherent within the estimate of the recoverable amount of goodwill.

96  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
96  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Taxation exposures and provisions
Refer to page 66 (Audit Committee Report), pages 109 (accounting policy) and page 120 (financial disclosures).

The risk – The Group is required to make estimates of tax provisions in jurisdictions and/or circumstances where the application of the  
tax rules is complex, uncertain and in some cases inconsistent.

Our response – Our audit procedures included, consideration of each significant exposure on a case by case basis taking into account our 
understanding of the facts, any specific advice the Group has received, past experience and any relevant observations of our tax specialists. 
Using this information we conducted a critical assessment of the Group’s judgement as to the provision required. We have also evaluated 
the adequacy of the group’s disclosures about the tax provisions and contingencies in note 34 and the level of estimation uncertainty in  
the tax provisions in note 4.

Risk of management override of internal controls
Refer to page 66 (Audit Committee Report).

The risk – The de-centralised structure of the group and the manual nature of many accounting entries means there is a higher risk  
of management override of financial controls. There is also a risk of management bias within judgements and estimates including those 
related to the other risks discussed in this report. The application of management override or biased judgements could be influenced by 
targets on which bonuses are paid which could be significant to the relevant individuals. This risk affects all areas of the financial statements.

Our response – In this area our audit procedures included extending the scope of our audit to include businesses where we see a risk  
of management bias or override of controls. We performed testing on manual journals within all in-scope businesses, performed testing on 
the group consolidation system, identifying and testing significant unusual transactions and assessing indications of management bias in 
judgements and estimates. This work was performed with assistance from our Forensic Accounting specialists.

Presentation of the income statement
Refer to page 66 (Audit Committee Report), page 103 (accounting policy) and page 99 (financial disclosures).

The risk – In order to give better understanding of the underlying performance of the business, the directors have presented a view of  
the underlying results of the group, with separate disclosure of specific items. There is a risk that items included within ‘restructuring costs’ 
and ‘specific items’ are not in accordance with clearly disclosed group accounting policies, or that the reversal of any items previously taken 
through these categories have not been correctly identified, and therefore the underlying result is misstated.

Our response – In this area our audit procedures included providing detailed instructions to all in-scope audit teams on the definitions of 
items that can be included within these income statement categories to assist them in their assessment of specific items and restructuring 
costs identified in their components. We considered and challenged the work of the group finance team in reviewing with the regional and 
local finance teams the basis of any specific items and restructuring costs. In doing so we assessed the appropriateness, by reference to the 
group accounting policies, of the individual items presented within these categories and therefore excluded from ‘underlying results’ at both 
the local and group levels. In addition we critically assessed the accuracy and presentation of the identified specific items taking into account 
their group accounting policy and accounting standards. Also, we have tested management’s process for identifying and tracking the current 
year reversal of any prior year specific items, or utilisation of or adjustment to related provisions, to identify whether these have been 
appropriately presented in the current year income statement.

We have also considered the adequacy of the group’s disclosures about the items included within ‘restructuring costs’ and ‘specific items’  
in note 8 and the related accounting policies for these categories on page 103 and on page 107.

3. Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit
The materiality for the group financial statements as a whole was set at £10m, determined with reference to a benchmark of group  
profit before tax normalised to exclude specific items and restructuring costs (note 8), and goodwill impairment (note 18). Materiality 
represents 4.3% of group profit before tax adjusted for these items.

We report to the Audit Committee any corrected or uncorrected identified misstatements exceeding £0.5m, in addition to other identified 
misstatements that warranted reporting on qualitative grounds.

Of the group’s 123 reporting components, we subjected 68 to audits for group reporting purposes.

The components within the scope of our work accounted for the following percentages of the group’s results:

Audit for group reporting purposes

  Number of components
68

Group revenue
90%

% of the total profits and 
losses that made up 
group profit before tax
76%

Group total assets
81%

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  97 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  97 

Financial statementsIndependent auditor’s report to the members of G4S plc only continued

For the remaining components, we performed analysis at an aggregated group level to re-examine our assessment that there were  
no significant risks of material misstatement within these.

The Group audit team instructed component auditors as to the significant areas to be covered, including the relevant risks detailed  
above and the information to be reported back. The Group audit team approved the component materialities, which ranged from  
£0.05m to £6m, having regard to the mix of size and risk profile of the Group across the components. The work on 67 of the 68 
components was performed by components auditors and the rest by the group audit team. 

The Group audit team visited or held telephone conference meetings with 30 component locations. At these visits and meetings, the 
findings reported to the Group audit team were discussed in more detail, and any further work required by the Group audit team  
was then performed by the component auditor.

4. Our opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 is unmodified
In our opinion: 
•  the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act  

2006; and

•  the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are 

prepared is consistent with the financial statements. 

5. We have nothing to report in respect of the matters on which we are required to report by exception 
Under ISAs (UK and Ireland) we are required to report to you if, based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have  
identified other information in the annual report that contains a material inconsistency with either that knowledge or the financial 
statements, a material misstatement of fact, or that is otherwise misleading.

In particular, we are required to report to you if:
•  we have identified material inconsistencies between the knowledge we acquired during our audit and the directors’ statement that  
they consider that the annual report and financial statements taken as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the group’s performance, business model and strategy; or

•  the Audit Committee Report does not appropriately address matters communicated by us to the audit committee.

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion: 
•  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received  

from branches not visited by us; or 

•  the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement  

with the accounting records and returns; or 

•  certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or 
•  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. 

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review:
•  the directors’ statement, set out on page 88, in relation to going concern; and 
•  the part of the Corporate Governance Statement on page 60 in the Chairman’s letter relating to the company’s compliance with the  

ten provisions of the 2012 UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review.

We have nothing to report in respect of the above responsibilities. 

Scope and responsibilities
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 88, the directors are responsible for the preparation  
of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. A description of the scope of an audit of financial 
statements is provided on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate. This report is made solely to 
the company’s members as a body and is subject to important explanations and disclaimers regarding our responsibilities, published on our 
website at www.kpmg.com/uk/auditscopeukco2014a, which are incorporated into this report as if set out in full and should be read to 
provide an understanding of the purpose of this report, the work we have undertaken and the basis of our opinions.

Signature TBC

John Morris (Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of KPMG Audit Plc, Statutory Auditor 
Chartered Accountants  
15 Canada Square 
London 
E14 5GL

26 March 2015

98  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
98  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Consolidated income statement
For the year ended 31 December 2014

Continuing operations

Revenue

Operating profit before joint ventures
Share of profit from joint ventures
Operating profit before specific items and restructuring (PBITA)
Specific items
Restructuring
Operating profit before interest, tax and amortisation
Amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets
Goodwill impairment
Acquisition-related expenses
Profit on disposal of subsidiaries
Operating profit/(loss)
Net finance expense
Profit/(loss) before tax
Tax
Profit/(loss) from continuing operations after tax
Profit/(loss) from discontinued operations
Profit/(loss) for the year

Attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Profit/(loss) for the year

Earnings per share attributable to equity shareholders of the parent

From profit/(loss) from continuing operations:
Basic and diluted
From profit/(loss) from continuing and discontinued operations:
Basic and diluted

*  Restated – see notes 3(a) and 3(w)

Notes

2014 
£m

2013
Restated*
£m

5, 6

6,848

7,061

20

6

8

8

6

6, 8

12

13

7

15

406
8
414
(56)
(29)
329
(58)
–
(1)
–
270
(122)
148
(42)
106
63
169

152
17
169

409
8
417
(315)
(66)
36
(72)
(46)
(4)
24
(62)
(128)
(190)
(53)
(243)
(114)
(357)

(365)
8
(357)

5.8p

(17.3)p

9.8p

(25.1)p

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  99 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  99 

Financial statements 
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
For the year ended 31 December 2014

Profit/(loss) for the year

Other comprehensive income

Items that will never be reclassified to profit or loss:
Remeasurements relating to defined retirement benefit schemes
Tax on items that will never be reclassified to profit or loss

Items that are or may be reclassified to profit or loss:
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations
Change in fair value of net investment hedging financial instruments 
Change in fair value of cash flow hedging financial instruments
Tax on items taken directly to equity

Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax

Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the year

Attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Total comprehensive income/(loss) for the year

Consolidated statement of changes in equity
For the year ended 31 December 2014

Notes

2014 
£m
169

2013 
Restated 
£m
(357)

32

13

13

155
(36)
119

(4)
(44)
6
6
(36)
83

(60)
(1)
(61)

(109)
25
(8)
(4)
(96)
(157)

252

(514)

236
16
252

(521)
7
(514)

At 1 January 2014
Total comprehensive income
Dividends declared
Transfer to retained earnings
Recycling of translation reserves on disposal
Transactions with non-controlling interests
Equity-settled transactions
At 31 December 2014

At 1 January 2013 – restated
Total comprehensive (loss)/income
Shares issued
Dividends declared
Own shares awarded
Transactions with non-controlling interests
At 31 December 2013 – restated

*  See note 36

Attributable to equity holders of the parent

Share 
capital 
£m
388
–
–
–
–
–
–
388

353
–
35
–
–
–
388

Share 
premium 
£m
258
–
–
–
–
–
–
258

258
–
–
–
–
–
258

Retained 
earnings 
£m
(418)
272
(138)
308
–
(6)
5
23

143
(425)
–
(130)
(2)
(4)
(418)

Other
reserves*
£m
636
(36)
–
(308)
(13)
–
–
279

422
(96)
308
–
2
–
636

Total 
£m
864
236
(138)
–
(13)
(6)
5
948

1,176
(521)
343
(130)
–
(4)
864

NCI 
reserve 
£m
20
16
(11)
–
–
(3)
–
22

32
7
–
(21)
–
2
20

Total 
reserves 
£m
884
252
(149)
–
(13)
(9)
5
970

1,208
(514)
343
(151)
–
(2)
884

100  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
100  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
Consolidated statement of financial position
For the year ended 31 December 2014

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Goodwill
Other acquisition-related intangible assets
Other intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Investment in joint ventures
Trade and other receivables
Deferred tax assets

Current assets
Inventories
Investments
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Assets classified as held for sale

Total assets

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes
Obligations under finance leases
Trade and other payables
Current tax liabilities
Provisions
Liabilities classified as held for sale

Non-current liabilities
Bank loans
Loan notes
Obligations under finance leases
Trade and other payables
Retirement benefit obligations
Provisions
Deferred tax liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Share capital
Share premium and reserves
Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Total equity

Notes

2014 
£m

2013 
Restated 
£m

2012 
Restated 
£m

18

18

18

19

20

23

34

21

22

23

26

25

6

26, 27

27

27

28

29

33

25

27

27

28

29

32

33

34

6

35

36

1,939
83
82
450
41
97
176
2,868

108
60
1,371
409
6
1,954
4,822

(18)
(60)
(96)
(14)
(1,103)
(69)
(90)
(4)
(1,454)

(105)
(1,803)
(26)
(23)
(319)
(105)
(17)
(2,398)
(3,852)

1,955
141
77
484
34
104
184
2,979

112
39
1,380
532
220
2,283
5,262

(9)
(27)
(61)
(21)
(1,166)
(48)
(195)
(133)
(1,660)

(140)
(1,921)
(31)
(13)
(504)
(64)
(45)
(2,718)
(4,378)

2,096
204
87
506
30
118
179
3,220

124
52
1,500
419
229
2,324
5,544

–
(13)
(40)
(18)
(1,184)
(38)
(27)
(52)
(1,372)

(324)
(1,999)
(43)
(18)
(471)
(45)
(64)
(2,964)
(4,336)

970

884

1,208

388
560
948
22
970

388
476
864
20
884

353
823
1,176
32
1,208

The consolidated financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 26 March 2015. They were 
signed on its behalf by:

Ashley Almanza 
Director   

Himanshu Raja
Director

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  101 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  101 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated statement of cash flow
For the year ended 31 December 2014

Profit/(loss) retained for the year

Adjustments for non-cash and other items:
Non-controlling interest
Pension settlement gain
(Profit)/loss from discontinued operations
Tax charge
Net finance expense
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets
Amortisation of other intangible assets
Impairment of other assets
Goodwill impairment
Equity-settled transactions
Share of profit from joint ventures
Profit on disposal of assets and subsidiaries
(Decrease)/increase in provisions
Additional pension contributions
Operating cash flow before movements in working capital

(Increase)/decrease in inventories
Decrease in receivables
Increase in payables
Net cash flow from operating activities of continuing operations
Net cash flow from operating activities of discontinued operations
Cash generated by operating activities

Tax paid
Net cash flow from operating activities

Investing activities
Interest received
Cash flow from equity accounted investments
Purchases of non-current assets
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets other than acquisition-related
Acquisition of subsidiaries 
Net cash and overdraft balances acquired
Disposal of subsidiaries
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts in disposed entities
(Purchase)/sale of investments
Net cash generated by/(used in) investing activities

Financing activities
Share issues
Dividends paid to equity shareholders of the parent
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests
Other net movement in borrowings
Movement in customer cash balances
Transactions with non-controlling interests
Interest paid
Repayment of obligations under finance leases
Net cash flow from financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts

Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at the beginning of the year
Effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on cash held
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at the end of the year

102  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
102  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

2014 
£m
152

17
(21)
(63)
42
122
108
59
25
4
–
5
(8)
(3)
(68)
(42)
329

(2)
10
11
348
(12)
336

(81)
255

12
9
(138)
16
(3)
–
159
(12)
(17)
26

–
(138)
(11)
(91)
(22)
(10)
(126)
(19)
(417)

(136)

538
(11)
391

2013 
Restated 
£m
(365)

8
–
114
53
128
114
76
24
24
46
–
(8)
(24)
187
(38)
339

6
40
39
424
31
455

(83)
372

21
(2)
(178)
11
(23)
(6)
35
(2)
13
(131)

343
(130)
(21)
(188)
22
(2)
(129)
(9)
(114)

127

439
(28)
538

Notes

32

7

13

12

18

20

32

35

37

26

 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements

1. General information
G4S plc is a company incorporated in the United Kingdom. The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements  
of the company and entities (its subsidiaries) controlled by the company (collectively comprising the group) and the group’s interest in 
associates and jointly controlled entities made up to 31 December each year. The group operates throughout the world and in a wide 
range of functional currencies, the most significant being sterling, the US dollar and Euro. The group’s financial statements are presented  
in sterling, as the group’s primary listing is in the UK. The address of the registered office is given on page 177.

2. Statement of compliance
The consolidated financial statements of the group have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
adopted by the European Union (adopted IFRSs). The company has elected to prepare its parent company’s financial statements in 
accordance with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (UK GAAP). These are presented on pages 156 to 164.

3. Significant accounting policies

(a) Basis of preparation
The consolidated financial statements of the group have been prepared under the going concern basis and using the historical cost basis, 
except for the revaluation of certain non-current assets and financial instruments. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out 
below. Judgements made by the directors in the application of these accounting policies which have a significant effect on the financial 
statements, and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment, are discussed in note 4. 

The directors considered the group’s strategy, liquidity and financial position and reviewed the budget for the next 12 months and the 
medium-term strategic plan. As part of this review, various stress test scenarios to assess the adequacy of resources available to the group 
were considered, including the newly refinanced £1bn revolving credit facility which is largely undrawn but committed and the headroom 
available within the group’s financial covenants.

The directors also considered the risks facing the business and whilst certain risks such as underperformance on major contracts could 
impact profitability they do not present a material risk to the group.

On completion of the review the directors were satisfied that the group had access to sufficient resources to allow it to execute its 
strategy and continue to operate for the foreseeable future. 

The comparative income statement for the year ended 31 December 2013 has been re-presented for operations qualifying as discontinued 
during the current year. Revenue from continuing operations has been reduced by £145m and loss before tax has increased by £3m 
compared to the figures published previously. Further details of discontinued operations are presented within note 7. 

(b) Presentation of the income statement
The group’s income statement and segmental analysis note separately identify results before specific items. This is consistent with the way 
that financial performance is measured by management and reported to the Board and assists in providing a meaningful analysis of the 
underlying results of the group. The directors believe that presentation of the group’s results in this way aids the understanding of the 
group’s financial performance. Specific items are identified by virtue of their size, nature or incidence. Any associated reversal will also flow 
through specific items such that the underlying results reflect the ongoing recurring results of the business.

(c) Specific items
Specific items are those that in management’s judgement should be disclosed separately by virtue of their size, nature or incidence. In 
determining whether an event or transaction is specific, management considers quantitative as well as qualitative factors such as the 
frequency or predictability of occurrence. Specific items include items relating to acquisitions and disposals including amortisation and 
impairment of acquisition-related intangible assets, results relating to discontinued operations, certain restructuring costs, impairments, 
onerous contract provisions and other one-off items such as the review of the carrying value of assets and liabilities performed in 2013.

Specific items may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Specific items for the current and prior year 
are disclosed in note 8.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  103 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  103 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

3. Significant accounting policies (continued)

(d) Basis of consolidation
During the year the group has adopted the new consolidation standards IFRS10 ‘Consolidated Financial Statements’, IFRS11 ‘Joint 
Arrangements’ and IFRS12 ‘Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities’. The following accounting policies reflect these new standards, and the 
impact of adopting these standards on the group’s financial results and position is given in more detail in note 3(w) on page 110.

Subsidiaries
Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the group. Control is achieved where the group has existing rights that give it the current ability to 
direct the activities that affect the group’s returns and exposure or rights to variable returns from the entity. This can be determined either 
by the group’s ownership percentage, or by the terms of any shareholder agreement. In the case of certain investments, detailed analysis  
of the different contracts in place is required, together with a level of judgement, to ascertain whether there is control under the definition 
of IFRS 10 ‘Consolidated financial statements’ (see note 4).

On acquisition, the assets and liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquired business are measured at their fair values at the date of 
acquisition. The cost of acquisition is measured as the acquisition date fair value of the assets transferred as consideration to the vendor  
and does not include transaction costs. Any excess of the cost of acquisition over the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is 
recognised as goodwill. Any deficiency in the cost of acquisition below the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired (i.e. discount  
on acquisition) is credited to the income statement in the year of acquisition.

The cost of acquisition includes the present value of deferred and contingent consideration payable, including that in respect of put options 
held by non-controlling shareholders, as estimated at the date of acquisition. For acquisitions prior to 1 January 2010 subsequent changes  
to the present value of the estimate of contingent consideration and any difference upon final settlement of such a liability are recognised 
as adjustments to the cost of acquisition. For acquisitions after 1 January 2010 such changes are recognised in the income statement with 
respect to contingent consideration and in other comprehensive income with respect to put options. Non-controlling interests are stated at 
their proportion of the fair values of the assets and liabilities recognised. Profits and losses are applied in the proportion of their respective 
ownership to the interest of the parent and to the non-controlling interest. 

The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the consolidated income statement from the effective 
date of control or up to the effective date of disposal, as appropriate. 

Joint arrangements
A joint arrangement is a contractual arrangement which grants the group and other parties joint control over a shared undertaking. Joint 
control exists when decisions about the relevant activities require the unanimous consent of the parties sharing control. A joint 
arrangement is either a joint operation or a joint venture.

Joint operations
A joint operation is a joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights to the assets and 
obligations for the liabilities, relating to the arrangement. The group’s share of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and cash flows are 
combined with the equivalent items in the consolidated financial statements on a line-by-line basis.

Joint ventures
A joint venture is a joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control have the rights to the net assets of the arrangement.

The results and assets and liabilities of joint ventures are incorporated in the group’s consolidated financial statements using the equity 
method of accounting. Under the equity method, investments in joint ventures are carried in the consolidated statement of financial 
position at cost as adjusted for post-acquisition changes in the group’s share of the net assets of the joint venture, less any impairment  
in the value of the investment. The group’s share of post-tax profits or losses is recognised in the consolidated income statement. 

Associates
An associate is an entity over which the group is in a position to exercise significant influence, but not control or joint control, through 
participation in the financial and operating policy decisions of the investee. 

The results and assets and liabilities of associates are incorporated in the group’s consolidated financial statements using the equity method 
of accounting. Investments in associates are carried in the consolidated statement of financial position at cost as adjusted by post-acquisition 
changes in the group’s share of the net assets of the associates, less any impairment in the value of individual investments. Losses of the 
associates in excess of the group’s interest in those associates are not recognised. 

Transactions eliminated on consolidation
All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation. Where a group company transacts with a  
joint venture or associate of the group, profits and losses are eliminated to the extent of the group’s interest in the relevant joint venture  
or associate. 

104  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
104  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

(e) Foreign currencies
The financial statements of each of the group’s businesses are prepared in the functional currency applicable to that business. Transactions  
in currencies other than the functional currency are translated at the rates of exchange prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At each 
balance sheet date, monetary assets and liabilities which are denominated in other currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on  
that date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities carried at fair value which are denominated in other currencies are translated at the rates 
prevailing at the date when the fair value was determined. Non-monetary items measured at historical cost denominated in other 
currencies are not retranslated. Gains and losses arising on retranslation are included in the income statement for the period. 

On consolidation, the assets and liabilities of the group’s overseas operations, including goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on their 
acquisition, are translated into sterling at exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date. Income and expenses are translated into 
sterling at the average exchange rates for the period (unless this is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of the rate 
prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case income and expenses are translated at the dates of the transactions). Exchange differences 
arising are recognised in other comprehensive income, together with exchange differences arising on monetary items that are in substance 
a part of the group’s net investment in foreign operations and on borrowings and other currency instruments designated as hedges of such 
investments where and to the extent that the hedges are deemed to be effective. On disposal, translation differences are recognised in the 
income statement in the period in which the operation is disposed of. 

(f) Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting 
In accordance with its treasury policy, the group only holds or issues derivative financial instruments to manage the group’s exposure to 
financial risk, not for trading purposes. Such financial risk includes the interest risk on the group’s variable-rate borrowings, the fair value risk 
on the group’s fixed-rate borrowings, commodity risk in relation to its diesel consumption and foreign exchange risk on transactions on the 
translation of the group’s results and on the translation of the group’s net assets measured in foreign currencies. The group manages these 
risks through a range of derivative financial instruments, including interest rate swaps, fixed rate agreements, commodity swaps, commodity 
options, forward foreign exchange contracts and currency swaps. 

Derivative financial instruments are recognised in the consolidated statement of financial position as financial assets or liabilities at fair value. 

The gain or loss on re-measurement to fair value is recognised immediately in the income statement, unless the derivatives qualify for hedge 
accounting. Where derivatives do qualify for hedge accounting, the treatment of any resultant gain or loss depends on the nature of the 
item being hedged as described below. 

Fair value hedge 
The change in the fair value of both the hedging instrument and the related portion of the hedged item is recognised immediately in the 
income statement. 

Cash flow and net investment hedges 
The change in the fair value of the portion of the hedging instrument that is determined to be an effective hedge is recognised in equity 
and subsequently recycled to the income statement when the hedged cash flow or hedged net investment impacts the income statement. 
The ineffective portion of the fair value of the hedging instrument is recognised immediately in the income statement. 

(g) Intangible assets 
Goodwill 
All business combinations are accounted for by the application of the acquisition method. Goodwill arising on consolidation represents the 
excess of the cost of acquisition over the group’s interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities and contingent liabilities of a 
subsidiary, associate or jointly-controlled entity at the date of acquisition. No goodwill arises on the acquisition of an additional interest from 
a non-controlling interest in a subsidiary as this is accounted for as an equity transaction. Goodwill is stated at cost, less any accumulated 
impairment losses and is tested annually for impairment or more frequently if there are indications that amounts may be impaired. On 
disposal of a subsidiary, associate or joint arrangement, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination of the profit  
or loss on disposal. 

Acquisition-related intangible assets 
Intangible assets on acquisitions that are either separable or arising from contractual rights are recognised at fair value at the date of 
acquisition. Such acquisition-related intangible assets include trademarks, technology, customer contracts and customer relationships. The  
fair value of acquisition-related intangible assets is determined by reference to market prices of similar assets, where such information is 
available, or by the use of appropriate valuation techniques, including the royalty relief method and the excess earnings method. 

Acquisition-related intangible assets are amortised by equal annual instalments over their expected economic life. The directors review 
acquisition-related intangible assets on an ongoing basis and, where appropriate, provide for any impairment in value. 

The estimated useful lives are as follows:

Trademarks and technology 

up to a maximum of five years

Customer contracts and customer relationships   up to a maximum of ten years

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  105 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  105 

Financial statements 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

3. Significant accounting policies (continued)

(g) Intangible assets (continued)
Other intangible assets 
Development expenditure represents expenditure incurred in establishing new services and products of the group. Such expenditure is 
recognised as an intangible asset only if the following can be demonstrated: the expenditure creates an identifiable asset, its cost can be 
measured reliably, it is probable that it will generate future economic benefits, it is technically and commercially feasible and the group has 
sufficient resources to complete development. In all other instances, the cost of such expenditure is taken directly to the income statement.

Capitalised development expenditure is amortised over the period during which the expenditure is expected to be revenue-producing, up 
to a maximum of ten years. The directors review the capitalised development expenditure on an ongoing basis and, where appropriate, 
provide for any impairment in value. 

Research expenditure is written off in the year in which it is incurred. 

Capitalised computer software is stated at cost, net of amortisation and any provision for impairment. Amortisation is charged on software 
so as to write off the cost of the assets to their estimated residual values by equal annual instalments over their expected useful economic 
lives up to a maximum of eight years. 

(h) Property, plant and equipment 
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and any provision for impairment. Depreciation is 
provided on all property, plant and equipment other than freehold land. Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of the assets 
to their estimated residual values by equal annual instalments over their expected useful economic lives as follows: 

Freehold and long leasehold buildings 

up to 50 years

Short leasehold buildings (under 50 years)  

over the life of the lease 

Equipment and motor vehicles  

2 to 10 years

Assets held under finance leases are depreciated over the shorter of the expected useful economic life and the term of the relevant lease. 

Where significant, the residual values and the useful economic lives of property, plant and equipment are re-assessed annually. 

(i) Financial instruments 
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instruments. 

Trade receivables 
Trade receivables do not carry interest and are stated initially at their fair value. The carrying amount of trade receivables is reduced 
through the use of a bad debt allowance account. The group provides for bad debts based upon an analysis of those that are past due,  
in accordance with local conditions and past default experience. 

Service concession assets 
Under the terms of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) or similar project, the control of the asset remains largely with the purchaser of the 
associated services. In such cases, the group’s interest in the asset is classified as a financial asset and included at its discounted value within 
trade and other receivables, to the extent to which the group has an unconditional right to receive cash from the grantor of the concession 
for the construction of the asset. To the extent that the group has the right to charge for the use of such an asset, conditional upon the 
extent of the use, the group recognises an intangible asset. 

Current asset investments 
Current asset investments comprise investments in securities which are classified as held-for-trading. They are initially recognised at fair 
value, including transaction costs. Gains and losses arising from changes in fair value are recognised in the income statement. 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call deposits. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and that form an 
integral part of the group’s cash management are included as a component of cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the statement 
of cash flow.

Interest-bearing borrowings 
Interest-bearing bank overdrafts, loans and loan notes are recognised at the value of proceeds received, net of direct issue costs. Finance 
charges, including premiums payable on settlement or redemption and direct issue costs, are recognised in the income statement on an 
accrual basis using the effective interest method. 

Trade payables 
Trade payables are not interest-bearing and are stated initially at fair value. 

Equity instruments 
Equity instruments issued by the group are recorded at the value of proceeds received, net of direct issue costs. 

106  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
106  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
(j) Inventories 
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost represents expenditure incurred in the ordinary course of  
business in bringing inventories to their present condition and location and includes appropriate overheads. Cost is calculated using either 
the weighted average or the first-in-first-out method. Net realisable value is based on estimated selling price, less further costs expected  
to be incurred to completion and disposal. 

(k) Impairment 
The carrying value of the group’s assets, with the exception of inventories and deferred tax assets, is reviewed on an ongoing basis for  
any indication of impairment and, if any such indication exists, the assets’ recoverable amount is estimated. An impairment loss is recognised 
in the income statement whenever the carrying value of an asset or its cash-generating unit exceeds its recoverable amount. 

An impairment loss in respect of goodwill is not reversed. In respect of any other asset, an impairment loss is reversed if there has  
been a change in the estimates used to determine its recoverable amount. The amount of the reversal is limited such that the asset’s 
carrying amount does not exceed that which would have been determined (after depreciation and amortisation) if no impairment loss  
had been recognised. 

(l) Employee benefits 
Retirement benefit costs 
Payments to defined contribution schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due. Payments made to state-managed retirement benefit 
schemes are dealt with as payments to defined contribution schemes where the group’s obligations under the schemes are equivalent to 
those arising in a defined contribution retirement benefits scheme. 

The retirement benefit obligation recognised in the consolidated statement of financial position represents the present value of the defined 
benefit obligation as adjusted for unrecognised past service cost, reduced by the fair value of scheme assets. Any asset resulting from the 
calculation is limited to unrecognised past service cost plus the present value of available refunds and reductions in future contributions to 
the scheme. 

For defined benefit plans, the cost charged to the income statement consists of current service cost, net interest cost, and past service cost. 
The finance element of the pension charge is shown in finance expense and the remaining service cost element is charged as a component 
of employee costs in the income statement. Actuarial gains and losses and other remeasurement gains and losses are recognised 
immediately in full through the statement of comprehensive income.

Share-based payments
The group issues equity-settled share-based payments to certain employees. The fair value of share-based payments is determined at the 
date of grant and expensed, with a corresponding increase in equity, on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the group’s 
estimate of the shares that will eventually vest. The amount expensed is adjusted over the vesting period for changes in the estimate of the 
number of shares that will eventually vest, save for changes resulting from any market-related performance conditions. 

(m) Provisions and contingent liabilities
Provisions are recognised when a present legal or constructive obligation exists for a future liability in respect of a past event and where  
the amount of the obligation can be estimated reliably. The amount recognised as a provision is the group’s best estimate of the cost of 
settlement at the end of the reporting period. 

In respect of claims and litigation, the group provides for anticipated costs where an outflow of resources is considered probable and a 
reasonable estimate can be made of the likely outcome. For all risks, the ultimate liability may vary from the amounts provided and will be 
dependent upon the eventual outcome of any settlement. Management exercise judgement in measuring the exposures to contingent 
liabilities (see note 33) through assessing the likelihood that a potential claim or liability will arise and in quantifying the possible range of 
financial outcomes.

Where the time value of money is material, provisions are stated at the present value of the expected expenditure using an appropriate 
discount rate. 

(n) Restructuring provision
A restructuring provision is recognised when the group has developed a detailed formal plan for the restructuring and has raised a valid 
expectation in those affected that it will carry out the restructuring by starting to implement the plan or announcing its main features to 
those affected by it. The measurement of a restructuring provision includes only the direct expenditures arising from the restructuring, 
which are those amounts that are both necessarily entailed by the restructuring and not associated with the ongoing activities of the entity.

The group distinguishes between restructuring costs that are recurring and those restructuring costs that relate to one-off or 
transformational group programmes that impact a number of operations.

Restructuring costs that are incurred in the normal course of business are recorded as part of the group’s trading results.

Restructuring costs that are individually material or relate to programmes linked to the group’s wider transformation and require approval 
at executive level are presented within specific items and disclosed separately in the consolidated income statement.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  107 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  107 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

3. Significant accounting policies (continued)

(o) Revenue recognition 
Revenue 
Revenue represents amounts receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business and is measured at the fair value 
of the consideration received or receivable, net of discounts, VAT and other sales-related taxes. Revenue for manned security and cash 
solutions products and for recurring services in security systems products is recognised to reflect the period in which the service is 
provided. Revenue on security systems installations is recognised either on completion in respect of product sales, or in accordance with 
the stage of completion method in respect of construction contracts. 

Construction contracts 
Where significant, security system installations with a contract duration in excess of one month are accounted for as construction contracts. 
Where the outcome of a construction contract can be estimated reliably, revenue and costs are recognised by reference to the stage of 
completion of the contract activity at the balance sheet date. This is measured either by the proportion that contract costs incurred for 
work to date bear to the estimated total contract costs, or by the proportion that the sales value of work completed to date bears to the 
total sales value. Variations in contract work, claims and incentive payments are included to the extent that it is likely that they will be agreed 
with the customer. 

Where the outcome of a construction contract cannot be estimated reliably, contract revenue is recognised to the extent of contract  
costs incurred that are deemed likely to be recoverable. Contract costs are recognised as expenses as they are incurred. Where it is 
probable that total contract costs will exceed total contract revenue, the expected loss is recognised immediately as an expense in the 
income statement. 

Construction contracts are recognised in the consolidated statement of financial position at cost plus profit recognised to date, less 
provision for foreseeable losses and less progress billings. Balances are not offset. 

(p) Pre-contract costs
Pre-contract costs in respect of major outsourcing contracts incurred after the point at which the group achieves preferred bidder status 
(at which point it is considered probable that the contract will be obtained) are capitalised and expensed over the life of the contract, 
subject to recoverability criteria. Costs incurred prior to this point are expensed as incurred. Capitalised costs are expensed immediately  
in the event that preferred bidder status is not followed by the award of the contract.

(q) Onerous contracts
Onerous contract provisions are recognised for losses on contracts where the forecast costs of fulfilling the contract throughout the contract 
period exceed the forecast income receivable. Management plans to recover the position on loss-making contracts require a level of 
judgement and are only taken into account in the calculation of the onerous contract provision when implementation has commenced and 
tangible evidence exists of benefits being delivered. The provision is calculated based on discounted cash flows to the end of the contract.

Provisions for future losses are charged to the income statement; where onerous contract provisions are material by virtue of their size, 
incidence or nature they are separately disclosed as specific items. In-year losses from onerous contracts will continue to be reported in 
underlying earnings as they are incurred, with provisions for future losses on onerous contracts being unwound against these losses in 
underlying earnings.

Vacant property provisions are recognised when the group has committed to a course of action that will result in the property becoming 
vacant. The provision is calculated based on discounted cash flows to the end of the lease taking into account expected future sub-lease income.

(r) Interest 
Interest income is accrued on a time basis by reference to the principal outstanding and at the effective interest rate applicable. This is the 
rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash receipts through the expected life of the financial asset’s net carrying amount. Borrowing 
costs are recognised as an expense in the income statement.

108  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
108  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

(s) Income taxes 
Tax is recognised in the income statement except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in equity, in which case it is recognised  
in equity or other comprehensive income. The tax expense represents the sum of current tax and deferred tax. 

Current tax is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the income statement because it 
excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or 
deductible. The group’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance 
sheet date. 

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the 
consolidated financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit, and is accounted for using the 
balance sheet liability method. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences. Deferred tax assets are 
recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised. 

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and interests in joint ventures, 
except where the group is able to control the reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will not 
reverse in the foreseeable future. 

The carrying amount of each deferred tax asset is reviewed at each balance sheet date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer 
probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. 

Deferred tax is measured based on the tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period. 

Tax liabilities or refunds may differ from those anticipated due to changes in tax legislation, differing interpretations of tax legislation and 
uncertainties surrounding the application of tax legislation. In situations where uncertainties exist, provision is made for contingent tax 
liabilities and assets on the basis of management judgement following consideration of the available relevant information.

(t) Leasing
Leases are classified as finance leases when the terms of the lease transfer substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership to the 
lessee. On occasion this classification requires a level of judgement. All other leases are classified as operating leases. 

Assets held under finance leases are recognised at the inception of the lease at their fair value or, if lower, at the present value of the 
minimum lease payments. The corresponding liability to the lessor is included in the consolidated statement of financial position as a finance 
lease obligation. Lease payments made or received are apportioned between finance charges or income and the reduction of the lease 
liability or asset so as to produce a constant rate of interest on the outstanding balance of the liability or asset. 

Rentals payable or receivable under operating leases are charged or credited to income on a straight-line basis over the lease term, as  
are incentives to enter into operating leases. 

(u) Non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations 
Non-current assets (and disposal groups) classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of carrying amount and fair value less  
costs to sell. 

Non-current assets and disposal groups are classified as held for sale if their carrying amount will be recovered through a sale transaction 
rather than through continuing use. This condition is regarded as met only when the sale is highly probable and the asset (or disposal group) 
is available for immediate sale in its present condition. The group must be committed to the sale which should be expected to qualify for 
recognition as a completed sale within one year from the date of classification. 

A discontinued operation is a component of the group’s business that represents a separate major line of business or geographical area  
of operations or is a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to resale that has been disposed of, has been abandoned or meets the 
criteria to be classified as held for sale. 

(v) Dividend distribution 
Dividends are recognised as distributions to equity holders in the period in which they are paid or approved by the shareholders at a  
general meeting.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  109 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  109 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

3. Significant accounting policies (continued)

(w) Adoption of new and revised accounting standards and interpretations
In the year ended 31 December 2014, the group adopted the following new standards and amendments:

•  IFRS 10 (2011) ‘Consolidated Financial Statements’, which replaces parts of IAS 27 ‘Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements’  
and all of SIC-12 ‘Consolidation – Special Purpose Entities’, introduced a new control model that focuses on whether the group has 
power over an investee, exposure or rights to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and the ability to use its power  
to affect those returns. This differs from the previous approach where one of the main criteria used to consolidate was to have the 
power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity. As a result of the adoption of IFRS 10 the group has reclassified  
certain businesses within the Asia & Middle East region as joint ventures where previously they were classified as subsidiaries. As a  
result of applying IFRS 11 ‘Joint Arrangements’, the group now accounts for these businesses using the equity method.

•  IFRS 11 ‘Joint Arrangements’ replaces IAS 31 ‘Interests in Joint Ventures’ and SIC-13 ‘Jointly Controlled Entities – Non-monetary 

Contributions by Vendors’ and removes the option to account for jointly controlled entities using the proportionate consolidation 
method. Instead all jointly controlled entities are accounted for using the equity method of accounting, similar to that used to account  
for associates under the previous standards. As the group previously applied the proportionate method of accounting to its jointly 
controlled entities this has impacted the group’s consolidated income statement and consolidated statement of financial position.

•  IFRS 12 ‘Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities’ is a new and comprehensive standard on disclosure requirements for all forms of 
interest in other entities, including joint arrangements, associates, special purpose vehicles and other off balance sheet vehicles. The 
standard includes disclosure requirements for entities within the scope of IFRS 10 (2011) and IFRS 11. As a result of adopting this 
standard the group has re-assessed the criteria used to determine material joint ventures. The new criteria are based on the contribution 
of revenue, operating profit and net assets that the joint ventures make to the group’s results. Under these new measures the group  
has determined that none of its joint ventures are individually material for the purposes of disclosure in accordance with IFRS12.

•  The group also adopted IAS27 (revised) ‘Separate Financial Statements’ and IAS28 ‘Associates and Joint Ventures’. The adoption of these 

standards did not have a material impact on the financial statements.

The group has presented a restated income statement for the year ended 31 December 2013, restated statements of financial position  
at 31 December 2013 and 31 December 2012, and a restated cash flow statement for the year ended 31 December 2013. The following 
pages contain reconciliations between the restated amounts and those previously published.

The adoption of IFRS10 has resulted in certain businesses in the Asia Middle East region being re-classified as joint ventures rather than 
subsidiaries. These businesses were previously consolidated into each of the relevant line items in the group’s income statement, statement 
of cash flows and statement of financial position at 100% of their reported results with an appropriate adjustment made to reflect the 
non-controlling interests’ share. As a result of being classified as joint ventures they fall into the scope of IFRS11 and are now reported using 
the equity method. Under the equity method the group’s share of the entities’ post-tax results are shown in the income statement under 
‘share of profit from joint ventures’ and the group’s net investment is shown in the statement of financial position under ‘investment in joint 
ventures’, with no adjustment required for non-controlling interests.

In addition the group previously applied the proportionate method of consolidation to its existing joint ventures. Under the proportionate 
method of consolidation the group consolidated its share of each relevant line item in the group’s income statement, statement of cash 
flows and statement of financial position. As a result of adopting IFRS11 the results of these joint ventures are now also consolidated using 
the equity method as described above.

The income statement reconciliation for the year ended 31 December 2013 separately presents restatements for discontinued operations. 
The restated opening balance sheet as at 31 December 2012 for the year ended 31 December 2013 has also been presented.

Consolidated income statement for the year ended 31 December 2013

Revenue from continuing operations
Operating profit before specific items and restructuring
Loss before tax
Loss from continuing operations after tax
Loss for the year

Restatements 
for IFRS10 & 
IFRS11 
£m

As published 
£m

7,428
442
(170)
(226)
(342)

(222)
(21)
(17)
(15)
(15)

Entities 
reclassified as 
discontinued 
£m

(145)
(4)
(3)
(2)
–

Revised 
£m

7,206
421
(187)
(241)
(357)

Restated 
£m

7,061
417
(190)
(243)
(357)

Profit attributable to non-controlling interests

20

(12)*

8

–

8

*  This adjustment includes a £3m reclassification to the NCI result for the year ended 31 December 2013.

110  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
110  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
Consolidated statement of financial position for the year ended 31 December 2013
ASSETS
Goodwill
Investment in joint ventures
Other non-current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current assets

LIABILITIES
Bank overdrafts
Trade and other payables
Other current liabilities
Bank loans
Non-current liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Share capital
Share premium and reserves
Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Total equity

*  This adjustment includes a £3m reclassification to reserves as at 31 December 2013 

Consolidated statement of cash flow for the year ended 31 December 2013
Net cash flow from operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash flow from financing activities
Net movement in cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at the beginning of the year
Effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on cash held
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at the end of the year

Restatements 
for IFRS10 & 
IFRS11 
£m

As published 
£m

1,966
–
1,022
1,394
594
376
5,352

(22)
(1,220)
(442)
(169)
(2,580)
(4,433)

(11)
34
(32)
(14)
(62)
(5)
(90)

13
6
5
29
2
55

Restated 
£m

1,955
34
990
1,380
532
371
5,262

(9)
(1,214)
(437)
(140)
(2,578)
(4,378)

919

(35)

884

388
479
867
52
919

–
(3)*
(3)
(32)*
(35)

388
476
864
20
884

Restatements 
for IFRS10 & 
IFRS11 
£m
(28)
32
(19)
(15)
(33)
(1)
(49)

As published 
£m
400
(163)
(95)
142
472
(27)
587

Restated 
£m
372
(131)
(114)
127
439
(28)
538

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  111 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  111 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

3. Significant accounting policies (continued)

(w) Adoption of new and revised accounting standards and interpretations (continued)

Consolidated statement of financial position for the year ended 31 December 2012
ASSETS
Goodwill
Investment in joint ventures
Other non-current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current assets

LIABILITIES
Bank overdrafts
Trade and other payables
Other current liabilities
Non-current liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Share capital
Share premium and reserves
Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests
Total equity

Restatements 
for IFRS10 & 
IFRS11 
£m

As published 
£m

2,108
–
1,114
1,506
469
413
5,610

(17)
(1,234)
(157)
(2,971)
(4,379)

(12)
30
(20)
(6)
(50)
(8)
(66)

17
12
7
7
43

Restated 
£m

2,096
30
1,094
1,500
419
405
5,544

–
(1,222)
(150)
(2,964)
(4,336)

1,231

(23)

1,208

353
823
1,176
55
1,231

–
–
–
(23)
(23)

353
823
1,176
32
1,208

The group has not adopted early any standard, amendment or interpretation. A number of new standards, amendments to standards and 
interpretations have been announced but are not yet effective for the year ended 31 December 2014. Those that are expected to have  
an impact on the group accounts are detailed below:

•  IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ is effective for the year ended 31 December 2018 and removes the multiple classification and measurement 
models for financial assets required by IAS 39 and replaces it with a model with only two classification categories: amortised cost and  
fair value. The business model for managing the financial assets and the contractual cash flow characteristics of those assets drives the 
classification. There have been no significant changes to the accounting and presentation for financial liabilities and for derecognising 
financial instruments. The group is currently assessing the impact this standard would have on its consolidated results and financial position.

•  IFRS15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ is effective for the year ended 31 December 2017 and establishes a comprehensive 
framework for determining whether, how much and when revenue is recognised. The group is assessing the potential impact on its 
consolidated financial statements resulting from the application of IFRS15.

The following revisions, amendments and improvements are not yet effective and are not expected to have a material impact on the results 
of the group when they are adopted:

•  Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests in Joint Operations (Amendments to IFRS11)

•  Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation (Amendments to IAS16 and IAS38)

•  Defined Benefit Plans: Employee Contributions (Amendments to IAS19)

•  IFRS14 Regulatory Deferral Accounts

•  Improvements to IFRS 2010-2012 Cycle and 2011-2013 Cycle

112  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
112  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

4. Accounting estimates, judgements and assumptions
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with adopted IFRSs requires management to make judgements, estimates and 
assumptions that affect the application of the group’s accounting policies, which are described in note 3, with respect to the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the 
financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. These judgements, estimates and 
associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the 
circumstances, including current and expected economic conditions, and in some cases, actuarial techniques. Although these judgements, 
estimates and associated assumptions are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and circumstances, the actual results 
may differ. 

Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period  
in which the estimate is revised and in any future periods affected.

The judgements, estimates and assumptions which are of most significance in preparing the group’s 2014 accounts are detailed below:

Revenue recognition and contract review
The group delivers outsourcing services that in some circumstances can be complex in nature and may be governed by unique contractual 
arrangements. There is a risk that revenue recognition on these contracts is not in accordance with contractual entitlements and therefore 
provisions may be required to be recognised within ‘contract provisions’ (see note 33). Estimates and judgements are therefore required to 
determine the appropriate level of provisioning applied to these contracts.

Carrying value of goodwill
The group tests tangible and intangible assets, including goodwill, for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently if there are 
indications that amounts may be impaired. The impairment analysis for such assets is based principally upon discounted estimated future 
cash flows from the use and eventual disposal of the assets. Such an analysis includes the estimation of future results, cash flows, annual 
growth rates and discount rates. Judgement is required in relation to the achievability of the long-term business plan and macroeconomic 
assumptions underlying the valuation process. In certain circumstances, where market prices can be ascertained (for example, through 
recent transactions), fair value less costs to sell is used as a basis for the recoverable amount. This involves judgments and estimates to apply 
reasonable valuations techniques and to estimate future selling costs. The full methodology and results of the group’s impairment testing is 
presented in note 18.

Taxation
The group operates in many tax jurisdictions including countries where the tax legislation is not consistently applied and under some 
complex contractual circumstances where the responsibility for tax arising is not always clear. Management are required to apply 
judgements and estimates to determine the appropriate amount of tax to provide for and any required disclosure around contingent tax 
liabilities at each period end.

Review of the carrying value of assets and liabilities
In 2013 the group carried out a review of the carrying value of its assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2012, taking into account any 
changes in facts or circumstances since that date. The purpose of this review was to ensure that the financial statements were presented  
in a more balanced way. This exercise required a level of judgement and in many cases taking a more balanced judgement based on the 
group’s current understanding of circumstances surrounding each issue. The results of the review were presented within ‘specific items’ 
given the one-off nature of the review performed and are disclosed in note 8. As at 31 December 2014 these estimates and judgements 
have been updated to reflect any changes in facts or circumstances during the year to 31 December 2014 with any additional charges or 
reversals also being presented within specific items.

Compliance with foreign ownership rules and consolidation of subsidiaries
The group has a diverse set of complex ownership structures, which are sometimes driven by local laws and regulations relating to foreign 
ownership. In some instances the group operates through local structures with limited direct share ownership of the business, but exercises 
control through shareholder agreements. In determining whether some group entities qualify for consolidation under IFRS10’ Consolidated 
Financial Statements’, professional and legal advice is sought and a level of judgement is required. Consolidation of any of these entities 
would be at risk if the group’s ability to enforce its rights of control were successfully challenged.

Valuation of retirement benefit obligations
The valuation of defined retirement benefit schemes is arrived at using the advice of qualified independent actuaries who use the projected 
unit credit method for determining the group’s obligations. This methodology requires the use of a variety of assumptions and estimates, 
including the appropriate discount rate, the expected return on scheme assets, mortality assumptions, future service and earnings increases 
of employees and inflation. Full details of the group’s retirement benefit obligations, including an analysis of the sensitivity of the calculations 
to the key assumptions are presented in note 32.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  113 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  113 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

5. Revenue
An analysis of the group’s revenue, as defined by IAS 18 ‘Revenue’, is as follows:

Continuing operations
Sale of goods
Rendering of services
Revenue from construction contracts
Revenue from continuing operations as presented in the consolidated income statement

Discontinued operations
Sale of goods
Rendering of services
Revenue from construction contracts
Revenue from discontinued operations

Other operating income
Interest income
Total other operating income

Total revenue as defined by IAS 18

Notes

2014 
£m

2013 
Restated 
£m

6

6, 7

12

188
6,495
165
6,848

–
391
–
391

11
11

159
6,721
181
7,061

1
742
23
766

13
13

7,250

7,840

6. Operating segments
The group operates on a worldwide basis and derives a substantial proportion of its revenue and operating profit from each of the following 
six geographic regions: Africa, Asia Middle East, Latin America, Europe, North America and UK & Ireland. For each of these reportable 
segments, the group executive committee (the chief operating decision maker) reviews internal management reports on a regular basis. 

Segment information is presented below:

Revenue by reportable segment and geographical area 

Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Total revenue

Revenue from internal and external customers by reportable segment
Secure Solutions
Cash Solutions
Total revenue

Continuing 
operations 
2014 
£m

Discontinued 
operations 
2014 
£m

485
1,327
663
1,421
1,365
1,587
6,848

3
–
22
100
266
–
391

Total gross 
segment 
revenue 
2014 
£m
6,132
1,118
7,250

Inter-segment 
revenue 
2014 
£m
(9)
(2)
(11)

Continuing 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m

Discontinued 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m

496
1,372
693
1,526
1,359
1,615
7,061

8
1
24
285
448
–
766

Total gross 
segment 
revenue 
2013 
Restated 
£m
6,531
1,306
7,837

Inter-segment 
revenue 
2013 
Restated 
£m
(8)
(2)
(10)

Total 
2014 
£m

488
1,327
685
1,521
1,631
1,587
7,239

External 
revenue 
2014 
£m
6,123
1,116
7,239

Total 
2013 
Restated 
£m

504
1,373
717
1,811
1,807
1,615
7,827

External 
revenue 
2013 
Restated 
£m
6,523
1,304
7,827

Inter-segment sales are charged at prevailing market prices. Refer to note 7 for details on discontinued operations.

114  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
114  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating profit by reportable segment and geographical area
Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Operating profit/(loss) before corporate costs
Corporate costs
Operating profit/(loss) before specific items  
and restructuring
Specific items
Restructuring
Operating profit/(loss) before interest, tax and amortisation
Amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets
Goodwill impairment
Acquisition-related expenses
Profit/(loss) on disposal of subsidiaries
Operating profit/(loss)

Refer to note 7 for details on discontinued operations.

Continuing 
operations 
2014 
£m
46
101
38
84
75
130
474
(60)

Discontinued 
operations 
2014 
£m
(1)
–
–
–
(3)
–
(4)
–

414
(56)
(29)
329
(58)
–
(1)
–
270

(4)
(3)
–
(7)
(1)
–
–
71
63

Continuing 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m
40
108
44
88
59
119
458
(41)

Discontinued 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m
(5)
–
–
(3)
18
–
10
–

417
(315)
(66)
36
(72)
(46)
(4)
24
(62)

10
(23)
(4)
(17)
(4)
(80)
–
(3)
(104)

Total 
2014 
£m
45
101
38
84
72
130
470
(60)

410
(59)
(29)
322
(59)
–
(1)
71
333

Segment assets and liabilities
The following information is analysed by reportable segment and by the geographical area in which the assets are located:

Total assets and liabilities by reportable segment and geographical area
Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Inter-segment trading balances
Total segment assets and liabilities
Corporate
Total operating assets and liabilities
Non-operating assets and liabilities
Total assets and liabilities

Total 
assets 
2014 
£m
227
676
352
720
768
1,285
(188)
3,840
169
4,009
813
4,822

Total 
assets 
2013 
Restated 
£m
240
702
348
851
826
1,390
(192)
4,165
116
4,281
981
5,262

Total 
liabilities 
2014 
£m
(79)
(248)
(119)
(256)
(165)
(343)
188
(1,022)
(152)
(1,174)
(2,678)
(3,852)

Total  
2013 
Restated 
£m
35
108
44
85
77
119
468
(41)

427
(338)
(70)
19
(76)
(126)
(4)
21
(166)

Total 
liabilities 
2013 
Restated 
£m
(78)
(239)
(105)
(357)
(186)
(489)
192
(1,262)
(90)
(1,352)
(3,026)
(4,378)

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  115 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  115 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

6. Operating segments (continued)

Non-current operating assets by reportable segment and geographical area
Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Total segment assets
Corporate
Total non-current operating assets
Non-operating assets
Less: Non-current assets held for sale
Total non-current assets

2014 
£m
123
359
208
452
479
964
2,585
68
2,653
217
(2)
2,868

2013 
Restated 
£m
133
383
226
514
516
1,019
2,791
45
2,836
245
(102)
2,979

Non-operating assets and liabilities comprise financial assets and liabilities, taxation assets and liabilities and retirement benefit obligations. 

Included within operating and non-operating assets are £6m (2013: £179m) and £nil (2013: £41m) respectively relating to disposal groups 
classified as held for sale. Included within operating and non-operating liabilities are £3m (2013: £93m) and £1m (2013: £40m) respectively 
relating to liabilities associated with disposal groups classified as held for sale. Disposal groups are analysed in note 25.

Other information 

By reportable segment
Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Head office
Total

Impairment 
losses 
recognised 
in income 
2014 
£m
–
–
–
–
–
4
–
4

Depreciation 
and 
amortisation 
2014 
£m
13
28
18
39
19
75
3
195

Impairment 
losses 
recognised 
in income 
2013 
Restated 
£m
12
5
–
14
105
7
7
150

Depreciation 
and 
amortisation 
2013 
Restated 
£m
15
33
21
41
29
84
2
225

Capital 
additions 
2014 
£m
12
30
12
37
16
36
2
145

Capital 
additions 
2013 
Restated 
£m
27
40
14
47
11
65
3
207

116  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
116  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

7. Discontinued operations
Operations qualifying as discontinued in 2014 mainly comprised the US Government Solutions business, sold in November 2014, the 
group’s cash business in Canada, sold in January 2014, the group’s business in Norway, also sold in January 2014, the group’s business in 
Sweden, sold in September 2014 and the group’s business in Costa Rica.

The US Government Solutions business, the cash business in Canada and the business in Norway were also classified as discontinued as at 
31 December 2013. 

The results of the discontinued operations are presented below:

Revenue

Operating (loss)/profit before specific items
Specific items
Restructuring costs
Acquisition-related amortisation and expenses
Goodwill impairment
Profit/(loss) on disposal of discontinued operations
Operating profit/(loss)
Finance income
Finance costs
Profit/(loss) before tax
Tax
Operating profit/(loss) for the year

Note

17

2014 
£m
391

2013 
Restated 
£m
766

(4)
(3)
–
(1)
–
71
63
–
–
63
–
63

10
(23)
(4)
(4)
(80)
(3)
(104)
1
(2)
(105)
(9)
(114)

The effect of discontinued operations on segment results is disclosed in note 6. 

The impairment of goodwill and other assets in 2013 relates to the US Government Solutions business and reduced the carrying value  
of its net assets down to their estimated recoverable amount.

Cash flows from discontinued operations included in the consolidated cash flow statement are as follows:

Net cash flows from operating activities (after tax)
Net cash flows from investing activities
Net cash flows from financing activities

2014 
£m
(12)
152
(17)
123

2013 
Restated 
£m
31
(18)
19
32

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  117 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  117 

Financial statements 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

8. Operating profit
The income statement can be analysed as follows:

Continuing operations
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Administration expenses
Share of profit from joint ventures
Operating profit/(loss)

2014 
£m
6,848 
(5,546)
1,302 
(1,040)
8 
270 

2013 
Restated 
£m
7,061 
(5,779)
1,282 
(1,352)
8 
(62)

Total specific items charged in the year were £56m (2013: £315m) and restructuring costs of £29m (2013: £66m).

Cost of sales
Specific items included within cost of sales relate to the increase in provisions for legacy UK government contracts of £45m (2013: £27m) 
and other items of £5m (2013: £98m).

Administration expenses
Specific items relate to the re-measurement of the review of assets and liabilities of £27m (2013: £81m) offset by a pension settlement  
gain of £21m (2013: £nil) in the Netherlands. 

Restructuring costs were £29m (2013: £66m) relating to the re-organisation of the UK & Ireland business and programmes in Europe  
to accelerate best practice and identify back office synergies. 

Also included in administration expenses are amortisation costs of £58m (2013: £72m) and acquisition-related expenses of £1m (2013: £4m). 

In 2013 administration expenses also included a charge of £109m relating to the settlement on the UK Electronic Monitoring contract and 
two smaller contracts, a charge of £46m relating to goodwill impairment and were net of a £24m profit relating to the disposal of the 
group’s secure data archiving business in Colombia.

9. Profit from operations
Profit from continuing and discontinued operations has been arrived at after charging/(crediting):

Continuing 
2014 
£m

Discontinued 
2014 
£m

Notes

Cost of sales
Cost of inventories recognised as an expense
Onerous contracts
Other items
Administration expenses
Review of assets and liabilities
Pension settlement gain
Restructuring costs
Amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets
Acquisition-related expenses
Electronic Monitoring settlement
Goodwill impairment
Amortisation of other intangible assets
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
(Profit)/loss on disposal of subsidiaries
Impairment of trade receivables
Litigation settlements
Research and development expenditure
Operating lease rentals payable
Operating sub-lease rentals receivable
Share based payments

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

8,18

17

99
45
5

27
(21)
29
58
1
–
–
25
108
–
4
–
10
107
(14)
5

–
–
–

3
–
–
1
–
–
–
–
3
(71)
–
–
–
–
–
–

Total 
2014 
£m

99
45
5

30
(21)
29
59
1
–
–
25
111
(71)
4
–
10
107
(14)
5

Continuing 
2013 
Restated 
£m

Discontinued 
2013 
Restated 
£m

Total 
2013 
Restated 
£m

105
27
98

81
–
66
72
4
109
46
24
114
(24)
19
1
5
126
(15)
–

6
–
–

24
–
4
4
–
–
80
2
9
3
1
–
–
10
–
–

111
27
98

105
–
70
76
4
109
126
26
123
(21)
20
1
5
136
(15)
–

118  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
118  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
10. Auditor’s remuneration

Fees payable to the company’s auditor for the audit of the company’s annual report and accounts

Fees payable to the company’s auditor and its associates for other services:
The audit of the company’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
All other services*

*  Other services relates to the provision of tax and non-audit advisory services.

2014 
£m
1

5
1

2013 
Restated 
£m
1

6
1

The Audit Committee Report on page 69 outlines the company’s established policy for ensuring that audit independence is not 
compromised through the provision by the company’s auditor of other services.

11. Staff costs and employees
The average monthly number of employees, in continuing and discontinued operations, including executive directors was:

By reportable segment and geographical area
Africa
Asia Middle East
Latin America
Europe
North America
UK & Ireland
Head office 
Total average number of employees (excluding joint ventures)
Average number of employees employed by joint ventures
Total average number of employees (including joint ventures)

Their aggregate remuneration, in continuing and discontinued operations, comprised:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Employee benefits 
Total staff costs (excluding joint ventures)
Joint venture staff costs
Total staff costs (including joint ventures)

2014 
Number
124,024
243,909
76,061
66,346
59,232
41,221
196
610,989
20,476
631,465

2014 
£m
4,243
489
220
4,952
111
5,063

2013 
Restated 
Number
119,930
236,984
75,137
72,154
60,226
44,681
173
609,285
19,850
629,135

2013 
Restated 
£m
4,561
560
212
5,333
108
5,441

Information on directors’ remuneration, long-term incentive plans, pension contributions and entitlements is set out in the Directors’ 
remuneration report on pages 70 to 84.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  119 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  119 

Financial statements 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

12. Net finance expense

Interest income on cash, cash equivalents and investments
Other interest income
Gain/(loss) arising from change in fair value of derivative financial instruments hedging loan notes
(Loss)/gain arising from fair value adjustment to the hedged loan note items 
Total finance income

Interest on bank overdrafts and loans
Interest on loan notes 
Net interest receivable on loan note related derivatives
Interest on obligations under finance leases
Other interest charges
Total group borrowing costs
Net finance costs on defined retirement benefit obligations
Total finance costs

2014 
£m
10
1
5
(5)
11

(23)
(91)
11
(4)
(4)
(111)
(22)
(133)

2013 
Restated 
£m
12
1
(28)
28
13

(24)
(100)
12
(4)
(5)
(121)
(20)
(141)

Net finance expense

(122)

(128)

Included within group borrowing costs is a charge of £6m (2013: £6m) relating to cash flow hedges that were transferred from equity 
during the year.

13. Tax

Current tax expense/(credit)
UK corporation tax
Overseas tax
Adjustments in respect of prior years:
UK corporation tax 
Overseas tax 
Total current tax expense/(credit)

Deferred tax (credit)/expense
(see note 34)
Current year
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Total deferred tax (credit)/expense

Total income tax expense for the year

Continuing 
operations 
2014 
£m

Discontinued 
operations 
2014 
£m

11
66

1
12
90

(20)
(28)
(48)

42

–
–

–
(1)
(1)

1
–
1

–

Continuing 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m

Discontinued 
operations 
2013 
Restated 
£m

Total 
2013 
Restated 
£m

10
58

1
20
89

(23)
(13)
(36)

53

–
(4)

–
9
5

(1)
5
4

9

10
54

1
29
94

(24)
(8)
(32)

62

Total 
2014 
£m

11
66

1
11
89

(19)
(28)
(47)

42

UK corporation tax is calculated at 21.5% (2013: 23.3%) of the estimated assessable profits for the period. Overseas tax is calculated at the 
corporation tax rates prevailing in the relevant jurisdictions. 

120  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
120  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
The tax charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit per the income statement as follows:

Profit/(loss) before tax
Continuing operations
Discontinued operations
Total profit/(loss) before tax

Tax at UK corporation tax rate of 21.5% (2013: 23.3%)
Expenses that are not deductible in determining taxable profit
Deferred tax recognised on purchased intangibles
Profits on disposal of businesses not taxable
Tax losses not recognised in the current year
Different tax rates of subsidiaries operating in non-UK jurisdictions
Movement in deferred tax balance due to reduction in UK rate to 20% from 1 April 2015
Adjustment for joint ventures
Adjustments for previous years
Total income tax charge

2014 
£m

148
63
211

(45)
(15)
15
15
(26)
(4)
–
2
16
(42)

2013 
Restated 
£m

(190)
(105)
(295)

69
(47)
–
–
(44)
(16)
(3)
2
(23)
(62)

Effective tax rate for continuing and discontinuing operations

20%

21%

The effective tax rate for continuing operations was 28% (2013: 28%).

The following tax charge/(credit) has been recognised directly in equity within the statement of comprehensive income:

Tax relating to components of other comprehensive income
Change in fair value of cash flow and net investment hedging financial instruments
Actuarial profit on defined retirement benefit schemes
Other
Total tax debited to other comprehensive income

14. Dividends 

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders of the parent in the year

Final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2012
Interim dividend for the six months ended 30 June 2013
Final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2013
Interim dividend for the six months ended 30 June 2014

Proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2014

2014 
£m 

(6)
36
–
30

Pence 
per share

DKK  

per share

2014 
£m

5.54
3.42
5.54
3.42

0.4730
0.2972
0.4954
0.3198

5.82

0.6041

–
–
85
53
138
90

Restated 
2013 
£m

3
1
1
5

2013 
Restated 
£m

78
52
–
–
130

The proposed final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting. If so approved, it will be paid on  
12 June 2015 to shareholders who are on the UK register on 8 May 2015. The exchange rate used to translate it into Danish krone is  
that at 9 March 2015.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  121 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  121 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

15. Earnings/(loss) per share attributable to equity shareholders of the parent

From continuing and discontinued operations

Profit/(loss) for the year attributable to equity shareholders of the parent

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (m) (see note below)

Earnings/(loss) per share from continuing and discontinued operations (pence)
Basic and diluted

From continuing operations

Earnings/(loss)
Profit/(loss) for the year attributable to equity shareholders of the parent
Adjustment to exclude (profit)/loss for the year from discontinued operations (net of tax)
Profit/(loss) from continuing operations

Earnings/(loss) per share from continuing operations (pence)
Basic and diluted

From discontinued operations

Earnings/(loss) per share from discontinued operations (pence)
Basic and diluted

From adjusted earnings

Earnings/(loss)
Profit/(loss) from continuing operations
Specific items
Restructuring
Amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets
Goodwill impairment
Acquisition-related expenses
Profit on disposal on subsidiaries
Tax on amortisation and specific items
Non-controlling interests’ share of specific items
Adjusted profit for the year attributable to equity shareholders of the parent

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (m)
Adjusted earnings per share (pence)

2014 
£m

2013 
Restated 
£m

152

(365)

1,545

1,452

9.8p

(25.1)p

152
(63)
89

(365)
114
(251)

5.8p

(17.3)p

4.1p

(7.8)p

89
56
29
58
–
1
–
(33)
(1)
199

(251)
315
66
72
46
4
(24)
(20)
(7)
201

1,545
12.9p

1,452
13.8p

Adjusted earnings per share
In the opinion of the directors the earnings per share figure of most use to shareholders is the adjusted earnings per share. This figure 
better allows the assessment of operational performance, the analysis of trends over time, the comparison of different businesses and the 
projection of future earnings. 

Share placing
In August 2013 the group completed a 9.99% share placing of 140,925,797 shares. The increase in average shares during 2014 reflects the 
full year impact of this share placing.

122  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
122  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Acquisitions

Current year acquisitions 
The group did not undertake any material business combinations in the current year. 

Prior year acquisitions 
The group undertook a number of business combinations in the prior year including the acquisition of Deposita, a cash solutions business  
in South Africa.

The following table sets out the fair value to the group in respect of all acquisitions made in the prior year:

2013 acquisitions 
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Deferred tax assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other payables
Borrowings
Deferred tax liabilities
Net assets acquired of subsidiary undertakings
Goodwill
Total purchase consideration (paid in cash)

Fair value 
£m
15
2
2
4
3
1
(6)
(4)
(3)
14
4
18

Adjustments were made to identifiable assets and liabilities on acquisition to reflect their fair value. These included the recognition of 
customer-related intangible assets amounting to £12m. 

From their respective dates of acquisition, the acquired businesses contributed £28m to prior year revenues, £4m to prior year operating 
profit before specific items and £3m to prior year profit for the part year they were under the group’s ownership. If all acquisitions had 
occurred on 1 January 2013, group revenue for that year would have been £7,067m, operating profit before specific items would have 
been £418m and total loss for the year would have been £356m.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  123 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  123 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

17. Disposal of subsidiaries
During the current year the group disposed of its US Government Solutions business, its cash business in Canada, its business in Norway,  
its locks business in Finland and its business in Sweden.

In the prior year the group disposed of its data solutions business in Colombia recognising a profit of £24m presented in continuing 
operations and its cash business in Slovakia resulting in a £3m loss presented in discontinued operations.

The net assets and profit on disposal of operations disposed of were as follows: 

Goodwill 
Acquisition-related intangible assets 
Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets other than acquisition-related 
Other non-current assets 
Current assets 
Liabilities 
Net assets of operations disposed 
Less: recycling of cumulative translation reserve 
Net impact on statement of financial position due to disposals 
Profit on disposal 
Total consideration 

Satisfied by: 
Cash received 
Disposal costs 
Used to repay debt 
Total consideration relating to current year disposals 

Additional consideration received in the current year relating to disposals completed in prior years
Total consideration recognised in the current year

2014 
£m
54
1
27
80
103
(150)
115
(13)
102
71
173

161
(4)
16
173

2
175

2013 
£m
–
–
8
–
11
(5)
14
–
14
21
35

35
–
–
35

–
35

Included in proceeds is £16m that was paid by the purchaser directly to the group’s counterparties to repay existing debt at the time  
of disposal.

124  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
124  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Intangible assets

2014
Cost
At 1 January 2014
Acquisition of businesses
Additions
Disposals 
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2014

Amortisation and accumulated impairment losses
At 1 January 2014
Amortisation charge
Disposals 
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2014

Carrying amount
At 1 January 2014
At 31 December 2014

2013
Cost
At 1 January 2013 – restated
Acquisition of businesses
Additions
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Amortisation and accumulated impairment losses
At 1 January 2013 – restated
Amortisation charge
Impairment charge
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Carrying amount
At 1 January 2013 – restated
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Acquisition-related intangible assets 

Goodwill 
£m

Trademarks 
£m

Customer 
related 
£m

Technology 
£m

Other 
intangibles 
£m

2,052
–
–
(13)
(13)
2,026

(97)
–
3
7
(87)

1,955
1,939

2,158
4
–
–
(45)
(65)
2,052

(62)
–
(46)
–
–
11
(97)

2,096
1,955

32
–
–
–
–
32

(31)
–
–
–
(31)

1
1

33
–
–
–
(1)
–
32

(30)
(2)
–
–
1
–
(31)

3
1

657
1
–
(1)
(4)
653

(520)
(58)
3
2
(573)

137
80

675
12
–
–
(18)
(12)
657

(475)
(73)
–
–
17
11
(520)

200
137

9
–
–
–
–
9

(6)
(1)
–
–
(7)

3
2

6
3
–
–
–
–
9

(5)
(1)
–
–
–
–
(6)

1
3

Total

£m 

2,950
1
34
(25)
(20)
2,940

(777)
(84)
14
11
(836)

200
–
34
(11)
(3)
220

(123)
(25)
8
2
(138)

77
82

2,173
2,104

199
–
27
(5)
(14)
(7)
200

(112)
(26)
–
4
8
3
(123)

3,071
19
27
(5)
(78)
(84)
2,950

(684)
(102)
(46)
4
26
25
(777)

87
77

2,387
2,173

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  125 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  125 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

18. Intangible assets (continued)

Goodwill allocation
Goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated to the cash-generating units (CGUs) which are expected to benefit from that 
business combination. A significant portion of the group’s goodwill was generated by the merger of the security services businesses of 
Group 4 Falck and Securicor in 2004 which was accounted for as an acquisition of Securicor by Group 4 Falck. 

Goodwill impairment testing
The group tests tangible and intangible assets, including goodwill, for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently if there are 
indications that any of these assets may be impaired. The annual impairment test is performed prior to the year end when the budgeting 
process is finalised and reviewed post year end. The group’s impairment test compares the carrying value of each CGU with its recoverable 
amount. CGUs are identified on a country level basis including significant business units, as per the group’s detailed management accounts. 
Under IAS 36 ‘Impairment of Assets’, an impairment is deemed to have occurred where the recoverable amount of a CGU is less than its 
carrying value. 

The recoverable amount of a CGU is generally determined by its value in use which is derived from discounted cash flow calculations. The 
key inputs to the calculations are described below. In rare circumstances, where market prices can be ascertained (for example through 
recent transactions or by reference to normal industry standard multiples), the fair value less costs to sell is used as a basis for the 
recoverable amount. In the current year the value of goodwill in the UK cash business and the Brazil security business was supported by 
this valuation method.

Forecast cash flows
All operating countries in the group are required to submit a budget for the next financial year (for the current year test this is for the year 
ended 31 December 2015) and their strategic plan forecasts for the following two years (in this case the years ended 31 December 2016 
and 31 December 2017).

The revenue figures submitted as part of this exercise are used to derive a growth rate for the discounted cash flow calculation (see the 
growth rate table below). The group applies a 10% forecast risk to reduce revenue forecasts in each year to reflect the uncertainties 
inherent in estimating future revenue streams.

Forecast cash flows are adjusted from year 4 onwards by applying a growth rate as detailed in the growth rate section, and discounted 
using specific risk-adjusted discount rates as described in the discount rate section.

Growth Rate
Growth rates are determined from the budgeted and forecast revenue in years 1-3 and then projected using the lower of the forecast 
growth rate and the country’s nominal growth rate (per the IMF) to a terminal growth rate in year 15 of 1% for developed markets or  
3% for emerging markets. This is detailed in the table below:

Growth 
assumptions
Input

Year 1
Budget*

Year 2
Forecast*

Year 3
Forecast*

Example

8%

7%

6%

*  Budgets and forecasts are reviewed by the group Board

Year 4
Projected – to 
year 5 at lower  
of forecast or 
country growth
5%

Year 5
Projected – to  
year 5 at lower  
of forecast or 
country growth
4%

Year 6 to 15
Projected to  
year 15  
‘terminal growth’

4% to 1%  
over 10 years

Terminal value
Estimate of 
residual growth: 
developed 1%; 
emerging 3%
1%

In the above example, budgeted year 1 growth rate is 8%, forecast growth in year 2 is 7% and in year 3 is 6%. The country growth rate is 
4% so the growth rate is reduced each year to reach 4% at year 5. From year 6 the growth rate is then reduced over the next ten years to 
provide a terminal value growth of 1% (the example is based on a developed market CGU).

126  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
126  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Discount rate
Discount rates are calculated for each CGU based on the relevant local risk-free rate adjusted for that CGU’s specific risk-adjusted equity 
risk premium. For the impairment test performed for the year ended 31 December 2014 the group has revised the calculation of the 
pre-tax discount rates applied to certain CGU’s. This revision adjusts for the current low-interest rate environment by increasing abnormally 
low pre-tax discount rates. Details of how the other key discount rate inputs are derived are given below:

Input
Risk-free rate

UK equity risk premium

Operating country  
equity risk premium

Leveraged beta

Tax rate
Debt margin

Weighted average  
cost of capital (pre-tax)

How determined
The risk-free rate is generally obtained from the local government’s 10 year gilt/bond rates. 
Where these are unavailable the group uses the closest available information (e.g. shorter 
term gilt rates).
The equity risk premium is determined for the UK by analysing a variety of sources including 
economic studies carried out by Barclays Capital and others.
Specific local equity risk premiums are based on the UK risk premium adjusted for specific 
economic and financial risks. The sources for these adjustments are the Institutional Investor 
Magazine and the IMF website as well as other studies by independent economists.
Beta is a risk adjustment applied to the discount rate to reflect the risk of the group’s 
operating companies relative to the market as a whole. The group’s beta is obtained from 
independent market studies and is adjusted for the appropriate leverage of the group.
Local tax rates are applied to each CGU to calculate pre-tax cost of equity.
The group applies a margin to the cost of debt for each CGU, with a higher margin applied to 
those CGUs operating in higher risk environments. These margins range from 1.5% in less risky 
CGUs (for example in the UK) to 7% in more risky CGUs (e.g. 6.5% in Yemen).
The weighted average cost of capital is calculated by weighting the cost of equity and the cost 
of debt by the applicable debt:equity ratio at the year end.

31 Dec 2014
2.35% in UK

5.0% in UK

0.8 for the 
group

21% in UK
1.5% in UK

8.7% in UK

The table below sets out the pre-tax discount rates and growth rates used for the group’s significant countries:

South Africa
Brazil
United States of America
Hong Kong
Malaysia 
Estonia
Israel
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Other (all allocated)
Total goodwill

Discount rate 
2014 
%
16.3%
20.5%
8.5%
7.9%
10.4%
7.7%
8.5%
7.2%
8.7%

Discount rate 
2013 
%
16.0%
18.4%
9.0%
9.2%
10.4%
9.2%
10.4%
8.9%
8.6%

Growth rate*
2014 
%
6.7%
7.6%
4.6%
7.3%
7.9%
5.9%
5.2%
2.2%
4.0%

Growth rate*
2013 
%
8.5%
8.0%
5.3%
7.5%
7.4%
6.2%
1.0%
3.1%
4.3%

Goodwill 
2014 
£m
33
92
407
41
39
59
34
140
710
384
1,939

Goodwill  
2013 
Restated 
£m
30
98
384
38
40
63
36
150
710
406
1,955

*  Lower of year 5 country growth rate per the IMF and implied year 3 business forecast growth rate.

Within the UK, the most significant CGUs and their goodwill carrying values are UK Care and Justice (£247m), UK Cash Solutions (£205m) 
and UK Secure Solutions (£102m). Within the USA, the most significant CGU is US Commercial Security Solutions with goodwill of £321m.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  127 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  127 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

18. Intangible assets (continued)

Impairment 
There were no impairments recognised during 2014. During the year ended 31 December 2013, impairment charges totaling £46m were 
recorded in respect of the group’s goodwill, in the following countries:

Democratic Republic of Congo
Malawi 
Nigeria
Brazil
Ireland
Other impaired
Total

2013 
£m
(4)
(2)
(4)
(24)
(5)
(7)
(46)

The impairment charge in Brazil was driven by losses incurred in the first half of 2013 in the technology business and a general turndown  
in trading. The impairment in Ireland was as a result of the economic challenges in the country and the specific situation of the group’s cash 
business. Certain CGUs in Africa were impaired mainly as a result of worsening economic and political circumstances in those countries.

Sensitivity to key assumptions
The key assumptions used in the discounted cash flow calculations relate to the discount rates and growth rates used. The table below 
shows the additional impairment that would arise from an increase in discount rates by 1% and 3% (with all other variables being equal, for 
example, taking the UK base rate from 8.7% to 9.7% and 11.7%) or a decrease in growth rates by 1% and 3% (with all other variables being 
equal, for example, taking the UK growth rate from 4.0% to 3.0% and 1.0%) for the group in total and for each of its significant countries.

South Africa
Brazil
United States of America
Hong Kong
Malaysia 
Estonia
Israel
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Other (all allocated)
Total

Base 
discount 
rate 
2014
16.3%
20.5%
8.5%
7.9%
10.4%
7.7%
8.5%
7.2%
8.7%

Additional impairment 

1% 
increase 
2014 
£m
 – 
6 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
27 
6 
39 

3% 
increase 
2014 
£m
 – 
16 
 – 
 – 
 – 
12 
 – 
 – 
72 
17
117 

Goodwill 
2014 
£m 
33
92
407
41
39
59
34
140
710
384
1,939

Base 
growth
rate*
2014
6.7%
7.6%
4.6%
7.3%
7.9%
5.9%
5.2%
2.2%
4.0%

Additional impairment
3% 
decrease 
2014 
£m
 – 
7 
 – 
 – 
 – 
1 
 – 
 – 
33 
8 
49 

1% 
decrease 
2014 
£m
 – 
3 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
11 
3 
17 

*  Lower of country growth rate per IMF and implied year 3 business forecast growth rate. 

128  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
128  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Property plant and equipment

2014
Cost
At 1 January 2014
Additions 
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2014

Depreciation and accumulated impairment losses
At 1 January 2014
Depreciation charge
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2014

Carrying amount
At 1 January 2014
At 31 December 2014

2013
Cost
At 1 January 2013 – restated
Acquisition of businesses 
Additions
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Depreciation and accumulated impairment losses
At 1 January 2013 – restated
Depreciation charge
Disposals
Reclassified as held for sale
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Carrying amount
At 1 January 2013 – restated
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Land and 
buildings 
£m

Equipment 
and vehicles 
£m

241
12
–
–
(5)
248

(79)
(15)
6
–
2
(86)

162
162

237
–
21
(10)
(5)
(2)
241

(77)
(15)
8
4
1
(79)

160
162

993
98
(140)
(5)
(27)
919

(671)
(96)
112
3
21
(631)

322
288

980
2
138
(63)
(35)
(29)
993

(634)
(108)
47
22
2
(671)

346
322

Total 
£m 

1,234
110
(140)
(5)
(32)
1,167

(750)
(111)
118
3
23
(717)

484
450

1,217
2
159
(73)
(40)
(31)
1,234

(711)
(123)
55
26
3
(750)

506
484

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  129 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  129 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

19. Property plant and equipment (continued)
The net book value of equipment and vehicles held under finance leases was £34m (2013: £52m). Accumulated depreciation on these 
assets was £100m (2013: £124m) and the depreciation charge for the year was £14m (2013: £17m).

The rights over finance leased assets are effectively security for lease liabilities. These rights revert to the lessor in the event of default.

The net book value of equipment and vehicles includes £28m (2013: £26m) of assets leased by the group to third parties under operating 
leases. Accumulated depreciation on these assets was £110m (2013: £97m) and the depreciation charge for the year was £8m (2013: £7m).

The net book value of land and buildings comprises freeholds of £85m (2013: £73m), long leaseholds of £19m (2013: £20m) and short 
leaseholds of £58m (2013: £69m).

20. Investment in joint ventures
The following is summarised financial information for the group’s interest in immaterial joint ventures, based on the amounts reported in 
the group’s consolidated financial statements:

Carrying amount of interests in joint ventures
Group’s share of:
Profit from continuing operations
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income

21. Inventories

Raw materials
Work in progress
Finished goods including consumables
Total inventories

2014 
£m
41

8
 – 
8

2014 
£m
12
11
85
108

2013 
Restated 
£m
34

8
(5)
3

2013 
Restated 
£m
14
9
89
112

22. Investments
Investments comprise primarily listed securities of £52m (2013: £29m) held by the group’s wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiaries. 
These are stated at their fair values based on quoted market prices consistent with level 1 of the valuation hierarchy. Use of these 
investments is restricted to the settlement of claims against the group’s captive insurance subsidiaries. 

130  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
130  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
23. Trade and other receivables

Within current assets
Trade debtors 
Allowance for doubtful debts
Other debtors (including tax receivable)
Prepayments and accrued income
Amounts due from construction contract customers
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Total trade and other receivables included within current assets

Within non-current assets
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Other debtors
Total trade and other receivables included within non-current assets

Notes 

24

30

30

2014 
£m

1,129
(50)
175
73
11
33
1,371

2013 
Restated 
£m

1,122
(37)
183
74
23
15
1,380

57
40
97

74
30
104

Credit risk on trade receivables
There is limited concentration of credit risk with respect to trade receivables, as the group’s customers are both large in number and 
dispersed geographically in over 110 countries. The group’s largest customer is the UK Government which comprises approximately 10% 
(2013:13%) of the total trade debtor balance as at 31 December 2014. Group companies are required to follow the Group Finance Manual 
guidelines with respect to assessing the credit worthiness of potential customers. These guidelines include processes such as obtaining 
approval for credit limits over a set amount, performing credit checks and assessments and obtaining additional security where required.

Credit terms vary across the group and can range from 0 to 90 days to reflect the different risks within each country in which the group 
operates. There is no group-wide rate of provision, and provision is made for debts that are past due according to local conditions and past 
default experience.

The movement in the allowance for doubtful debts is as follows:

At 1 January
Amounts written off during the year
Increase in allowance
At 31 December

The ageing of trade debtors, net of allowance for doubtful debt, is as follows:

Not yet due
1-30 days overdue
31-60 days overdue
61-90 days overdue
91-180 days overdue
181-365 days overdue
Over 365 days overdue
Net trade debtors

2014 
£m
(37)
4
(17)
(50)

2014 
£m
864 
124 
42 
19 
24 
6 
 – 
1,079 

2013 
Restated 
£m
(44)
20
(13)
(37)

2013 
Restated 
£m
859 
128 
26 
27 
37 
6 
2 
1,085 

No additional provision has been made on the above amounts as there has not been a significant change in credit quality and the group 
believes that the amounts are still recoverable. The group does not hold any collateral over these balances. The proportion of trade debtors 
at 31 December 2014 that were overdue for payment was 20% (2013: 21%). The group’s DSO measure (days sales outstanding) based on 
revenue for the last 90 days of the year was 48 days (2013: 49 days).

The directors believe the fair value of trade and other receivables, being the present value of future cash flows, approximates to their  
book value.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  131 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  131 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

24. Construction contracts

Amounts due from contract customers included in trade and other receivables
Amounts due to contract customers included in trade and other payables
Net balances relating to construction contracts

Contract costs incurred plus recognised profits less recognised losses to date
Less: progress billings
Net balances relating to construction contracts

 Notes

23

29

2014 
£m
11
(2)
9

127
(118)
9

2013 
Restated 
£m
23
(2)
21

287
(266)
21

At 31 December 2014, advances received from customers for contract work amounted to £4m (2013: £4m). There were no material 
retentions held by customers for contract work at either balance sheet date. All trade and other receivables arising from construction 
contracts are due for settlement within one year. 

25. Disposal groups classified as held for sale
At 31 December 2014, disposal groups classified as held for sale included the assets and liabilities associated with the group’s business in 
Costa Rica. 

At 31 December 2013, disposal groups classified as held for sale included the assets and liabilities associated with the group’s cash business  
in Canada and the group’s business in Norway, both of which were sold in January 2014. Disposal groups held for sale at 31 December 2013 
also included the assets and liabilities associated with the classified US Government Solutions business which was sold in November 2014.

The major classes of assets and liabilities comprising the operations classified as held for sale are as follows:

ASSETS 
Goodwill
Acquisition-related intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets other than acquisition-related
Interest in associates 
Trade and other receivables (non-current)
Deferred tax asset
Trading investments
Inventories
Trade and other receivables (current)
Cash and cash equivalents
Total assets classified as held for sale

LIABILITIES 
Bank loans
Trade and other payables
Retirement benefit obligations
Deferred tax liability
Total liabilities associated with assets classified as held for sale

Net assets of disposal group

2014 
£m

2013 
£m

–
–
2
–
–
–
–
–
4
–
6

(1)
(3)
–
–
(4)

2

45
1
20
12
10
14
12
2
89
15
220

(19)
(93)
(17)
(4)
(133)

87

132  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
132  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts
A reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents reported within the consolidated cash flow statement to amounts reported within the 
consolidated statement of financial position is presented below:

Cash and cash equivalents
Bank overdrafts
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts included within disposal groups classified as held for sale
Total cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts

2014 
£m
409
(18)
–
391

2013 
Restated 
£m
532
(9)
15
538

Cash and cash equivalents comprise principally short-term money market deposits, current account balances and group-owned cash held  
in ATM machines and at 31 December 2014 bore interest at a weighted average rate of 0.8% (2013: 0.7%). The credit risk on cash and cash 
equivalents is limited because wherever possible and in accordance with Group Treasury policy the cash is placed with bank counterparties 
that hold investment grade credit ratings assigned by international credit-rating agencies.

The group operates a multi-currency notional pooling cash management system which included over 140 group companies at 31 December 
2014. The group met the conditions of IAS 32 ‘Financial Instruments: Presentation’ allowing balances within this cash pool to be offset for 
reporting purposes. At 31 December 2014 £300m (2013: £422m) of the cash balances and the equivalent amount of the overdraft 
balances were offset. 

Cash and cash equivalents of £26m (2013: £39m) are held by the group’s wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiaries. Their use is 
restricted to the settlement of claims against the group’s captive insurance subsidiaries.

27. Bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes

Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes*
Total bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes

The borrowings are repayable as follows:
On demand or within one year
In the second year
In the third to fifth years inclusive
After five years
Total bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes

Less: Amount due for settlement within 12 months (shown under current liabilities):
Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes

Amount due for settlement after 12 months

*  Loan notes includes £687m (2013: £716m) of private loan notes and £1,212m (2013: £1,266m) of public loan notes.

2014 
£m
18
165
1,899
2,082

174
129
1,648
131
2,082

(18)
(60)
(96)
(174)
1,908

2013 
Restated 
£m
9
167
1,982
2,158

97
95
1,392
574
2,158

(9)
(27)
(61)
(97)
2,061

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  133 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  133 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

27. Bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes (continued)
Analysis of bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes by currency:

Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes
At 31 December 2014

Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Sterling 
£m
1
48
419
468

1
–
419
420

Euros 
£m
3
–
858
861

5
37
915
957

US Dollars 
£m
14
108
622
744

3
80
648
731

Others 
£m
–
9
–
9

–
50
–
50

Total 
£m
18
165
1,899
2,082

9
167
1,982
2,158

Of the borrowings in currencies other than sterling, £926m (2013: £1,014m) is designated as a net investment hedge.

The weighted average interest rates on bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes at 31 December 2014 adjusted for hedging were  
as follows:

Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Private loan notes
Public loan notes

2014 
%
0.9
2.3
4.3
4.1

2013 
%
1.1
3.5
4.2
4.2

At 31 December 2014, the group’s committed bank borrowings comprised a £1.1bn multi-currency revolving credit facility with a maturity 
date of March 2016. At 31 December 2014, undrawn committed available facilities amounted to £998m (2013: £965m). Interest on all 
committed bank borrowing facilities is at prevailing Libor or Euribor rates, dependent upon the period of drawdown, plus an agreed margin, 
and re-priced within one year or less. 

In January 2015 the revolving credit facility was refinanced. The new facility is £1.0bn and matures in January 2020, with two one-year 
extension options exercisable with lending bank consent on the facility’s first and second anniversary. If exercised the maturity date would 
extend to January 2021 and January 2022 respectively.

Borrowing at floating rates exposes the group to cash flow interest rate risk. The management of this risk is discussed in note 31. 

The group issued fixed rate loan notes in the US Private Placement market totalling US$550m (£353m) on 1 March 2007. $100m of these 
notes matured and were repaid on 1 March 2014, with the remaining notes maturing in March 2017 ($200m), March 2019 ($145m) and 
March 2022 ($105m). 

The group issued further fixed rate loan notes in the US Private Placement market totalling US$514m (£329m) and £69m on 15 July 2008. 
$65m of these notes matured and were repaid on 15 July 2013, with the remaining notes maturing in July 2015 ($150m), July 2016 (£25m), 
July 2018 ($224m) and (£44m), and July 2020 ($75m).

The group issued its inaugural public note of £350m using its European Medium Term Note Programme on 13 May 2009. The note 
matures in May 2019.

During 2012 the group issued two further public notes, a €600m note issued in May 2012 maturing May 2017 and a €500m note issued  
in December 2012 maturing December 2018.

The committed bank facilities and the private loan notes are subject to one financial covenant (net debt to EBITDA ratio where EBITDA  
is calculated as underlying group PBITA plus depreciation and amortisation of non-acquisition related intangible assets) and non-compliance 
with the covenant may lead to an acceleration of maturity. The group complied with the financial covenant throughout the year to  
31 December 2014 and the year to 31 December 2013. The group has not defaulted on, or breached the terms of, any material loans 
during the year. 

Bank overdrafts, bank loans, the loan notes issued in July 2008 (with the exception of £44m), €510m of the loan notes issued in May 2012 
and €380m of the loan notes issued in December 2012 are stated at amortised cost. The loan notes issued in March 2007, £44m of the 
loan notes issued in July 2008, the loan notes issued in May 2009, €90m of the loan notes issued in May 2012 and €120m of the loan notes 
issued in December 2012 are stated at amortised cost recalculated at an effective interest rate current at the balance sheet date as they 
are part of a fair value hedge relationship. 

US$200m (£128m) of the loan notes issued in July 2008 have a fair value market gain of £28m (2013: gain £21m) resulting from the cross 
currency swaps fixing the sterling value of this portion of the loan notes at an exchange rate of 1.975.

134  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
134  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
€325m (£252m) of the loan notes issued in May 2012 have a fair value market loss of £14m (2013: gain £5m) predominately resulting 
from the cross currency swaps fixing the sterling value of this portion of the loan notes at an exchange rate of 1.222 and partly resulting 
from the cross currency swaps fixing the sterling and euro interest rates.

€350m (£272m) of the loan notes issued in December 2012 have a fair value market loss of £5m (2013: gain £16m) predominately 
resulting from the cross currency swaps fixing the sterling value of this portion of the loan notes at an exchange rate of 1.233 and partly 
resulting from the cross currency swaps fixing the sterling and euro interest rates.

28. Obligations under finance leases

Amounts payable under finance leases:
Within one year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
After five years

Less: future finance charges on finance leases
Present value of lease obligations

Present 
Value of 
minimum 
lease 
payments 
2014 
£m

14
24
2
40

Present 
value of 
minimum 
lease 
payments 
2013 
Restated 
£m

21
28
3
52

Minimum 
lease 
payments 
2014 
£m 

Minimum 
lease 
payments 
2013 
Restated 
£m 

16
29
3
48
(8)
40

23
31
3
57
(5)
52

Less: amount due for settlement within 12 months (shown under current liabilities)
Amount due for settlement after 12 months

(14)
26

(21)
31

It is the group’s policy to lease certain of its fixtures and equipment under finance leases. The weighted average lease term is seven years. 
For the year ended 31 December 2014, the weighted average effective borrowing rate was 8.2% (2013: 7.3%). Interest rates are fixed at 
the contract date. All leases are on a fixed repayment basis and no arrangements have been entered into for contingent rental payments. 

The group’s obligations under finance leases are secured by the lessors’ charges over the leased assets. 

29. Trade and other payables

Within current liabilities:
Trade creditors
Amounts due to construction contract customers
Other taxation and social security costs
Holiday pay accruals
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Total trade and other payables included within current liabilities

Within non-current liabilities:
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Other creditors
Total trade and other payables included within non-current liabilities

Notes 

2014 
£m

2013 
Restated 
£m

24

30

30

185
2
185
318
108
280
25
1,103

12
11
23

209
2
200
313
132
308
2
1,166

2
11
13

Trade and other payables comprise principally amounts outstanding for trade purchases and ongoing costs. The average credit period taken 
for trade purchases is 36 days (2013: 36 days). 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  135 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  135 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

30. Derivative financial instruments
The carrying values of derivative financial instruments at the balance sheet date are presented below:

Cross currency swaps designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges 
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges 
Foreign exchange forward transactions
Commodity swaps

Less: non-current portion
Current portion

Assets 
2014 
£m
28 
–
61 
1 
–
90 
(57)
33 

Assets 
2013 
£m
42 
–
46 
–
1 
89 
(74)
15 

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
19 
1 
12 
–
5 
37 
(12)
25 

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
–
2 
1 
–
1 
4 
(2)
2 

Derivative financial instruments are stated at fair value, measured using techniques consistent with Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy (inputs 
other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable for the asset and liability, either directly or indirectly). The source of the 
market prices is Bloomberg and in addition the third party relationship counterparty banks. The relevant currency yield curve is used to 
forecast the floating rate cash flows anticipated under the instrument which are discounted back to the balance sheet date. This value is 
compared to the original transaction value giving a fair value of the instrument at the balance sheet date.

The mark to market valuation of the derivatives has fallen by £32m during the year. 

The interest rate, cross currency, foreign exchange and commodity swaps treated as cash flow hedges have the following maturities:

Within one year
In the second year
In the third year 
In the fourth year
In the fifth year or greater
Total carrying value

Assets 
2014 
£m
21
–
–
7
–
28

Assets 
2013 
£m
1
16
–
5
21
43

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
4
2
14
5
–
25

The projected settlement of cash flows (including accrued interest) associated with derivatives treated as cash flow hedges:

Within one year
In the second year
In the third year 
In the fourth year
In the fifth year or greater
Total cash flows

Assets 
2014 
£m
22
–
–
7
–
29

Assets 
2013 
£m
1
16
–
11
26
54

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
9
6
7
1
–
23

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
1
–
2
–
–
3

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
6
4
4
–
–
14

136  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
136  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
31. Financial risk

Capital management
Post the year end the group refinanced its £1.1bn multi-currency revolving credit facility with a £1.0bn facility that was signed on  
7 January 2015. The new facility is for five years with two extension options exercisable by the banks that potentially results in the  
facility having a life of seven years.

In August 2014, Standard & Poor’s confirmed the group’s long term credit rating of BBB- Stable. The group will continue to manage its 
capital structure so that it retains an investment grade rating.

The group’s policy is to maintain a net debt to EBITDA ratio of less than 2.5 times. At the end of 2014 the ratio was 2.8 times which 
reflects the Electronic Monitoring contract settlement. The ratio is expected to steadily decline as the benefits from the restructuring and 
business transformation programmes take effect.

At 31 December 2014 the group had £998m of available and undrawn facilities from its committed £1.1bn bank facility. Following the 
successful refinancing of its committed bank facility in January 2015, the group has no significant maturity until May 2017 and has a medium 
to long-term debt maturity profile. The group is currently well placed to access finance from the debt capital markets and the bank market 
if required. Borrowings are principally in sterling, US dollars and Euros reflecting the geographies of significant operational assets and profits.

Liquidity risk
The group mitigates liquidity risk by ensuring there are sufficient undrawn committed facilities available to it. For more details of the group’s 
bank overdrafts, bank loans and loan notes see note 27.

The percentage of available, but undrawn committed facilities during the course of the year was as follows:

31 December 2013
31 March 2014
30 June 2014
30 September 2014
31 December 2014

32%
32%
33%
32%
34%

To reduce re-financing risk, group treasury obtains finance with a range of maturities and hence minimises the impact of a single material 
source of finance terminating on a single date.

Re-financing risk is further reduced by group treasury opening negotiations to either replace or extend any major medium-term facility  
at least 12 months before its termination date. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  137 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  137 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

31. Financial risk (continued)

Maturity profile of loans and borrowings
The contractual maturities of financial assets and liabilities, together with the carrying amounts in the statement of financial position, 
including interest payments, estimated based on expectations at the reporting date, are shown below:

31 December 2014
Investments
Derivative financial instruments (interest rate swaps)
Financial assets designated at fair value through 
profit or loss

Derivative financial instruments  
(foreign exchange forwards)
Derivative financial instruments  
(cross currency swaps)
Financial assets designated as cash flow hedges

Net trade receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Loans and receivables

Loan notes  
(issued May 2009, 7.75%, maturing 2019)
Loan notes  
(issued March 2007, 5.86%-6.06%, maturing 2014-22)
Financial liabilities designated as fair value hedges

Derivative financial instruments (cross currency swaps)
Derivative financial instruments (interest rate swaps)
Derivative financial instruments (commodity swaps)
Financial liabilities designated as cash flow hedges

Loan notes  
(issued July 2008, 6.09%-7.56%, maturing 2015-20)*
Loan notes  
(issued May 2012, 2.875%, maturing 2017)*
Loan notes  
(issued December 2012, 2.625%, maturing 2018)*
Bank loans
Overdrafts
Finance lease liabilities
Trade payables
Other liabilities
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost

30

30

23

26

27

27

30

30

30

27

27

27

27

27

28

29

29

Notes

22

30

Carrying 
 Amount
60
49

Fair 
 Value
60
49

Total 
contractual 
cash flows
60
65

Within 1 
year 
60
18

109

109

125

1

28
29

1,079
409
1,488

1

28
29

1,079
409
1,488

1

28
29

1,079
409
1,488

(354)

(354)

(486)

(330)
(684)

(19)
(1)
(5)
(25)

(330)
(684)

(19)
(1)
(5)
(25)

(363)
(849)

(17)
(1)
(5)
(23)

78

1

21
22

1,079
409
1,488

(27)

(17)
(44)

(4)
(1)
(4)
(9)

2-5 
years 
–
43

43

–

7
7

–
–
–

(459)

(268)
(727)

(13)
–
(1)
(14)

Over 5 
years 
–
4

4

–

–
–

–
–
–

–

(78)
(78)

–
–
–
–

(357)

(385)

(439)

(121)

(267)

(51)

(467)

(478)

(506)

(13)

(493)

(391)
(165)
(18)
(40)
(185)
(11)
(1,634)

(399)
(165)
(18)
(40)
(185)
(11)
(1,681)

(429)
(165)
(18)
(40)
(185)
(11)
(1,793)

(10)
(60)
(18)
(14)
(185)
–
(421)

(419)
(105)
–
(24)
–
(11)
(1,319)

–

–
–
–
(2)
–
–
(53)

*  £44m of July 2008 loan notes, €90m (£70m) of May 2012 loan notes and €120m (£93m) of December 2012 loan notes are recorded at fair value through profit or loss.

138  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
138  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31 December 2013 
Investments
Derivative financial instruments (interest rate swaps)
Financial assets designated at fair value through 
profit or loss

Derivative financial instruments (commodity swaps)
Derivative financial instruments  
(cross currency swaps)
Financial assets designated as cash flow hedges

Net trade receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Loans and receivables

Loan notes  
(issued March 2007, 5.77%-6.06%, maturing 2014-22)
Derivative financial instruments (interest rate swaps)
Financial liabilities designated as fair value hedge

Derivative financial instruments (interest rate swaps)
Derivative financial instruments (commodity swaps)
Financial liabilities designated as cash flow hedges

Loan notes  
(issued July 2008, 6.09%-7.56%, maturing 2015-20)
Loan notes (issued May 2009, 7.75%, maturing 2019)
Loan notes  
(issued May 2012, 2.875%, maturing 2017)*
Loan notes  
(issued December 2012, 2.625%, maturing 2018)*
Bank loans
Overdrafts
Finance lease liabilities
Trade payables
Other liabilities
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost

Notes 

22

30

30

30

23

26

27

30

30

30

27

27

27

27

27

27

28

29

29

Carrying 
Amount 
Restated 
39
46

Fair 
Value 
Restated 
39
46

Total 
contractual 
cash flows 
Restated
39
53

Within 1 
year 
Restated 
39
16

2-5 
years 
Restated 
–
35

Over 5 
years 
Restated 
–
2

85

1

42
43

85

1

42
43

92

1

42
43

55

1

(3)
(2)

1,085
532
1,617

1,085
532
1,617

1,085
532
1,617

1,085
532
1,617

(377)
(1)
(378)

(2)
(1)
(3)

(377)
(1)
(378)

(2)
(1)
(3)

(420)
(1)
(421)

(3)
(1)
(4)

(340)
(350)

(381)
(376)

(418)
(513)

(500)

(508)

(556)

(415)
(167)
(9)
(52)
(209)
(11)
(2,053)

(410)
(167)
(9)
(52)
(209)
(11)
(2,123)

(471)
(167)
(9)
(52)
(209)
(11)
(2,406)

(78)
1
(77)

(2)
–
(2)

(23)
(27)

(14)

(11)
(27)
(9)
(21)
(209)
–
(341)

35

–

45
45

–
–
–

(175)
(2)
(177)

(1)
(1)
(2)

(344)
(109)

(542)

(460)
(140)
–
(28)
–
(11)
(1,634)

2

–

–
–

–
–
–

(167)
–
(167)

–
–
–

(51)
(377)

–

–
–
–
(3)
–
–
(431)

The gross cash flows disclosed in the tables above represent the contractual undiscounted cash flows relating to derivative financial assets 
and liabilities held for risk management purposes and which are usually not closed out before contractual maturity. The disclosure shows  
net cash flow amounts for derivatives that are net cash-settled and gross cash inflow and outflow amounts for derivatives that have 
simultaneous gross cash settlement – e.g. forward exchange contracts.

*  €90m (£75m) of May 2012 loan notes and €120m (£100m) of December 2012 loan notes are recorded at fair value through profit or loss.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  139 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  139 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

31. Financial risk (continued)

Market risk
Currency risk and forward foreign exchange contracts 
The group conducts business in many currencies. Transaction risk is limited since, wherever possible, each business operates and conducts 
its financing activities in local currency. However, the group presents its consolidated financial statements in sterling and it is in consequence 
subject to foreign exchange risk due to the translation of the results and net assets of its foreign subsidiaries. The group hedges a substantial 
proportion of its exposure to fluctuations in the translation into sterling of its overseas net assets by holding loans in foreign currencies. 

Translation adjustments arising on the translation of foreign currency loans are recognised in equity to match translation adjustments on 
foreign currency equity investments as they qualify as net investment hedges. 

At 31 December 2014, the group’s US dollar and Euro net assets were approximately 78% and 74% respectively hedged by foreign 
currency loans (2013: US dollar 82%, Euro 59%). 

Cross currency swaps with a nominal value of £101m are in place hedging the foreign currency risk on US$200m of the second US Private 
Placement notes issued in July 2008, effectively fixing the sterling value of this portion of debt at an exchange rate of 1.9750.

Cross currency swaps with a nominal value of £266m were arranged to hedge the foreign currency risk on €325m of the Euro public 
notes issued in May 2012, effectively fixing the sterling value of this portion of debt at an exchange rate of 1.2217.

Cross currency swaps with a nominal value of £284m were arranged to hedge the foreign currency risk on €350m of the Euro public 
notes issued in December 2012, effectively fixing the sterling value of this portion of debt at an exchange rate of 1.2332.

Assuming a 1% appreciation of sterling against the US dollar and the Euro, the fair value net gain on the cross currency swaps which hedge 
part of the currency loan notes would be expected to fall by £6m.

Interest rate risk and interest rate swaps 
Borrowing at floating rates as described in note 27 exposes the group to cash flow interest rate risk, which the group manages within 
policy limits approved by the directors. Interest rate swaps and, to a limited extent, forward rate agreements are utilised to fix the interest 
rate on a proportion of borrowings on a reducing scale over forward periods up to a maximum of five years. At 31 December 2014 the 
nominal value of such contracts was £103m (in respect of US dollar) (2013: £97m) and £54m (in respect of Euro) (2013: £37m); their 
weighted average interest rate was 1.3% (US dollar) (2013: 1.3%) and 0.6% (Euro) (2013: 2.8 %), and their weighted average period to 
maturity was three years. All the interest rate hedging instruments are designated and fully effective as cash flow hedges and movements in 
their fair value have been deferred in equity. 

The US Private Placement market is predominantly a fixed rate market, with investors preferring a fixed rate return over the life of the loan 
notes. At the time of the first issue in March 2007, the group was comfortable with the proportion of floating rate exposure not hedged by 
interest rate swaps and therefore rather than take on a higher proportion of fixed rate debt arranged fixed to floating swaps effectively 
converting the fixed coupon on the Private Placement to a floating rate. Following the swaps the resulting average coupon on the US 
Private Placement is LIBOR + 60bps. These swaps have been documented as fair value hedges of the US Private Placement fixed interest 
loan notes, with the movements in their fair value posted to profit and loss at the same time as the movement in the fair value of the 
hedged item.

The interest on the US Private Placement notes issued in July 2008, the GBP public notes issued in May 2009, 510m of the Euro public 
notes issued in May 2012 and 380m of the Euro public notes issued in December 2012 was initially kept at fixed rate. In April 2014, the 
interest rate on £44m of the US Private Placement notes issued in July 2008 and on all the GBP public notes issued in May 2009 was 
swapped from fixed to floating for a period of three years using derivatives.

All three public notes have a coupon step up of 1.25% which is triggered should the credit rating of G4S plc fall below investment grade.

The core group borrowings are held in US dollar, Euro and sterling. Although the impact of rising interest rates is largely shielded by fixed 
rate loans and interest rate swaps which provide certainty on the vast majority of the exposure, some interest rate risk remains. A 1% 
increase in interest rates across the yield curve in each of these currencies with the 31 December 2014 debt position constant throughout 
2015, would lead to an expectation of an additional interest charge of £11m in the 2015 financial year.

140  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
140  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Commodity risk and commodity swaps
The group’s principal commodity risk relates to the fluctuating level of diesel prices, particularly affecting its cash solutions businesses. 
Commodity swaps and commodity options are used to fix synthetically part of the exposure and reduce the associated cost volatility. 
Commodity swaps hedging 23 million litres of projected 2015 diesel consumption and 10 million litres of projected 2016 diesel 
consumption were in place at 31 December 2014.

Counterparty credit risk 
The group’s strategy for credit risk management is to set minimum credit ratings for counterparties and monitor these on a regular basis. 

For treasury-related transactions, the policy limits the aggregate credit risk assigned to a counterparty. The utilisation of a credit limit is 
calculated by applying a weighting to the notional value of each transaction outstanding with each counterparty based on the type and 
duration of the transaction. The total mark-to-market value outstanding with each counterparty is also closely monitored against policy 
limits assigned to each counterparty. For short-term transactions (under one year), at inception of the transaction, the financial counterparty 
must be investment grade rated by either the Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s rating agencies. For long-term transactions, at inception of the 
transaction, the financial counterparty must have a minimum rating of BBB+/Baa1 from Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. 

Treasury transactions are dealt with the group’s relationship banks, all of which have a strong investment grade rating. At 31 December 
2014 the largest two counterparty exposures related to treasury transactions were £33m and £21m and both were held with institutions 
with a long-term Standard & Poor’s credit rating of A. These exposures represent 43% and 27% of the carrying values of the treasury 
transactions, with a fair value gain at the balance sheet date. Both of these banks had significant loan commitments outstanding to G4S plc 
at 31 December 2014.

The group operates a multi-currency notional pooling cash management system with a wholly owned subsidiary of an A rated bank. At year 
end credit balances of £300m were pooled with debit balances of £301m, resulting in a net pool overdraft balance of £1m. There is legal 
right of set off under the pooling agreement and an overdraft facility of £3m.

At an operating level the minimum investment grade rating criteria applies. Exceptionally, where required by local country circumstances, 
counterparties with no, or a non-investment grade, rating can be approved as counterparties for a period of up to 12 months. Due to the 
group’s global geographical footprint and exposure to multiple industries, there is minimal concentration risk. 

32. Retirement benefit obligations
The group operates a wide range of retirement benefit arrangements which are established in accordance with local conditions and 
practices within the countries concerned. These include funded defined contribution, multi-employer and funded and unfunded defined 
benefit schemes. 

Defined contribution arrangements
The majority of the retirement benefit arrangements operated by the group are of a defined contribution structure, where the employer 
contribution and resulting income statement charge is fixed at a set level or is a set percentage of employees’ pay. Contributions made to 
defined contribution schemes and charged to the income statement totalled £96m (2013: £99m).

In the UK, following the closure of the defined benefit schemes to new entrants in 2004, the main scheme for new employees is a 
contracted-in defined contribution scheme. 

The group disposed of its interest in G4S Government Solutions, Inc. during the year. G4S Government Solutions, Inc. was the administrator 
of several defined benefit schemes and was responsible for making periodic cost-reimbursable deposits to the various defined benefit 
schemes as determined by independent actuaries. In each instance, the US Department of Energy (‘DOE’) acknowledged within the 
contract entered between the DOE and G4S Government Solutions, Inc. its responsibility for all unfunded pension and benefit liabilities. 
Therefore, these schemes were accounted for as defined contribution schemes up until the date of disposal in November 2014. 

Multi-employer arrangement
In the Netherlands, most of the employees are members of the Security Industry Wide Pension Fund (IWPF). This is a career-average 
defined benefit plan. Pensionable salary is subject to a cap, and minus an offset that reflects social security levels. Withdrawal from the 
scheme is only possible under certain strict conditions determined by Dutch law and by the pension fund board of the IWPF. 

The plan is funded by a premium that is set by the IWPF board in line with the financing rules that state that the premium should cover the 
cost of the annual accrual of pension benefits. Historically, the premium has been 30% of pensionable salaries and the employer pays 60% 
of this premium and the employees the remaining 40%. 

The financing rules specify that an employer is not obliged to pay any further premiums in respect of previously accrued benefits. This 
means that in case of insufficient funding, the benefits of participants could, in theory, be reduced. The current solvency ratio is 111.7% 
(December 2014). The required solvency ratio according to Dutch law is 122.3% (as at 31 December 2012). Should a surplus appear within 
the scheme the board will decide if a reduction in premium is possible although this would only be possible at much higher solvency levels. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  141 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  141 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32. Retirement benefit obligations (continued)
Premiums paid to the scheme by the group and charged to the income statement in 2014 totalled £7m (2013: £8m).The estimated 
amounts of contributions expected to be paid to the schemes during the financial year commencing 1 January 2015 in respect of the 
on-going accrual of benefits is approximately £8m including allowance for members of the Securicor Staff Pension Plan who have now 
joined this multi-employer plan. The premium that the IWPF received in 2014 is not yet available, in 2013 this amounted to €57.4m of 
which approximately €8m was paid by the group and €5m by G4S employees. The total number of employees is approximately 22,500 at 
the end of 2013. The number of employees working for the group is approximately 5,000 as at 31 October 2014.

The scheme is not accounted for as a defined benefit scheme under IAS 19 ‘Employee Benefits’ as it is not possible to identify the group’s 
share of the scheme’s assets and liabilities. As a result, and in line with general practice for such schemes, the scheme is accounted for as if  
it were a defined contribution scheme under IAS 19. 

During 2014 the assets and past and future service liabilities of the Netherlands Securicor Staff Pension Plan were transferred to the 
Security Industry Wide Fund. This led to a settlement gain of €26m (£21m).

Defined benefit arrangements 
The group operates several funded defined retirement benefit schemes where the benefits are based on employees’ length of service. 
Whilst the group’s primary scheme is in the UK, it also operates other material schemes in the Netherlands and other less material plans 
elsewhere. Under funded arrangements, the assets of defined benefit schemes are held in separate trustee-administered funds or similar 
structures in the countries concerned. 

The amounts recognised in the income statement in relation to the material funded schemes are included within the following categories:

Amounts recognised in the income statement:
Cost of sales
Administration expenses
Specific items
Net finance costs
Total for material funded defined benefit schemes

2014 
£m

(8)
(2)
21
(20)
(9)

2013 
£m

(5)
(2)
–
(20)
(27)

There are also various less material unfunded arrangements, for these the group does not hold related assets separate from the group.

In aggregate, other unfunded arrangements incurred £1m of cost of sales, £2m finance costs and included a £5m actuarial loss recognised 
in other comprehensive income.

During the year, the unfunded severance scheme liability of £13m in Saudi Arabia was re-classified from employee benefits provisions into 
retirement benefits obligation.

The defined benefit obligation (DBO), assets and balance sheet provisions for defined benefit schemes are as follows:

2014
UK
Netherlands
Other
Total for material funded defined benefit schemes 
Total provision for unfunded and other funded defined benefit schemes
Total provision for all defined benefit schemes

2013
UK
Netherlands
Other
Total for material funded defined benefit schemes 
Total provision for unfunded and other funded defined benefit schemes
Total provision for all defined benefit schemes

DBO 
£m
(2,222)
(73)
(9)
(2,304)

DBO 
£m
(2,011)
(111)
(10)
(2,132)

Assets 
£m
1,983
48
9
2,040

Assets 
£m
1,562
88
10
1,660

Provision 
£m
(239)
(25)
–
(264)
(55)
(319)

Provision 
£m
(449)
(23)
–
(472)
(32)
(504)

142  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
142  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UK Defined Benefit Scheme
The defined benefit scheme in the UK accounts for 91% of the net balance sheet liability for material funded defined retirement benefit 
schemes. It comprises three sections: the Group 4 section which is the pension scheme demerged from the former Group 4 Falck A/S, the 
Securicor section, responsibility for which the group assumed on 20 July 2004 with the acquisition of Securicor plc, and the GSL section, 
responsibility for which the group assumed on 12 May 2008 with the acquisition of GSL. 

The UK scheme is closed to future accrual apart from some sub-sections of the GSL section, and for most members defines the pension 
based on final salary. The GSL section has historically remained open to provide a facility to accept former public-sector employees who 
join G4S through outsourcings. In the Group 4 and Securicor sections, members retain their link to final salary where appropriate on their 
benefits accrued up to closure in 2011. 

As at the latest actuarial funding valuation, the participants of the UK pension scheme sections can be analysed as follows:

At 5 April 2012
Active participants
•  Number
•  Average age

Deferred participants
•  Number
•  Average age

Pensioner participants
•  Number
•  Average age

Group 4 
section

GSL 
section 

Securicor 
section

–
–

808
47.1

–
–

Total

808
47.1

4,390
51.5

3,024
69.9

1,318
50.0

9,973
51.3

15,681
51.2

581
63.6

8,891
71.2

12,496
70.5

There is a mix of fixed and inflation-dependent pension increases (in payment and deferment) which vary from member to member 
according to their membership history and the section of the scheme.

The discounted weighted average duration of the accrued liabilities of the sections are respectively 18 years (Group 4 section), 20 years 
(GSL section) and 19 years (Securicor section). As at 31 December 2013 the discounted weighted average duration of the accrued 
liabilities of the sections were 17 years (Group 4 section), 18 years (GSL section) and 18 years (Securicor section).

The scheme is set up under UK law and governed by a Trustee company which is responsible for the scheme’s investments, administration 
and management. The Board of the Trustee Company is comprised of an independent chairman and further independent, group and 
scheme membership representatives.

The current schedule of deficit recovery contributions provides for a contribution of approximately £44m during 2015. In addition, the 
company has pledged a share of any material disposal proceeds to the pension scheme (to be shared in the same proportion as the 
pension scheme deficit bears to overall group indebtedness) and has agreed that additional contributions would be made in the event that 
the average annual dividend payment to ordinary shareholders over the three financial years 2014, 2015, 2016 exceeds a certain threshold 
or in the event that the company makes a significant special dividend payment (or equivalent capital return), to its ordinary shareholders 
over the same period. 

A funding valuation is carried out for the scheme’s Trustee every three years by an independent firm of actuaries. Depending on the 
outcome of that valuation a schedule of future contributions is negotiated; the group has guaranteed any contributions due from its 
subsidiaries. The next valuation will have an effective date of 5 April 2015.

Other material Defined Benefit Schemes
Apart from the multi-employer scheme referred to above, the group operated two material pension schemes in the Netherlands which 
apply to different employee populations; they are known as the Securicor Staff and Cash Solutions schemes. Both schemes define pensions 
in terms of average career pay, are open to new entrants and are funded in accordance with Dutch requirements.

Pension increases in the Securicor Staff scheme are conditional on the funding level and so are only required if there is a funding surplus. 
The Securicor scheme has a risk sharing arrangement whereby members pay 50% of the cost of the scheme but the group has opted to 
record 100% of the deficit as a company liability due to uncertainties as to the practicalities of applying the scheme’s provisions in this 
respect; for example in 2012 benefits were reduced rather than increasing members’ contributions.

During 2014 the assets and past and future service liabilities of the Netherlands Securicor Staff Pension Plan were transferred to the 
Security Industry Wide Fund. This led to a settlement gain of €26m (£21m).

The Cash Solutions scheme is required to provide benefits at least equivalent to the industry-wide multi-employer scheme, and in 
particular pension increases in payment and deferment, as well as revaluation of active members’ rights in the Cash Solutions scheme have 
to follow the multi-employer scheme (which also applies a conditional approach). The Cash Solutions scheme is insured, so longevity risk on 
the base level of insured pension (that is before increases) is carried by the insurer and any bonuses from the insurer’s returns may defray 
the cost of pension increases. Accordingly, there is a counterparty risk against the insurer. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  143 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  143 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32. Retirement benefit obligations (continued)
During the year the plan was amended to decrease the annual accrual rate from 2.00% to 1.87% for future service benefits. This resulted  
in a past service credit of £1m that has been recognised as a specific item in the group’s consolidated income statement.

The discounted weighted average duration of the accrued liabilities of the Cash Solutions scheme is 31 years (2013: 28 years).

In 2013 the group had a material scheme in Canada. The sponsoring business sold on 17 January 2014 and the entire liabilities and assets  
of the scheme are now the responsibility of the purchaser.

Expected contributions
The estimated amounts of contributions expected to be paid to the material schemes during the financial year commencing 1 January 2015 
in respect of the ongoing accrual of benefits should be approximately £6m (split £5m UK, £1m Netherlands) and it is anticipated that these 
will remain at a similar level in the medium term subject to changes in financial conditions.

Principal risks
The group’s pension schemes create a number of risk exposures. Annual increases on benefits are, to a varying extent from scheme to 
scheme, dependent on inflation so the main uncertainties affecting the level of benefits payable are future inflation levels (including the 
impact of inflation on future salary increases) and the actual longevity of the membership. Benefits payable will also be influenced by a 
range of other factors including member decisions on matters such as when to retire and the possibility to draw benefits in different forms.

A key risk is that additional contributions are required if the investment returns fall short of those anticipated when setting the 
contributions to the pension plans. For the UK funding valuation those assumed investment returns (for funding valuations) are set based 
on fixed margins over the LIBOR swap curve. The management of the pension fund assets has been delegated to an asset manager which 
manages the assets against a liability benchmark. The key parameters of this mandate can be summarised as follows:

•  An asset mix which is managed dynamically over time rather than a set strategic allocation
•  Interest rate and inflation risk is managed with the benchmark of hedging 100% of these risks as a percentage of the asset value through 

the use of debt instruments (government bonds) and derivatives

•  Currency risk is managed with the objective of hedging at least 70% of the overseas currency exposure in the portfolio through the use 

of forward foreign currency contracts

All pension schemes are regulated by the relevant jurisdictions. These include extensive legislation and regulatory mechanisms that are 
subject to change and may impact G4S’ pension schemes.

Regarding financial reporting measures, the IAS 19 liability measurement (DBO) and the service cost are sensitive to the actuarial 
assumptions made on a range of demographic and financial matters that are used to project the expected benefit payments, the most 
important of these assumptions being about future inflation and salary growth levels and the assumptions made about life expectation. The 
DBO and service cost are also very sensitive to the IAS 19 discount rate, which determines the discounted value of the projected benefit 
payments. The discount rate depends on market yields on high-quality corporate bonds. Investment strategies are set with funding rather 
than IAS 19 considerations in mind and do not seek to provide a specific hedge against the IAS 19 measurement of liabilities. As a result the 
difference between the market value of the assets and the IAS 19 liabilities may be volatile.

Assumptions and sensitivities 
The weighted average principal assumptions used for the purposes of the actuarial valuations were as follows:

Key assumptions used at 31 December 2014
Discount rate
Expected rate of salary increases
Pension increases in payment (for the UK, at RPI* with a limit of 5% p.a.)
Inflation

Key assumptions used at 31 December 2013
Discount rate
Expected rate of salary increases
Pension increases in payment (for the UK, at RPI with a limit of 5% p.a.)
Inflation

*  The CPI assumption used for the UK valuation in 2014 was 2%.

UK Netherlands

3.7%
3.1%
2.8%
3.0%

4.4%
3.5%
3.2%
3.4%

2.3%
1.8%
1.1%
1.8%

3.7%
2.0%
1.4%
2.0%

IAS 19 specifies that pension liabilities should be discounted at appropriate high-quality corporate bond rates. The group considers that it is 
appropriate to consider AA-rated corporate bonds as high quality and therefore have used discount rates based on yields on such bonds 
corresponding to the liability profile of the schemes.

144  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
144  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
Assumptions and sensitivities (continued)
The effect of a movement in the discount rate applicable in the UK alters reported liabilities (before associated deferred tax adjustments) 
by approximately the amounts shown in the table below:

Sensitivity analysis
Discount rate assumption being 0.5% higher 
Discount rate assumption being 0.5% lower

Increase/(decrease) in the 
DBO of the UK Scheme 
2014 
£m
(186)
211

Increase/(decrease) in the 
DBO of the UK Scheme 
2013 
£m
(163)
181

The effect of a movement in RPI inflation applicable in the UK alters reported liabilities (before associated deferred tax adjustments) by 
approximately the amounts shown in the table below:

Sensitivity analysis
Inflation assumption being 0.5% higher
Inflation assumption being 0.5% lower

Increase/(decrease) in the 
DBO of the UK Scheme 
2014 
£m
87
(80)

Increase/(decrease) in the 
DBO of the UK Scheme 
2013 
£m
79
(70)

The above sensitivities allow for inflation-dependent assumptions such as salary growth and relevant pension increases to vary 
corresponding to the inflation assumption variation. Due to the caps and floors on pension increases a certain movement in the inflation 
assumption will not generally result in the same movement in the pension increase assumption.

In addition to the above, the group uses appropriate mortality assumptions when calculating the schemes’ obligations. The mortality tables 
used for the scheme in the UK are: Birth year table S1P[M/F]A Base with future improvements in line with CMI_2013 Core projections, 
based on a long-term improvement rate of 1.25% p.a. and allowing for individual scaling factors based on the majority analysis carried out  
as part of the last funding valuation.

The resulting assumed life expectancy of a male member of the UK schemes currently aged 65 is 22 years. The assumed life expectancy  
at 65 of a male currently aged 52 is 23 years. At those ages, the assumed life expectancy for a female member is between 2 and 3 years 
longer than for a male member. 

The effect of a one year change in this UK life expectancy assumption is to alter reported liabilities (before associated deferred tax 
adjustments) by approximately £105m (2013: £88m). 

The selection of these movements to illustrate the sensitivity of the DBO to key assumptions should not be interpreted as the group 
expressing any specific view of the probability of such movements happening.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  145 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  145 

Financial statementsNotes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32. Retirement benefit obligations (continued)

The amounts recognised on the balance sheet in respect of the material funded defined benefit schemes and the various components of 
income, OCI and cash flow are as follows:

2014 
Amounts recognised on the balance sheet at beginning of the year 

DBO 
£m
(2,132)

Assets 
£m 
1,660

Provision 
£m
(472)

Amounts recognised in income 
Current service cost 
Settlements and past service costs 
Interest on obligations and assets 
Administration costs paid from plan assets 
Total amounts recognised in income 

Remeasurements 
Actuarial loss – change in financial assumptions 
Actuarial loss – change in demographic assumptions 
Actuarial gain – experience 
Return on assets in excess of interest 
Remeasurement effects recognised in OCI*

Cash 
Employer contributions 
Employee contributions 
Benefits paid from plan assets 
Net cash 

Other 
Exchange rates 
Amounts recognised on the balance sheet at end of the year 

(8)
80
(92)
–
(20)

(231)
(2)
4
–
(229)

–
(4)
72
68

–
(59)
72
(2)
11

–
–
–
392
392

50
4
(72)
(18)

(8)
21
(20)
(2)
(9)

(231)
(2)
4
392
163

50
–
–
50

9
(2,304)

(5)
2,040

4
(264)

*  Total remeasurements recognised in OCI of £155m are shown net of remeasurements relating to non-controlling interests of £3m and other unfunded schemes of £5m.

146  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
146  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2013
Amounts recognised on the balance sheet at beginning of the year

DBO 
£m
(2,025)

Assets 
£m
1,589

Total 
£m
(436)

Amounts recognised in income
Current service cost
Settlements and past service costs
Interest on obligations and assets
Administration costs paid from plan assets
Transfers in
Total amounts recognised in income

Remeasurements
Actuarial loss – change in financial assumptions
Actuarial loss – change in demographic assumptions
Actuarial loss – experience
Return on assets in excess of interest
Remeasurement effects recognised in OCI

Cash
Employer contributions
Employee contributions
Benefits paid from plan assets
Net cash

Other
Exchange rates
Transfer of Canada scheme to held for sale
Amounts recognised on the balance sheet at end of the year

(9)
1
(90)
–
(11)
(109)

(80)
(22)
(4)
–
(106)

–
(4)
79
75

–
–
70
(2)
14
82

–
–
–
46
46

49
4
(79)
(26)

(9)
1
(20)
(2)
3
(27)

(80)
(22)
(4)
46
(60)

49
–
–
49

2
31
(2,132)

1
(32)
1,660

3
(1)
(472)

In 2011 G4S won the managed prisons bid in respect of HMP Birmingham and relevant employees have accrued benefits in the GSL 
section since 1 October 2011. New employees had the option to transfer accrued pension rights. This occurred as at 1 March 2013 and 
the effect of this transfer is presented in the ‘Transfers in’ line of the above breakdown.

The contribution from sponsoring companies in 2014 included £42m (2013: £38m) of additional contributions in respect of the deficit  
in the UK schemes. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  147 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  147 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32. Retirement benefit obligations (continued)
The composition of the scheme assets at the reporting date is as follows: 

2014
Equity
Bonds
Other
Total

2013
Equity
Bonds
Other
Total

A more detailed split of assets of the UK scheme at 31 December 2014 is presented in the table below:

Equity
Private equity
Government bonds
Credit
Property
Macro-oriented
Multi-strategy
Derivatives
Cash and cash equivalents

UK 
£m
491
351
1,141
1,983

Netherlands 
£m
9
39
–
48

UK 
£m
413
63
1,086
1,562

Netherlands 
£m
25
44
19
88

2014 
£m
424
67
351
283
57
278
55
263
205
1,983

Total 
£m
500
390
1,141
2,031

Total 
£m
438
107
1,105
1,650

2013 
£m
367
46
63
274
42
296
48
15
411
1,562

Within the UK pension fund, the Equity, Credit, Macro-orientated and Multi-strategy sub-categories consist of pooled vehicles investing 
predominantly in assets with quoted prices in active markets. All government bonds are issued by the UK government and have quoted 
prices in active markets. Other UK investments are predominantly not quoted.

Derivatives include a range of interest rate and inflation linked swaps, forward currency contracts, equity index total return swaps, equity 
options, and futures. Investing in interest rate and inflation linked swaps is designed to mitigate the impact of future changes in interest rates 
and inflation.

None of the pension scheme assets are held in the group’s own financial instruments or in any assets held or used by the group.

148  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
148  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
33. Provisions and contingent liabilities

At 1 January 2014
Additional provision in the year
Utilisation of provision
Unused amounts reversed
Transfers and reclassifications
Translation adjustments
At 31 December 2014

Included in current liabilities
Included in non-current liabilities

Employee 
benefits 
£m
26
29
(16)
(3)
(13)
–
23

Restructuring 
£m
33
33
(49)
–
1
(1)
17

Claims 
provisions 
£m
57
54
(24)
–
2
2
91

Contract 
provisions 
£m
143
53
(128)
(5)
2
(1)
64

Total 
£m
259
169
(217)
(8)
(8)
–
195

90
105
195

Employee benefits 
The provision for employee benefits is in respect of any employee benefits which accrue over the working lives of the employees, typically 
including items such as long service awards and termination indemnity schemes. 

The group’s net obligation in respect of long-term service benefits other than retirement benefits represents the present value of the 
future benefit that employees have earned at the balance sheet date, less the fair value of scheme assets out of which the obligations are  
to be settled directly.

During 2014 a liability of £13m relating to the severance scheme in Saudi Arabia was reclassified to retirement benefit obligations to more 
accurately reflect the substance of the scheme and to allow for IAS19(R) accounting.

Restructuring 
Restructuring provisions include amounts for redundancy payments, and the costs of closure of activities in acquired businesses and 
discontinued operations. Settlement of restructuring provisions is highly probable. The timing is uncertain but is generally likely to be short 
term. In the year the group incurred restructuring costs of £29m within specific items relating to the group wide transformation and a 
further £4m associated with costs incurred in the normal course of business.

Claims provision 
Claims provisions represent any outstanding litigation claims against the group that are likely to lead to the outflow of funds in the future, 
including provisions within the captive insurance companies to cover (where appropriate) anticipated claims incurred as at the balance 
sheet date, based on actuarial assessments to calculate the liabilities.

Legal claims are recognised based on past experience of similar items and other known factors and represent management’s best estimate 
of the likely outcome. In the year the group provided £21m in relation to claims on legacy acquisitions and disposals. 

The claims reserves are held by the wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiaries in Guernsey and the US which underwrite part of the 
group’s cash solutions, general liability, workers’ compensation and auto liability policies. In the year the group provided £19m in relation to 
these claims. The provisions are subject to regular actuarial review and are adjusted as appropriate. Settlement of these provisions is highly 
probable but both the value of the final settlements and their timing is uncertain, dependent upon the outcome of ongoing processes to 
determine both liability and quantum in respect of a wide range of claims or possible claims. 

Contract provisions
Contract provisions include provisions for onerous contracts including future liabilities for loss-making contracts, for all properties sub-let at 
a shortfall, for the cost of replacing assets where there is a present contractual requirement and for long-term idle, leased properties. Whilst 
the likelihood of settlement of these obligations is considered probable, there is uncertainty over their value and duration. 

Contract provisions are based on the present value of future net cash outflows and includes £45m of provisions for legacy UK government 
contracts that were recorded in the year within specific items. The group are continuing to work with the relevant customers to recover 
these potential losses.

On 12 March 2014 the group announced that it had reached agreement with the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on a settlement in respect  
of claims arising in relation to Electronic Monitoring services provided between 2005 and 2013. The agreement also concluded outstanding 
matters relating to two UK facilities management contracts.

The total settlement amount was £109m and is included in utilisation of provisions, having been provided for as at 31 December 2013.

Contingent liabilities
Contingent liabilities exist in respect of agreements entered into in the normal course of business, none of which are individually or 
collectively significant.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  149 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  149 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

34. Deferred tax
The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the group and movements thereon during the current and 
prior reporting periods: 

At 1 January 2014
(Charge)/credit to the income statement
Disposal of subsidiaries
(Charge)/credit to equity 
Transfers/other
At 31 December 2014

At 1 January 2013 – restated
(Charge)/credit to the income statement
Acquisition of subsidiaries
Credit to equity
Translation adjustments
Transfers/other
At 31 December 2013 – restated

Retirement 
benefit 
obligations 
£m
99
(3)
–
(32)
–
64

Intangible 
assets 
£m 
(42)
26
4
–
–
(12)

Tax losses 
£m 
30
11
–
–
–
41

Other 
temporary 
differences 
£m 
62
13
(19)
6
4
66

104
(5)
–
–
–
–
99

(61)
20
(3)
–
2
–
(42)

28
2
–
–
–
–
30

56
15
2
(4)
(4)
(3)
62

Total 
 £m
149
47
(15)
(26)
4
159

127
32
(1)
(4)
(2)
(3)
149

Certain deferred tax assets and liabilities have been offset where permitted. The following is the analysis of the deferred tax balances  
(after offset):

Deferred tax liabilities
Deferred tax assets
Net deferred tax asset included in held for sale
Total deferred tax position

2014 
£m
(17)
176
–
159

2013 
Restated 
£m
(45)
184
10
149

At 31 December 2014, the group had unutilised tax losses of approximately £771m (2013: £705m) potentially available for offset against 
future profits. A deferred tax asset of £41m (2013: £30m) has been recognised in respect of approximately £166m (2013: £120m) of  
gross losses based on profitability from approved budgets and business plans. No deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect of the 
remaining £605m (2013: £585m) of gross losses due to the unpredictability of future profit streams in the relevant jurisdictions and the fact 
that a significant proportion of such losses remains unaudited by the relevant tax authorities. Included in unrecognised tax losses are gross 
losses of £19m which will expire between 2015 and 2024. Other losses may be carried forward indefinitely. 

At 31 December 2014, the aggregate amount of temporary differences associated with undistributed earnings of non-UK subsidiaries for 
which deferred tax liabilities have not been recognised is £1,102m (2013: £1,220m). No liability has been recognised in respect of these 
gross differences on the basis that the group is in a position to control the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences and it is 
probable that such differences will not reverse in the foreseeable future. 

At 31 December 2014, the group had total unprovided contingent tax liabilities of approximately £53m (2013: £58m) relating to 
unresolved tax issues in various jurisdictions. 

150  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
150  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
35. Share capital

G4S plc
Issued and fully paid ordinary shares of 25p each

Ordinary shares in issue
At 1 January 2014
New shares issued for cash
At 31 December 2014

2014 
£
387,898,609

2013 
£
387,898,609

2014 
Number

2013 
Number
1,551,594,436 1,410,668,639
140,925,797
1,551,594,436 1,551,594,436

–

In August 2013 the group issued 140,925,797 ordinary shares as a result of the 9.99% placing. The group received gross proceeds of £348m 
and paid related costs of £5m.

36. Other reserves

At 1 January 2014
Total comprehensive loss attributable to equity shareholders of parent
Transfer to retained earnings
Recycling of translation reserves on disposal
At 31 December 2014

Hedging  
reserve 
£m
(21)
(31)
–
–
(52)

Translation  
reserve 
£m
(59)
(5)
–
(13)
(77)

Merger  
reserve 
£m
734
–
(308)
–
426

Reserve for  
own shares 
£m
(18)
–
–
–
(18)

Total other  
reserves 
£m
636
(36)
(308)
(13)
279

At 1 January 2013 – restated
Total comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to equity shareholders of 
parent
Shares issued
Own shares awarded
At 31 December 2013 – restated

(34)

13
–
–
(21)

50

(109)
–
–
(59)

426

–
308
–
734

(20)

–
–
2
(18)

422

(96)
308
2
636

Other reserves include:

Hedging reserve 
The hedging reserve comprises the effective portion of the cumulative net change in the fair value of cash flow instruments related to the 
hedged transactions that have not yet occurred (net of tax).

Translation reserve 
The translation reserve comprises all foreign exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of foreign 
operations, as well as from the translation of liabilities that hedge the company’s net investment in foreign operations (net of tax).

Merger reserve 
The merger reserve comprises reserves arising upon the merger between the former Group 4 Falck A/S and the former Group 4 Securitas 
BV in 2000 and the acquisition of Securicor plc by the group in 2004. In accordance with Section 612 of the Companies Act 2006 the 
£308m premium on ordinary shares issued in the group’s 9.99% share placement in August 2013 was initially recorded in the merger 
reserve, and has subsequently been transferred to retained earnings.

Reserve for own shares 
An employee benefit trust established by the group held 6,408,450 shares at 31 December 2014 (2013: 6,934,564 shares) to satisfy the 
vesting of awards under the performance share plan and performance-related schemes. During the year no shares were purchased by the 
trust, whilst 526,114 shares were used to satisfy the vesting of awards under the schemes. At 31 December 2014, the cost of shares held by 
the trust was £17,060,185 (2013: £18,460,753), whilst the market value of these shares was £17,809,083 (2013: £18,203,231). Shares held 
by the trust are treated as treasury shares, are deducted from equity, do not receive dividends and are excluded from the calculations of 
earnings per share. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  151 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  151 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

37. Analysis of net debt
A reconciliation of net debt to amounts in the consolidated statement of financial position is presented below:

Cash and cash equivalents
Investments
Net cash and overdrafts included within assets held for sale
Net debt included within assets held for sale
Bank overdrafts
Bank loans
Loan notes
Obligations under finance leases
Fair value of loan note derivative financial instruments
Total net debt

An analysis of movements in net debt in the year is presented below:

(Decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts per consolidated cash flow statement
(Purchase)/sale of investments
Movement in debt and lease financing
Change in net debt resulting from cash flows
Borrowings acquired with subsidiaries
Net additions to finance leases
Movement in net debt in the year
Translation adjustments
Net debt at the beginning of the year
Net debt at the end of the year

2014 
£m
409
60
–
(1)
(18)
(165)
(1,899)
(40)
76
(1,578)

2014 
£m
(136)
17
110
(9)
–
(9)
(18)
(8)
(1,552)
(1,578)

2013 
Restated 
£m
532
39
15
(17)
(9)
(167)
(1,982)
(52)
89
(1,552)

2013 
Restated 
£m
127
(13)
197
311
(4)
(12)
295
(18)
(1,829)
(1,552)

38. Operating lease arrangements

The group as lessee
As at 31 December 2014, the group had outstanding commitments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows: 

Within one year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
After five years
Total operating lease commitments

2014 
£m
105
231
151
487

2013 
Restated 
£m
121
285
198
604

The group leases a number of its office properties, vehicles and other operating equipment under operating leases. Property leases are 
negotiated over an average term of eight years, at rates reflective of market rentals. Periodic rent reviews take place to bring lease rentals  
in line with prevailing market conditions. Some but not all lease agreements have an option to renew the lease at the end of the lease term. 
Leased vehicles and other operating equipment are negotiated over an average lease term of four years. 

Certain leased properties have been sub-let by the group. Sub-leases are negotiated on terms consistent with those of the associated 
property. The total future minimum sub-lease payments expected to be received by the group from sub-let properties amount to £6m 
(2013: £10m).

152  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
152  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
39. Share based payments
In June 2014 a new long-term incentive plan replaced the previous performance share plan (the performance share plans), as detailed in 
the Directors’ remuneration report from page 70. Shares allocated conditionally fall under either the group’s performance share plans or 
the group’s performance-related bonus scheme. Shares allocated conditionally under the performance-related bonus scheme vest three 
years following the date of grant provided certain non-market performance conditions are met. Those allocated under the group’s 
performance share plans vest after three years, to the extent that (a) certain non-market performance conditions are met and (b) certain 
market performance conditions are met. The proportion of the allocation of awards to these criteria is described in the remuneration 
report. Vesting occurs on the third anniversary of the date the shares were allocated conditionally. 

The number of shares allocated conditionally is as follows:

Outstanding at 1 January
Allocated during the year
Transferred during the year
Forfeited during the year
Expired during the year
Outstanding at 31 December

Performance-
related bonus 
scheme 
2014 
Number
375,734
275,928
(388,305)
(25,863)
–
237,494

Share 
award 
2014 
Number
16,033,822
8,739,114
(137,809)
(2,219,929)
(5,018,721)
17,396,477

Total 
2014 
Number
16,409,556
9,015,042
(526,114)
(2,245,792)
(5,018,721)
17,633,971

Performance-
related bonus 
scheme 
2013 
Number
812,200
58,026
(494,492)
–
–
375,734

Share 
award 
2013 
Number
15,589,225
7,385,392
(161,948)
(2,546,129)
(4,232,718)
16,033,822

Total 
2013 
Number
16,401,425
7,443,418
(656,440)
(2,546,129)
(4,232,718)
16,409,556

The weighted average remaining contractual life of conditional share allocations outstanding at 31 December 2014 was 17 months  
(2013: 16 months). The weighted average share price at the date of allocation of shares allocated conditionally during the year was  
240.3p (2013: 291.7p) and the contractual life of all conditional allocations was three years. 

Under the group’s performance share plans, the vesting of 30% (2013: 50%) of the shares allocated conditionally depends upon  
Total Shareholder Return (a market performance condition) over the vesting year measured against a comparator group. 25% of the 
allocation vests upon the group’s Total Shareholder Return equalling median performance amongst the comparator group. The fair value  
of the shares allocated subject to this market performance condition has therefore been reduced by 75%.

The income statement is charged with an estimate for the vesting of shares conditionally awarded subject to non-market performance 
conditions. The charge for 2014 was £5m (2013: £nil).

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  153 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  153 

Financial statements 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

40. Related party transactions

Transactions and balances with joint ventures and associated undertakings
Transactions between the company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated on consolidation and are not disclosed in this note. Details  
of transactions between the group and other related parties are disclosed below. All transactions with related parties are entered into in 
the normal course of business.

Transactions with joint ventures included revenue recorded of £48m (2013 restated: £43m). Amounts due to related parties include  
£30m (2013 restated: £25m) to joint ventures and £2m (2013 restated: £2m) to associates. Amounts due from related parties include 
£37m (2013 restated: £30m) from joint ventures and £1m (2013 restated: £nil) from associates.

No expense has been recognised in the year for bad and doubtful debts in respect of amounts owed by related parties. 

The group has a legal interest in a number of joint ventures and joint arrangements, where the economic interest was divested by the 
Global Solutions Group prior to its acquisition by G4S plc in 2008. Transactions with these entities during the year comprised:

White Horse Education Partnership Limited
Integrated Accommodation Services plc
Fazakerley Prison Services Limited
Onley Prison Services Limited
ECD Cookham Wood Limited
ECD Onley Limited
Stratus Integrated Services Limited
UK Court Services (Manchester) Limited
East London Lift Company Limited
Total

2014 
Services/sales 
to 
£m
2
48
36
15
12
13
8
2
1
137

2013 
Services/sales 
to 
£m
2
39
33
14
12
13
8
2
1
124

The group had outstanding balances of £14m (2013: £9m) with these entities as at 31 December 2014.

Transactions with post-employment benefit schemes 
Details of transactions with the group’s post-employment benefit schemes are provided in note 32. Unpaid contributions owed to schemes 
amounted to £0.5m at 31 December 2014 (2013: £0.5m). 

Transactions with other related parties
In the normal course of the group’s business the group provides services to and receives services from certain non-controlling interests  
on an arm’s length basis.

Remuneration of key management personnel 
The group’s key management personnel are deemed to be the non-executive directors and those individuals, including the executive 
directors, whose remuneration is determined by the Remuneration Committee. Their remuneration is set out below. Further information 
about the remuneration of individual directors included within key management personnel is provided in the audited part of the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report on pages 70 to 84.

Short-term employee benefits
Post-employment benefits
Other long-term benefits
Share-based payment
Total

2013 
2014 
£
£
10,813,463 10,887,469
217,937
155,178
56,682
48,087
931,197
2,886,813
13,903,541 12,093,285

41. Events after the balance sheet date
In January 2015 the revolving credit facility was refinanced. The new facility is £1,000 million and matures in January 2020, with two one 
year extension options exercisable with majority lending bank consent on the facility’s first and second anniversary. If exercised the maturity 
date would extend to January 2021 and January 2022 respectively. 

No other significant post-balance sheet events have affected the group since 31 December 2014. 

154  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
154  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
42. Significant investments
The companies listed below are those which were part of the group at 31 December 2014 and which, in the opinion of the directors, 
significantly affected the group’s results and net assets during the year. The directors consider that those companies not listed are not significant 
in relation to the group as a whole. A comprehensive list of all subsidiaries will be disclosed as an appendix to the group’s annual return. 

The principal activities of the companies listed below are indicated according to the following key: 

Secure solutions 
Cash solutions

These businesses operate principally in the country in which they are incorporated.

S  
C 

Product 
segment 

Country of  

incorporation

Ultimate 
ownership

Subsidiary undertakings
G4S Soluciones de Seguridad S.A.
G4S Australia Pty Limited
G4S Custodial Services Pty Limited
G4S Secure Solutions AG (Austria)
G4S Secure Solutions SA/NV
G4S Cash Solutions (Belgium) NV
G4S Interativa Service Ltda
Vanguarda Segurança e Vigilância Ltda
G4S Secure Solutions (Canada) Limited
G4S Security Services Regiones S.A.
G4S Secure Solutions Colombia S.A.
G4S Security Services A/S
G4S Aviation Services (UK) Limited
G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Limited
G4S Cash Centres (UK) Limited
G4S Cash Solutions (UK) Limited
G4S Facilities Management (UK) Limited 
G4S Risk Management Limited
G4S Secure Solutions (UK) Limited
G4S Security Services (UK) Limited
G4S Utility and Outsourcing Services (UK) Limited 
AS G4S Baltics
G4S Security Services Oy
G4S Keszpenzlogisztikai Kft 
G4S Secure Solutions (India) Pvt. Limited1, 3
G4S Secure Solutions (Ire) Limited
G4S Secure Solutions (Israel) Limited
G4S Security Technologies (Israel) Limited
G4S Kenya Limited
G4S Security Solutions S.A.R.L
Safeguards G4S Sdn Bhd2, 3
G4S Cash Solutions BV
G4S Beheer BV
G4S Peru S.A.C.
Al Majal Service Master LLC
G4S Cash Solutions (SA) (Pty) Limited
G4S Secure Solutions (SA) (Pty) Limited 
G4S Secure Solutions (Thailand) Limited
G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc.
G4S Technology LLC
G4S Youth Services LLC

Argentina
S
Australia
S
Australia
S
Austria
S
Belgium
S
Belgium
C
Brazil
S
Brazil
S
Canada
S
Chile
S
Colombia
S+C
 Denmark
S
England
S
England
S
England
C
England
C
England
S
England
S
England
S
England
S
England
S
Estonia
S+C
Finland
S
Hungary
C
India
S
Ireland
S
Israel
S
Israel
S
S+C
Kenya
S+C Luxembourg
Malaysia
 S+C
C Netherlands
S Netherlands
Peru
S Saudi Arabia
C South Africa
S South Africa
Thailand
S
USA
S
USA
S
USA
S

S+C

75%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
49%
100%
92%
100%
100%
100%
49%
100%
100%
100%
49%
75%
72%
100%
100%
100%
100%

1.   G4S Secure Solutions (India) Pvt. Limited has a year end of 31 March

2.  Safeguards G4S Sdn Bhd has a year end of 30 June

3.  By virtue of shareholder agreements, options, pre-emption rights and other contractual arrangements, the group has the power to govern the financial and 

operating policies, so as to obtain the benefits from the activities of these companies. These are therefore consolidated as full subsidiaries 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  155 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  155 

Financial statementsParent company balance sheet 
At 31 December 2014

Fixed assets
Intangible assets
Investments

Currents assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand

Creditors – amounts falling due within one year
Bank overdraft (unsecured)
Borrowings (unsecured)
Other creditors

Net current assets

Total assets less current liabilities

Creditors – amounts falling due after more than one year
Borrowings (unsecured)

Net assets

Capital and reserves
Called up share capital
Share premium and reserves
Equity shareholders’ funds

Notes

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

2014 
£m

9 
3,045 
3,054 

2,898 
1 
2,899 

 – 
(96)
(2,931)
(3,027)
(128)

2013 
£m

11 
3,055 
3,066 

2,992 
56 
3,048 

(5)
(61)
(2,856)
(2,922)
126 

2,926 

3,192 

(e)

(943)

(1,040)

1,983 

2,152 

35

(i)

388 
1,595 
1,983 

388 
1,764 
2,152 

The parent company financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 26 March 2015.

They were signed on its behalf by:

Ashley Almanza 
Director 

Himanshu Raja  
Director 

156  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
156  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parent company reconciliation of movement in equity shareholders’ funds 
For the year ended 31 December 2014

(Accumulated loss)/retained profit for the year
Changes in fair value of hedging derivatives
Shares issued
Dividends declared
Equity settled transactions
Tax on equity movements
Net (decrease)/increase in shareholders’ funds
Opening equity shareholders’ funds
Closing equity shareholders’ funds

2014 
£m
(43)
8 
 – 
(138)
5 
(1)
(169)
2,152 
1,983 

2013 
£m
15 
(8)
343 
(130)
–
2 
222 
1,930 
2,152 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  157 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  157 

Financial statements 
Notes to the parent company financial statements

(A) Significant accounting policies

Basis of preparation
The separate financial statements of the company are presented as required by the Companies Act 2006. They have been prepared under 
the historical cost convention except for the revaluation of certain financial instruments and in accordance with applicable United Kingdom 
Accounting Standards (UK GAAP).

The financial statements have been prepared under the going concern basis. 

Exemptions
Under section s408 of the Companies Act 2006 the company is exempt from the requirement to present its own profit and loss account. 

The company has taken advantage of the exemption from preparing a cash flow statement under the terms of FRS 1 ‘Cash Flow 
Statements’. The cash flows of the company are included within its consolidated financial statements.

The company is also exempt under the terms of the revised FRS 8 ‘Related Party Disclosures’ from disclosing related party transactions 
with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group.

Intangible fixed assets
Intangible fixed assets are stated at cost net of accumulated amortisation and any provision for impairment. Intangible fixed assets are 
amortised on a straight-line basis over their expected economic life. Software is amortised over periods up to a maximum of eight years.

Fixed asset investments 
Fixed asset investments, which comprise investments in subsidiary undertakings, are stated at cost less amounts written off.

Financial instruments
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instruments. 

External debtors
Debtors do not carry interest and are stated initially at their fair value. The company provides for bad debts based upon an analysis of those 
that are past due in accordance with local conditions and past default experience.

Cash at bank and in hand and bank overdrafts
Cash at bank and in hand and bank overdrafts comprise cash balances and call deposits.

Interest-bearing borrowings 
Interest-bearing bank overdrafts, loans and loan notes are recognised at the value of proceeds received, net of direct issue costs. Finance 
charges, including premiums payable on settlement or redemption and direct issue costs, are recognised in the profit and loss account on  
an accrual basis using the effective interest method. 

External creditors 
Creditors are not interest-bearing and are stated initially at their fair value. 

Amounts owed to/from subsidiary undertakings
Amounts owed to/from subsidiary undertakings bear interest at prevailing market rates.

Equity instruments 
Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the value of proceeds received, net of direct issue costs.

Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting 
In accordance with its treasury policy, the company only holds or issues derivative financial instruments to manage the group’s exposure to 
financial risk, not for trading purposes. Such financial risk includes the interest risk on the group’s variable-rate borrowings, the fair value risk 
on the group’s fixed-rate borrowings, commodity risk in relation to its diesel consumption and foreign exchange risk on transactions, on the 
translation of the group’s results and on the translation of the group’s net assets measured in foreign currencies. The company manages 
these risks through a range of derivative financial instruments, including interest rate swaps, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward 
foreign exchange contracts and currency swaps. 

Derivative financial instruments are recognised in the balance sheet as financial assets or liabilities at fair value. The gain or loss on 
remeasurement to fair value is recognised immediately in the profit and loss account, unless they qualify for hedge accounting. Where 
derivatives do qualify for hedge accounting, the treatment of any resultant gain or loss depends on the nature of the item being hedged  
as described below: 

Fair value hedge 
The change in the fair value of both the hedging instrument and the related portion of the hedged item is recognised immediately in the 
profit and loss account. 

Cash flow hedge 
The change in the fair value of the portion of the hedging instrument that is determined to be an effective hedge is recognised in equity 
and subsequently recycled to the profit and loss account when the hedged cash flow impacts the profit and loss account. The ineffective 
portion of the fair value of the hedging instrument is recognised immediately in the profit and loss account. 

158  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
158  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Foreign currencies
The financial statements of the company are presented in sterling, its functional currency. Transactions in currencies other than sterling are 
translated at the rates of exchange prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At each balance sheet date, monetary assets and liabilities 
which are denominated in other currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on that date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities carried 
at fair value which are denominated in other currencies are translated at the rates prevailing at the date when the fair value was 
determined. Non-monetary items measured at historical cost denominated in other currencies are not retranslated. Gains and losses arising 
on retranslation are included in the profit and loss account.

Taxation
Current tax is provided at amounts expected to be paid (or recovered) using tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted by the balance sheet date.

Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all material timing differences that have originated, but not reversed, by the balance sheet date. 
Deferred tax is measured on a non-discounted basis at tax rates that are expected to apply in the periods in which the timing differences 
reverse based on tax rates and laws enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date. Deferred tax assets are recognised where 
their recovery is considered more likely than not in that there will be suitable taxable profits from which the future reversal of underlying 
timing differences can be deducted.

Pensions
The company participates in multi-employer pension schemes in the UK, which provide benefits based on final pensionable pay. The 
company is unable to identify its share of the schemes’ assets and liabilities on a consistent and reasonable basis. In accordance with FRS 17 
‘Retirement Benefits’, the company treats the schemes as if they were defined contribution schemes and recognises charges as and when 
contributions are due to the scheme. Details of the schemes are included in note 32 to the consolidated financial statements.

Share-based payments 
The company grants equity-settled share-based payments to certain employees. The fair value of share-based payments is determined at 
the date of grant and expensed, with a corresponding increase in equity on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the 
company’s estimate of the shares that will eventually vest. The amount expensed is adjusted over the vesting period for changes in the 
estimate of the number of shares that will eventually vest, save for changes resulting from any market-related performance conditions. 

Developments expected in future accounting periods
FRS 100 ‘Application of Financial Reporting Standards’, FRS 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’ and FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting 
Standard Applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’. FRS 100 sets out the application of financial reporting requirements in the UK and 
Republic of Ireland and FRS 101 ‘IFRS with reduced disclosures’ outlines the reduced disclosure framework available for use by qualifying 
entities choosing to report under IFRS. FRS 102 is applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and is known as ‘new UK GAAP’. The 
mandatory effective date for the new framework of reporting is for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015. In the 
absence of material objections, the company intends to adopt FRS 101 (‘IFRS with reduced disclosures’).

Dividends 
Dividends are recognised as distributions to equity holders in the period in which they are paid. Dividends proposed but not declared are 
not recognised but are disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 

Financial guarantees
The company enters into financial guarantee contracts to guarantee the indebtedness of other companies within the group. The company 
considers these to be insurance arrangements and accounts for them as such. The company therefore treats such contracts as a contingent 
liability unless and until such time as it becomes probable that the company will be required to make a payment under the guarantee.

Own shares held by employee benefit trust
Transactions of the company-sponsored employee benefit trust are included in the parent company financial statements. In particular, the 
trust’s purchases of shares in the company are debited directly to equity.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  159 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  159 

Financial statementsNotes to the parent company financial statements continued

(B) Intangible fixed assets

Cost
At 1 January 2014
At 31 December 2014

Amortisation
At 1 January 2014
Amortisation charge
At 31 December 2014

Net book value
At 1 January 2014
At 31 December 2014

(C) Fixed asset investments
The following are included in the net book value of fixed asset investments:

 Subsidiary undertakings
Shares at cost:
At 1 January 2014
Additions
Impairments
At 31 December 2014

Software 
£m

13 
13 

(2)
(2)
(4)

11 
9 

Total 
£m

3,055 
19 
(29)
3,045 

The impairment within the carrying value of investments in the year is primarily due to a reduction in the net asset value of certain 
subsidiary undertakings.

Full details of significant investments held by the parent company and the group are detailed in note 42 to the consolidated financial statements.

(D) Debtors

Amounts owed by group undertakings
Other taxation and social security costs
Other debtors
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Total debtors

Included within derivative financial instruments at fair value is £53m due after more than one year (2013: £52m).  
See note (g) for further details.

Included in other debtors is £1m (2013: £1m) with regard to deferred tax comprised as follows:

Timing differences in relation to the performance share plan and deferred share awards
Changes in fair value of hedging derivatives
Total deferred tax

The reconciliation of deferred tax balances is as follows:

At January 2014
Credited to profit and loss in relation to the performance share plan and deferred share awards
Charged to equity in relation to changes in fair value of hedging derivatives
At 31 December 2014

2014 
£m
2,807 
1 
6 
84 
2,898 

2014 
£m
1
–
1 

2013 
£m
2,918 
 – 
8 
66 
2,992 

2013 
£m
–
1 
1 

Total 
£m
1 
1 
(1)
1 

160  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
160  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(E) Borrowings (unsecured)

Sterling
Euro
US dollar
Total unsecured borrowings

The payment profile of the unsecured borrowings is as follows:

Repayable within one year
Repayable within two to five years
Repayable after five years
Total unsecured borrowings

Undrawn committed facilities mature as follows:

Within one year
Within two to five years
Total undrawn committed facilities

2014 
£m
422 
–
617 
1,039 

2014 
£m
96 
813 
130 
1,039 

2014 
£m
998 
 – 
998 

2013 
£m
419 
37 
645 
1,101 

2013 
£m
61 
469 
571 
1,101 

2013 
£m
 – 
965 
965 

Borrowings, £1,039m, consist entirely of fixed rate loan notes (2013: £1,064m). The loan notes issued in July 2008 (with the exception of 
£44m) are stated at amortised cost. The loan notes issued in March 2007, £44m of the loan notes issued in July 2008 and the loan notes 
issued in May 2009 are stated at amortised cost recalculated at an effective interest rate current at the balance sheet date as they are part of 
a fair value hedge relationship. US$200m (£128m) of the loan notes issued in July 2008 have a fair value market gain of £28m (2013: £21m). 
The fair value of the remaining notes approximates to their book value.

The management of interest rate risk is detailed in note (h).There were no financial liabilities upon which no interest is paid.

(F) Other creditors

Amounts falling due within one year:
Amounts owed to group undertakings
Other taxation and social security costs
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
Derivative financial instruments at fair value
Total creditors – amounts falling due within one year

2014 
£m

2,903 
 – 
2 
15 
11 
2,931 

2013 
£m

2,821 
4 
1 
29 
1 
2,856 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  161 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  161 

Financial statements 
 
 
 
Notes to the parent company financial statements continued

(G) Derivative financial instruments
The carrying values of derivative financial instruments at the balance sheet date are presented below:

Cross currency swaps designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges

Less: amounts falling due after more than one year
Amounts falling due within one year

Assets 
2014 
£m
28 
– 
56 
84 
(53)
31 

Assets 
2013 
£m
21 
– 
45 
66 
(52)
14 

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
– 
– 
11 
11 
 – 
11 

Derivative financial instruments are stated at fair value, based upon market prices where available or otherwise on discounted cash  
flow valuations.

The mark to market valuation of the derivatives has increased by £8m (2013: decreased £33m) during the year.

The interest rate, cross currency and commodity swaps treated as cash flow hedges have the following maturities:

Within one year
In the second year
In the fourth year
In the fifth year or greater
Total carrying value

Projected settlement of cash flows (including accrued interest) associated with derivatives:

Within one year
In the second year
In the fourth year
In the fifth year or greater
Total cash flows

Assets 
2014 
£m
21 
 – 
7 
 – 
28 

Assets 
2014 
£m
21 
 – 
7 
 – 
28 

Assets 
2013 
£m
 – 
15 
 – 
6 
21 

Assets 
2013 
£m
 – 
16 
 – 
5 
21 

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

Liabilities 
2014 
£m
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
– 
1 
– 
1 
– 
1 

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
1 
 – 
 – 
 – 
1 

Liabilities 
2013 
£m
1 
 – 
 – 
 – 
1 

(H) Financial risk
Currency risk and forward foreign exchange contracts 
The group conducts business in many currencies. The group presents its consolidated financial statements in sterling and as a consequence 
is subject to foreign exchange risk due to the translation of the results and net assets of its foreign subsidiaries. The company together with 
G4S International Finance plc hedges a substantial portion of the group’s exposure to fluctuations in the translation into sterling of its 
overseas net assets by holding loans in foreign currencies. Translation adjustments arising on the translation of foreign currency loans are 
recognised in the profit and loss account.

Cross currency swaps with a nominal value of £101m were arranged to hedge the foreign currency risk on US$200m of the second US 
Private Placement notes issued in July 2008, effectively fixing the sterling value on this portion of debt at an exchange rate of 1.9750. 

Assuming a 1% appreciation of sterling against the US dollar, the fair value net gain on the cross currency swaps which hedge part of the 
currency loan notes would be expected to fall by £1m.

Interest rate risk and interest rate swaps 
The company is exposed to interest rate risk, which the company manages within policy limits approved by the directors. When fixed/
floating interest rate debt in the preferred mix is unavailable directly from investors, interest rate swaps are utilised to create the desired 
blend and meet Treasury policy, with the proportion of fixed interest rate held reducing on a sliding scale over forward periods up to a 
maximum of five years. The quantity of interest rate swaps outstanding in the company is expected to continue to decline as Treasury 
activity is increasingly conducted by G4S International Finance plc.

162  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
162  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
(H) Financial risk (continued)
The US Private Placement market is predominantly a fixed rate market, with investors preferring a fixed rate return over the life of the loan 
notes. At the time of the first issue in March 2007, the group was comfortable with the proportion of floating rate exposure not hedged by 
interest rate swaps and therefore rather than take on a higher proportion of fixed rate debt arranged fixed to floating swaps effectively 
converting the fixed coupon on the Private Placement to a floating rate. Following the swaps the resulting average coupon on the US 
Private Placement is LIBOR + 60bps. These swaps have been documented as fair value hedges of the US Private Placement fixed interest 
loan notes, with the movements in their fair value posted to profit and loss at the same time as the movement in the fair value of the 
hedged item.

The interest on the US Private Placement notes issued in July 2008 and the GBP public notes issued in May 2009, was initially kept at fixed 
rate. In April 2014, the interest rate on £44m of the US Private Placement notes issued in July 2008 and on all the GBP public notes issued 
in May 2009 was swapped from fixed to floating for a period of three years using derivatives.

The GBP public notes have a coupon step up of 1.25% which is triggered should the credit rating of G4S plc fall below investment grade.

The core company borrowings are held in US dollar and sterling. Although the impact of rising interest rates is largely shielded by fixed rate 
loans some interest rate risk remains on the element swapped to floating. A 1% increase in interest rates across the yield curve in each of 
these currencies with the 31 December 2014 debt position constant throughout 2015, would lead to an expectation of an additional 
interest charge of £7m in the 2015 financial year.

Commodity risk and commodity swaps
The group’s principal commodity risk relates to the fluctuating level of diesel prices, particularly affecting its cash solutions businesses. The 
company acts as a market intermediary, arranging commodity swaps and commodity options with its relationship banks with back to back 
deals on identical terms with its subsidiaries to fix synthetically part of the exposure and reduce the associated cost volatility. The company 
will no longer perform this market intermediary role from January 2015.

Counterparty credit risk
The company’s strategy for credit risk management is to set minimum credit ratings for counterparties and monitor these on a regular basis. 

For treasury-related transactions, the policy limits the aggregate credit risk assigned to a counterparty. The utilisation of a credit limit is 
calculated by applying a weighting to the notional value of each transaction outstanding with each counterparty based on the type and 
duration of the transaction. The total mark to market value outstanding with each counterparty is closely monitored against policy limits 
assigned to each counterparty. For short-term transactions (under one year), at inception of the transaction, the financial counterparty must 
be investment grade rated by either the Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s rating agencies. For long-term transactions, at inception of the 
transaction, the financial counterparty must have a minimum rating of BBB+/Baa1 from Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. 

Treasury transactions are dealt with the company’s relationship banks, all of which have a strong investment grade rating. At 31 December 
2014 the largest two counterparty exposures relating to treasury transactions were £33m and £20m and both were held with institutions 
with a long-term Standard & Poor’s credit rating of A. These exposures represent 45% (2013: 42%) and 27% (2013: 30%) of the carrying 
values of derivative financial instruments, with a fair value gain at the balance sheet date. Both of these banks had significant loan 
commitments outstanding to G4S plc at 31 December 2014.

The company participates in the group’s multi-currency notional pooling cash management system with a wholly owned subsidiary of an  
A rated bank. There is legal right of set off under the pooling agreement.

(I) Share premium and reserves

At January 2014
Accumulated loss
Changes in fair value of hedging derivatives
Dividends declared
Own shares awarded
Tax on equity movements
Transfer
At 31 December 2014

Share 
premium 
£m
258 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
258 

Merger 
reserve 
£m
308 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
 – 
(308)
 – 

Profit and 
loss account 
£m
1,216 
(43)
8 
(138)
3 
(1)
308 
1,353 

Own 
shares 
£m
(18)
 – 
 – 
 – 
2 
 – 
 – 
(16)

 Total 
£m
1,764 
(43)
8 
(138)
5 
(1)
 – 
1,595 

In 2013 the £308m addition to the merger reserve resulted from the group’s 9.99% share placement in August 2013. In accordance with 
section 612 of the Companies Act 2006 the £308m premium on ordinary shares has been transferred to the profit and loss account.

Included in the company profit and loss account is £258m (2013: £443m) of realised distributable reserves.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  163 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  163 

Financial statements 
Notes to the parent company financial statements continued

(J) Auditor’s remuneration
Fees paid to KPMG Audit Plc and its associates for non-audit services to the company itself are not disclosed in its individual accounts 
because the company’s consolidated financial statements are required to disclose such fees on a consolidated basis. 

(K) Share-based payments
The group has one type of equity-settled, share-based payment scheme in place being the conditional allocations of G4S plc shares. An 
employee benefit trust established by the group holds shares to satisfy the vesting of conditional allocation awards. Reserve for own  
share disclosures relevant to the company are presented within note 36 to the consolidated financial statements. Share-based payments 
disclosures relevant to the company are presented within note 39 to the consolidated financial statements.

(L) Related party transactions
Certain disclosures relevant to the company are presented within note 40 to the consolidated financial statements. Company transactions 
with group undertakings primarily consist of royalty charges, central service charges, group insurance recharges and loan transactions. 

There were no material transactions with non-wholly owned group undertakings in 2014 (2013: none).

(M) Contingent liabilities
To help secure cost effective finance facilities for its subsidiaries, the company issues guarantees to some of its finance providers. At  
31 December 2014 guarantees totalling £370m (2013: £479m) were in place in support of such facilities.

The company also guarantees the debt obligations of G4S International Finance plc. At 31 December 2014 contingent liabilities of £956m 
(2013: £1,012m) were outstanding in support of such debt obligations. 

The company is included in a group registration for UK VAT purposes and is therefore jointly and severally liable for all other UK group 
companies’ unpaid debts in this connection. The liability of the UK group registration at 31 December 2014 totalled £14m (2013: £17m).

164  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
164  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Notice of Annual General Meeting

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR 
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
If you are in any doubt about the contents of this document  
or the action you should take, you should immediately consult 
your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other 
independent professional advisor authorised under the Financial 
Services and Markets Act 2000 if you are resident in the United 
Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised 
independent financial advisor. If you have sold or otherwise 
transferred all your shares in G4S plc, please send this notice and 
the accompanying documents to the person through whom the 
sale or transfer was effected so that it can be passed on to the 
purchaser or transferee.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of G4S plc 
will be held at The Platinum Suite, ExCeL London, One Western 
Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL on Thursday, 4 June 
2015 at 11.00 am in order to consider and, if thought fit, to pass the 
following Resolutions:

Resolutions 1 to 15 and Resolution 18 will be proposed as  
ordinary resolutions. Resolutions 16, 17 and 19 will be proposed  
as special resolutions.

Report and Accounts
1.  To receive the financial statements of the company for the year 
ended 31 December 2014 and the reports of the directors 
and auditor thereon. 

Remuneration 
2.  To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report, other than the 
part containing the summary of the Directors’ Remuneration 
Policy, as set out in the company’s annual report and accounts 
for the year ended 31 December 2014.

Dividend
3.  To declare a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 
2014 of 5.82p (DKK 0.6041) for each ordinary share in the 
capital of the company. 

Directors
4.   To re-elect Ashley Almanza as a director.

5.  To re-elect John Connolly as a director.

6.   To re-elect Adam Crozier as a director.

7.   To re-elect Mark Elliott as a director.

8.  To re-elect Winnie Kin Wah Fok as a director.

9.  To re-elect Himanshu Raja as a director.

10.  To re-elect Paul Spence as a director.

11.  To re-elect Clare Spottiswoode as a director.

12.  To re-elect Tim Weller as a director.

Auditor
13.  To appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor of the 

company to hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual 
General Meeting of the company.

14.   To authorise the audit committee of the board to determine 

the remuneration of the auditor.

Directors’ Authority to Allot 
15.  That the directors be and are hereby generally and 

unconditionally authorised pursuant to and in accordance with 
section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”) to exercise 
all the powers of the company to allot shares in the company 
or grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, 
shares in the company:

(i)  up to an aggregate nominal amount of £129,299,000; and

(ii)  comprising equity securities (as defined in section 560 of  
the Act) up to a further aggregate nominal amount of 
£129,299,000 provided that they are offered by way of  
a rights issue to holders of ordinary shares on the register  
of members at such record date(s) as the directors may 
determine where the equity securities respectively 
attributable to the interests of the ordinary shareholders are 
proportionate (as nearly as may be practicable) to the 
respective numbers of ordinary shares held or deemed to 
be held by them on any such record date(s), subject to such 
exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may 
deem necessary or expedient to deal with treasury shares, 
fractional entitlements, record dates, shares represented by 
depositary receipts, legal or practical problems arising under 
the laws of any territory or the requirements of any relevant 
regulatory body or stock exchange or any other matter;

provided that this authority shall expire on the date of the  
next Annual General Meeting of the company, save that the 
company shall be entitled to make offers or agreements before 
the expiry of such authority which would or might require 
relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the 
directors shall be entitled to allot relevant securities pursuant 
to any such offer or agreement as if this authority had not 
expired; and all unexpired authorities granted previously to the 
directors to allot relevant securities under section 551 of the 
Act shall cease to have effect at the conclusion of this Annual 
General Meeting (save to the extent that the same are 
exercisable pursuant to section 551(7) of the Act by reason  
of any offer or agreement made prior to the date of this 
Resolution which would or might require shares to be allotted 
or rights to be granted on or after that date).

16.  That the directors be and are hereby empowered, pursuant  

to section 570 of the Act, subject to the passing of Resolution 15 
above, to allot equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the 
Act) for cash pursuant to the authority conferred by Resolution 
15 above as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such 
allotment, provided that this power shall be limited to:

(i) 

the allotment of equity securities in connection with an 
offer or issue of equity securities (but in the case of the 
authority granted under paragraph (ii) of Resolution 15 
above, by way of rights issue only) to or in favour of the 
holders of shares on the register of members at such 
record date(s) as the directors may determine where the 
equity securities respectively attributable to the interests 
of the shareholders are proportionate (as nearly as may 
be practicable) to the respective numbers of shares held 
by them on any such record date(s), but subject to such 
exclusions or other arrangements as the directors may 
deem necessary or expedient in relation to fractional 
entitlements, treasury shares, record dates, shares 
represented by depositary receipts, legal or practical 
problems arising under the laws of any territory or the 
requirements of any relevant regulatory body or stock 
exchange or any other matter; and

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  165 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  165 

 
Notice of Annual General Meeting continued

(ii)  the allotment (otherwise than pursuant to sub-paragraph 

(i) above) of equity securities pursuant to the authority 
granted under Resolution 15(i) above up to a maximum 
nominal amount of £38,788,000;

and shall expire on the expiry of the authority conferred by 
Resolution 15 above unless previously renewed, varied or 
revoked by the company in general meeting, save that the 
company shall be entitled to make offers or agreements before 
the expiry of such power which would or might require equity 
securities to be allotted, or treasury shares to be sold, after 
such expiry and the directors shall be entitled to allot equity 
securities or sell treasury shares pursuant to any such offer or 
agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.

All previous unutilised authorities under section 570 of the Act 
shall cease to have effect at the conclusion of this Annual 
General Meeting.

Authority to Purchase Own Shares
17.  That the company be and is hereby generally and unconditionally 

authorised for the purposes of section 701 of the Act, to make 
market purchases (within the meaning of section 693(4) of the 
Act) of ordinary shares of 25p each in the capital of the 
company on such terms and in such manner as the directors 
may from time to time determine, provided that:

(i) 

the maximum number of such shares which may be 
purchased is 155,159,000;

(ii)  the minimum price which may be paid for each such share 

is 25p (exclusive of all expenses);

(iii)  the maximum price which may be paid for each such share 

is an amount equal to 105% of the average of the middle 
market quotations for an ordinary share in the company  
as derived from The London Stock Exchange Daily Official 
List for the five business days immediately preceding the 
day on which such share is contracted to be purchased 
(exclusive of expenses); and

(iv)  this authority shall, unless previously revoked or varied, 

expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting  
of the company to be held in 2016 (except in relation to 
the purchase of such shares the contract for which was 
entered into before the expiry of this authority and which 
might be executed wholly or partly after such expiry).

Authority to Make Political Donations 
18.  That in accordance with sections 366 and 367 of the Act,  

the company and all companies which are subsidiaries of the 
company during the period when this Resolution 18 has  
effect be and are hereby unconditionally authorised to:

(i)  make political donations to political parties or 

independent election candidates not exceeding  
£50,000 in total;

(ii)  make political donations to political organisations other 
than political parties not exceeding £50,000 in total; and

(iii)  incur political expenditure not exceeding £50,000 in total;

(as such terms are defined in the Act) during the period 
beginning with the date of the passing of this Resolution and 
ending at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting 

166  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
166  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

of the company provided that the authorised sum referred to 
in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above may be comprised of one 
or more amounts in different currencies which, for the 
purposes of calculating the said sum, shall be converted into 
pounds sterling at the exchange rate published in the London 
edition of the Financial Times on the date on which the 
relevant donation is made or expenditure incurred (or the first 
business day thereafter) or, if earlier, on the day in which the 
company enters into any contract or undertaking in relation  
to the same.

Notice Period for General Meetings Other Than AGMs
19.   That a general meeting of the company, other than an Annual 
General Meeting, may be called on not less than 14 clear  
days’ notice.

By order of the board

Peter David
Company Secretary 

26 March 2015

The Manor 
Manor Royal 
Crawley 
West Sussex RH10 9UN 
Company No. 4992207

Notes
1. 

Shareholders are entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all  
or any of their rights to attend and to speak and vote on their 
behalf at the meeting. A shareholder may appoint more than 
one proxy in relation to the Annual General Meeting provided 
that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attached  
to a different share or shares held by that shareholder. A proxy 
need not be a shareholder of the Company. A proxy form 
which may be used to make such appointment and give proxy 
instructions accompanies this notice or will have been sent  
to you separately by post unless you have elected to receive 
shareholder communications electronically. Proxy instructions 
may also be given by using the registrar’s share portal at  
www.capitashareportal.com. 

2.   Details of how to appoint a proxy are set out in the notes to 
the proxy form. In order to be valid, an appointment of proxy 
must be returned with any power of attorney or any other 
authority under which it is executed, by one of the following 
methods: in hard copy form by post to Capita Asset Services, 
PXS 1, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4ZF; in hard 
copy form to that address by courier or by hand during usual 
business hours; or, in the case of CREST members, by utilising 
the CREST electronic proxy appointment service as described 
in paragraphs 8 and 9 below. In each case the form of proxy 
must be received by the company no later than 11.00 am on  
2 June 2015. To change your proxy instructions you may return 
a new proxy appointment using the method set out above.  
The deadline for receipt of proxy appointments also applies  
in relation to amended instructions. Persons listed on the VP 
Securities register should follow the instructions on their  
Voting Request Form. 

 
 
 
3.   The return of a completed proxy form, other such instrument 
or any CREST Proxy Instruction will not prevent a shareholder 
attending the Annual General Meeting and voting in person if 
he/she wishes to do so. 

4.   Any person to whom this notice is sent who is a person 

nominated under section 146 of the Act to enjoy information 
rights (a “Nominated Person”) may, under an agreement 
between him/her and the shareholder by whom he/she was 
nominated, have a right to be appointed (or to have someone 
else appointed) as a proxy for the Annual General Meeting.  
If a Nominated Person has no such proxy appointment right  
or does not wish to exercise it, he/she may, under any such 
agreement, have a right to give instructions to the shareholder 
as to the exercise of voting rights. 

5.   The statement of the rights of shareholders in relation to the 
appointment of proxies in paragraph 1 above does not apply 
to Nominated Persons. The rights described in that paragraph 
can only be exercised by shareholders of the company. 

6.   To be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General 

Meeting (and for the purpose of the determination by the 
company of the votes they may cast), shareholders must be 
registered in the Register of Members of the company at  
5.30pm on 2 June 2015 (or, in the event of any adjournment, 
on the date which is two working days before the time of the 
adjourned meeting). Changes to the Register of Members after 
the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the 
rights of any person to attend and vote at the meeting. 

7.   As at 25 March 2015 (being the latest practicable date prior  
to the publication of this Notice) the company’s issued share 
capital consisted of 1,551,594,436 ordinary shares, carrying  
one vote each. Therefore, the total voting rights in the company 
as at 25 March 2015 was 1,551,594,436. 

8.   CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies 

9.  

through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may 
do so by using the procedures described in the CREST Manual 
(available via www.euroclear.com/CREST). CREST Personal 
Members or other CREST sponsored members, and those 
CREST members who have appointed a service provider(s), 
should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service 
provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action  
on their behalf. 

In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using  
the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate CREST message 
(a “CREST Proxy Instruction”) must be properly authenticated in 
accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited’s specifications, 
and must contain the information required for such instruction, 
as described in the CREST Manual. The message, regardless of 
whether it constitutes the appointment of a proxy or is an 
amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed 
proxy must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be 
received by the issuer’s agent (ID RA10) by 11.00am on 2 June 
2015. For this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be 
the time (as determined by the time stamp applied to the 
message by the CREST Application Host) from which the issuer’s 
agent is able to retrieve the message by enquiry to CREST in  
the manner prescribed by CREST. After this time any change  
of instructions to proxies appointed through CREST should  
be communicated to the appointee through other means. 

10.   CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors 
or voting service providers should note that Euroclear UK & 
Ireland Limited does not make available special procedures in 
CREST for any particular message. Normal system timings and 
limitations will, therefore, apply in relation to the input of 
CREST Proxy Instructions. It is the responsibility of the CREST 
member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a 
CREST personal member, or sponsored member, or has 
appointed a voting service provider, to procure that his CREST 
sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as 
shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by 
means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this 
connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their 
CREST sponsors or voting system providers are referred, in 
particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning 
practical limitations of the CREST system and timings. 

11.   The company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction  
in the circumstances set out in Regulation 35(5)(a) of the 
Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001. 

12.   Voting on all Resolutions will be conducted by way of a  

poll rather than a show of hands. This is a more transparent 
method of voting as shareholders’ votes are to be counted 
according to the number of shares held. As soon as practicable 
following the Annual General Meeting, the results of the voting 
at the meeting and the numbers of proxy votes cast for and 
against and the number of votes actively withheld in respect  
of each of the Resolutions will be announced via a Regulatory 
Information Service and also placed on the company’s  
website: www.g4s.com.

13.   Any corporation which is a shareholder can appoint one  

or more corporate representatives who may exercise on its 
behalf all of its powers as a shareholder provided that they  
do not do so in relation to the same shares. 

14.   Under section 527 of the Act, members meeting the threshold 

requirements set out in that section have the right to require 
the company to publish on a website a statement setting out 
any matter relating to: (i) the audit of the company’s accounts 
(including the auditor’s report and the conduct of the audit) 
that are to be laid before the Annual General Meeting; or (ii) 
any circumstance connected with an auditor of the company 
ceasing to hold office since the previous meeting at which 
annual accounts and reports were laid in accordance with 
section 437 of the Act. The company may not require the 
shareholders requesting any such website publication to pay  
its expenses in complying with sections 527 or 528 of the Act. 
Where the company is required to place a statement on a 
website under section 527 of the Act, it must forward the 
statement to the company’s auditor not later than the time 
when it makes the statement available on the website. The 
business which may be dealt with at the Annual General 
Meeting includes any statement that the company has been 
required under section 527 of the Act to publish on a website. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  167 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  167 

Notice of Annual General Meeting continued

15.   Any shareholder attending the meeting has the right to ask 

questions. The company must cause to be answered any such 
question relating to the business being dealt with at the 
meeting but no such answer need be given if (a) to do so 
would interfere unduly with the preparation for the meeting  
or involve the disclosure of confidential information, (b) the 
answer has already been given on a website in the form of  
an answer to a question, or (c) it is undesirable in the interests 
of the company or the good order of the meeting that the 
question be answered. 

16.   Under sections 338 and 338A of the Act, members meeting  
the threshold requirements in those sections have the right to 
require the company (i) to give, to members of the company 
entitled to receive notice of the meeting, notice of a resolution 
which those members intend to move (and which may properly 
be moved) at the meeting; and/or (ii) to include in the business 
to be dealt with at the meeting any matter (other than a 
proposed resolution) which may properly be included in the 
business at the meeting. A resolution may properly be moved, or 
a matter properly included in the business, unless (a) (in the case 
of a resolution only) it would, if passed, be ineffective (whether 
by reason of any inconsistency with any enactment of the 
company’s constitution or otherwise); (b) it is defamatory of  
any person; or (c) it is frivolous or vexatious. A request made 
pursuant to this right may be in hard copy or electronic form, 
must identify the resolution of which notice is to be given or the 
matter to be included in the business, must be authenticated by 
the person(s) making it and must be received by the company 
not later than 22 April 2015, being the date six clear weeks 
before the meeting, and (in the case of a matter to be included 
in the business only) must be accompanied by a statement 
setting out the grounds for the request.

17.   A copy of this notice, and other information required by 
section 311A of the Act, can be found at www.g4s.com 

18.   Any electronic address or web site address is provided in  

this Notice of Meeting solely for the purpose stated expressly 
herein and may not be used to communicate with the 
company other than for such purpose. Notwithstanding any 
telephone number, fax number or email address that appears 
on this document or elsewhere, neither the company nor 
Capita Asset Services will accept voting instructions received 
via media other than by post, courier or hand, or by CREST 
Proxy Instruction in accordance with the notes above.

19.  An explanation of the Resolutions is given in the 

Recommendation and Explanatory Notes to the Resolutions 
which are set out after the Important Information about 
Attending the Annual General Meeting.

Important Information about Attending the  
Annual General Meeting
If you are a shareholder and you have received an admission card, 
you should bring it with you if you wish to attend the Annual 
General Meeting. If you do not have an admission card you should 
bring photographic proof of identity. 

If you are attending as a proxy of a shareholder, your appointment 
as a proxy must be with our registrar, Capita Asset Services, no  
later than 11.00 am on 2 June 2015. If you are attending as a 
representative of a corporate shareholder, you must bring a 
currently dated corporate letter of representation as evidence of 
your entitlement to attend on behalf of that corporate shareholder. 
In either case you should bring photographic proof of identity  
and evidence of your appointment to represent that shareholder, 
including their admission card if possible. If you hold your shares 
through a nominee, you must bring photographic proof of identity 
and evidence of your share ownership in the form of a currently 
dated latter from your nominee.

The Annual General Meeting is a private meeting of the 
shareholders and their properly authorised representatives.  
Guests are not entitled to attend the meeting as of right but they 
may be permitted entry at the absolute discretion of the company. 
Shareholders wishing to bring a guest must notify the company  
in advance by contacting the registrar, Capita Asset Services,  
The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU 
(shareholdersenquiries@capita.co.uk) who will advise of the 
company’s decision on the request. Any permitted guests will be 
required to bring photographic proof of identity and to enter the 
meeting venue at the same time as the shareholder.

Behaviour that may interfere with anyone’s security or safety or the 
good order of the meeting will not be permitted. Security checks 
will be carried out on those attending the meeting. Please arrive in 
good time before the meeting commences to allow sufficient time 
for checks to be carried out. Those wishing to attend should be 
prepared to have any bags or briefcases inspected. Please do not 
bring suitcases, large bags or rucksacks. If you do, you may be asked 
to leave them in the cloakroom.

Cameras, recording equipment and electronic communication 
equipment (including mobile phones, tablets and laptops) will not 
be permitted in the meeting. There will be secure storage facilities 
available where mobile phones and other small items of personal 
equipment may be deposited.

168  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
168  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Recommendation and explanatory notes relating to business to be conducted at the  
Annual General Meeting on 4 June 2015

The board of G4S plc considers that the Resolutions set out in the 
Notice of Annual General Meeting are likely to promote the success 
of the company and are in the best interests of the company and its 
shareholders as a whole. The directors unanimously recommend 
that you vote in favour of the Resolutions as they intend to do in 
respect of their own beneficial holdings.

Explanatory notes in relation to the business to be conducted at 
the Annual General Meeting are set out below.

The ordinary resolutions (Resolutions 1 to 15 and 18) will be 
passed if there are more votes cast for the resolution than those 
cast against it. The special resolutions (Resolutions 16, 17 and 19) 
will be passed if at least 75% of the votes cast for and against the 
resolution are in favour.

1. Financial statements of the company (Resolution 1)
The chairman will present the financial statements of the company 
for the year ended 31 December 2014 and the reports of the 
directors and auditor thereon to the Annual General Meeting. 

2. Remuneration (Resolution 2)
Resolution 2 is the resolution to approve the directors’ 
remuneration report, other than the part containing a summary  
of the directors’ remuneration policy (pages 72 to 77) which was 
approved by shareholders at the 2014 Annual General Meeting.  
As this is an advisory resolution, it does not affect the future 
remuneration paid to any director.

3. Final dividend (Resolution 3)
A final dividend of 5.82p (DKK 0.6041) per ordinary share for the  
year ended 31 December 2014 is recommended for payment by the 
directors. If the recommended final dividend is approved, it will be 
paid on Friday 12 June 2015 to all ordinary shareholders who were 
on the register of members at the close of business on 8 May 2015.

4. Election and re-election of directors (Resolutions 4 to 12)
Resolutions 4 to 12 deal with the re-election of the directors in 
accordance with the requirements of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code which provides for all directors of FTSE 350 
companies to be subject to re-election by shareholders every year. 
Grahame Gibson and Mark Seligman will retire from the board at 
the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting and so they are not 
seeking re-election.

Biographies of each of the directors seeking re-election are set out 
on pages 52 to 53 of the company’s 2014 Annual Report. The 
board has confirmed following a performance review that all 
directors standing for re-election continue to perform effectively 
and demonstrate commitment to their roles. 

5. Appointment of auditor and auditor’s remuneration 
(Resolutions 13 and 14)
Resolution 13 relates to the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers 
LLP (“PwC”) as the company’s auditor to hold office until the next 
Annual General Meeting of the company. PwC was selected by the 
board upon the recommendation of the audit committee following a 
formal tender process which is described on page 68 of the company’s 
2014 Annual Report, and consequently KPMG Audit plc, the company’s 
current auditor, has confirmed that they will not seek reappointment. 
Their term of office will therefore expire at the conclusion of the 2015 
Annual General Meeting.

Resolution 14 authorises the Audit Committee to set the auditor’s 
remuneration.

6. Authority to allot shares (Resolution 15)
Resolution 15 seeks shareholder approval for the directors to be 
authorised to allot shares. 

At the last Annual General Meeting of the company held on 5 June 
2014, the directors were given authority to allot ordinary shares in 
the capital of the company up to a maximum nominal amount of 
£258,598,000. This authority expires at the end of this year’s Annual 
General Meeting. Of this amount 517,196,000 shares could only be 
allotted pursuant to a rights issue.

Resolution 15 will, if passed, renew this authority to allot on the 
same terms as last year’s resolution. The board considers it 
appropriate that the directors be granted the same authority to 
allot shares in the capital of the company up to a maximum nominal 
amount of £258,598,000, representing a little under two thirds of 
the company’s issued ordinary share capital as at 25 March 2015 
(the latest practicable date prior to publication of the Notice of 
Annual General Meeting). Of this amount, 517,196,000 shares, 
representing a little under one third of the company’s issued 
ordinary share capital can only be allotted pursuant to a rights issue. 
The authority will last until the conclusion of the next Annual 
General Meeting in 2016.

The directors do not have any present intention of exercising this 
authority. In accordance with best practice, if the directors were to 
exercise this authority so as to allot shares representing more than 
one third of the current capital of the company, they would all offer 
themselves for re-election at the following Annual General Meeting, 
although it is the directors’ current intention to stand for election 
annually in any event in accordance with the requirements of the 
UK Corporate Governance Code.

As at the date of the Notice of Annual General Meeting, the 
company does not hold any ordinary shares in the capital of the 
company in treasury. However, the 6,408,450 shares held within  
the G4S Employee Benefit Trust and referred to on page 151  
(note 36 to the consolidated financial statements) are accounted 
for as treasury shares.

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  169 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  169 

Recommendation and explanatory notes related to business to be conducted at the  
Annual General Meeting on 4 June 2015 continued

7. Disapplication of statutory pre-emption rights 
(Resolution 16)
Resolution 16 seeks shareholder approval to give the directors 
authority to allot equity securities in the capital of the company 
pursuant to the authority granted under Resolution 15 for cash 
without complying with the pre-emption rights in the Companies 
Act 2006 (the “Act”) in certain circumstances. This authority will 
permit the directors to allot:

(a)  equity securities up to a nominal amount of £258,598,000 

(representing a little under two thirds of the company’s issued 
share capital) on an offer to existing shareholders. However 
unless the shares are allotted pursuant to a rights issue (rather 
than an open offer), the directors may only allot shares up to a 
nominal amount of £129,299,000 (representing a little under 
one third of the company’s issued share capital) (in each case 
subject to any adjustments, such as for fractional entitlements 
and overseas shareholders, as the directors see fit); and 

(b)   equity securities up to a maximum nominal value of 

£38,788,000 representing approximately 10% of the issued 
ordinary share capital of the company as at 25 March 2015 
(the latest practicable date prior to publication of the Notice 
of Annual General Meeting) otherwise than in connection with 
an offer to existing shareholders. 

This disapplication authority is in line with institutional shareholder 
guidance, and in particular with the Pre-emption Group’s Statement 
of Principles (the “Pre-emption Principles”). The Pre-emption 
Principles were revised in 2015 to allow the authority for an issue 
of shares otherwise than in connection with a pre-emptive offer  
to be increased from 5% to 10% of the company’s issued ordinary 
share capital, provided that the company confirms that it intends  
to use the additional 5% authority only in connection with an 
acquisition or specified capital investment. The directors therefore 
confirm, in accordance with the Pre-emption Principles that, to the 
extent that the authority in paragraph (ii) of Resolution 16 is used 
for an issue of ordinary shares with a nominal value in excess of 
£19,394,000 (that is approximately 5% of the company’s issued 
ordinary share capital as at 25 March 2015), they intend that it will 
only be used in connection with an acquisition or specified capital 
investment which is announced contemporaneously with the issue, 
or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is 
disclosed in the announcement of the issue.

The directors also confirm, in accordance with the Pre-emption 
Principles, that they do not intend to issue shares for cash 
representing more than 7.5% of the company’s issued ordinary 
share capital in any rolling three-year period other than to existing 
shareholders, save as permitted in connection with an acquisition  
or specified capital investment as described above, without prior 
consultation with shareholders.

As noted in relation to Resolution 15 above, the directors have  
no current intention of exercising this authority. 

The authority contained in Resolution 16 will expire upon the 
expiry of the general authority conferred by Resolution 15 (i.e.  
at the end of the next Annual General Meeting of the company).

8. Purchase of own shares (Resolution 17)
Resolution 17 seeks to renew the company’s authority to buy back 
its own ordinary shares in the market as permitted by the Act. The 
authority limits the number of shares that could be purchased to a 
maximum of 155,159,000 (representing a little less than 10% of the 
company’s issued ordinary share capital as at 25 March 2015 (the 
latest practicable date prior to publication of the Notice of Annual 
General Meeting)) and sets minimum and maximum prices. This 
authority will expire at the conclusion of the company’s Annual 
General Meeting in 2016. 

The directors have no present intention of exercising the authority 
to purchase the company’s ordinary shares but will keep the matter 
under review, taking into account the financial resources of the 
company, the company’s share price and future funding 
opportunities. The authority will be exercised only if the directors 
believe that to do so would result in an increase in earnings per 
share and would be in the interests of shareholders generally. No 
shares were purchased pursuant to the equivalent authority granted 
to the directors at the company’s last Annual General Meeting. 

As at 25 March 2015 (the latest practicable date prior to the 
publication of the Notice of Annual General Meeting), there were 
no options over the ordinary shares in the capital of the company.

9. Political donations (Resolution 18)
Resolution 18 deals with the rules on political donations contained 
in the Act. Under these rules, political donations to any political 
parties, independent election candidates or political organisations  
or the incurring of political expenditure are prohibited unless 
authorised by shareholders in advance. What constitutes a political 
donation, a political party, a political organisation, or political 
expenditure is not easy to decide, as the legislation is capable  
of wide interpretation. Sponsorship, subscriptions, payment of 
expenses, paid leave for employees fulfilling public duties, and 
support for bodies representing the business community in policy 
review or reform, may fall within this.

Therefore, notwithstanding that the company has not made political 
donations requiring shareholder authority in the past, and has no 
intention either now or in the future of making any such political 
donation or incurring any such political expenditure in respect of 
any political party, political organisation or independent election 
candidate, the board has decided to put forward Resolution 18, 
which is the same as the resolution on this subject which was 
passed at the company’s Annual General Meeting held on 5 June 
2014. This will allow the company to support the community and 
put forward its views to wider business and government interests 
without running the risk of being in breach of the law. This authority 
will cover the period from the date Resolution 18 is passed until  
the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the company. 
As permitted under the Act, Resolution 18 also covers political 
donations made, or political expenditure incurred, by any 
subsidiaries of the company. 

170  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
170  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

10. Period of notice for calling general meetings  
(Resolution 19)
Resolution 19 is a resolution to allow the company to hold general 
meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) on 14 days’ notice.

The minimum notice period permitted by the Act for general 
meetings (other than Annual General Meetings) is 21 days.  
However the Act allows companies to reduce this period to 14 
days (other than for Annual General Meetings) provided that two 
conditions are met. The first condition is that the company offers a 
facility for shareholders to vote by electronic means. This condition 
is met if the company offers a facility, accessible to all shareholders, 
to appoint a proxy by means of a website. The second condition  
is that there is an annual resolution of shareholders approving the 
reduction of the minimum notice period from 21 days to 14 days.

The board is therefore proposing Resolution 19 as a special resolution 
to approve 14 days as the minimum period of notice for all general 
meetings of the company other than Annual General Meetings. The 
approval will be effective until the company’s next Annual General 
Meeting, when it is intended that the approval be renewed. 

The board will consider on a case by case basis whether the use of 
the flexibility offered by the shorter notice period is merited, taking 
into account the circumstances, including whether the business of 
the meeting is time sensitive, and will balance that against the need 
for shareholders to consider their voting decisions, particularly 
where the proposals concerned are complex and may require  
more time for proper evaluation. 

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  171 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  171 

Group financial record

G4S plc was formed in 2004 from the merger of the security business of Group 4 Falck  
and Securicor. Since that time, the group has delivered robust shareholder returns and its  
five year financial performance is shown by the following financial record.

Revenue* at constant exchange rates

Group revenue (£bn)

£6.8bn

G4S revenue has grown consistently during the last five years.

*  Prior years have been restated for businesses that have been  

discontinued, sold or ceased and for IFRS10 and 11.

10

8

6

4

2

0

5.4

5.7

6.2

6.5

6.8

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

PBITA* at constant exchange rates

PBITA (£m)

£424m

Operating profit, defined as profit before interest, tax  
and amortisation and excluding specific items, increased  
8% to £424m (2013: 393m).

*  Prior years have been restated for businesses that have been  

discontinued, sold or ceased and for IFRS10 and 11.

500

400

300

200

100

0

378

379

386

393

424

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Dividend

Pence per share

9.24p

In the five years since 2010, G4S has delivered  
average dividend per share growth of 4%.

(pence per share)

10

8

6

4

2

0

8.53

7.90

8.96

8.96

9.24

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

172  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
172  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash generated from operating businesses*

(£m)

£526m

Cash generated from operating businesses was £526m  
which is a 25% increase compared to £420m in 2013.

*  Prior years have been restated for businesses that have been  

discontinued and the impact of IFRS10 and 11. 

600

400

200

501

526

402

420

328

0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Share price

2004 – 2014 Share price performance (£)

From the merger in July 2004 to the end of 2014, the G4S  
share price has increased 127%, outperforming the FTSE 100  
by 76% (see page 82 for the comparative TSR performance). 

+127%
+8.1%

*  CAGR is compound average growth rate.

share price increase  
since 2004

G4S share price CAGR*  
from 2004 to 2014

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

G4S

FTSE 100 index

Employee numbers

623,000

(including joint ventures)

As at 31 December (’000)

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

586

618

607

618

623

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  173 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  173 

 
 
 
 
CSR performance in 2014

2014 CSR highlights

A snapshot of some of our key  
CSR achievements during 2014

Securing our environment
G4S total carbon footprint in 2014 was 

538,303 t/CO2e

Achieved a carbon intensity of 76.3 t/CO2e per  
£m revenue in 2014, representing a reduction of 

6.3% 

since 2013.

Measured 56% of the waste generated by the group, 
totalling 10,400 tonnes of mixed waste with 18%  
diverted from landfill. 

Measured 64% of the group’s water usage with  
a total consumption of 1,678,000 litres.

Installed telematics technology into a further 114 
UK-based vehicles, bringing the total number of UK-based 
vehicles fitted with telematics to almost 2,000. The use  
of this technology helps to reduce fuel and maintenance 
costs, while improving driver safety.

Achieved an Energy Star rating at the headquarters  
of G4S North America. Energy Star-certified buildings 
generate lower greenhouse gas emissions than  
typical buildings.

Securing our communities
Conducted studies of the economic impact of G4S  
within the UK, demonstrating total contribution  
to the UK economy of 

£1.74bn

Invested approximately 

£1.9m 

in charitable community programmes  
and welfare programmes for employees.

Matched 

£38,000

of employee fundraising for local community good causes.

Supported more than 1,000 community projects  
across 74 countries, including:

•  Bhubesi Pride (Africa)
•  India Vision Foundation (India)
•  Bromley by Bow Centre (UK).

174  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
174  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

Safeguarding our integrity
Initiated a programme to reinvigorate our group  
values across all business practices.

Continued embedding our human rights framework into the 
business, including risk assessment and due-diligence processes.

Implemented a governance, risk and compliance system  
and process which includes human rights, business  
ethics and labour rights reviews.

Completed a planned reorganisation of Group Risk  
and Internal Audit departments, increasing the resources 
available and expanding the remit to reflect a risk-based 
audit approach providing assurance on key risk areas  
and adherence to the updated enterprise risk 
management systems.

Commissioned an independent human rights and legal 
review of G4S operations in Israel and the West Bank.

Completed a review of the group’s whistleblowing  
policy and processes against the principles of the  
UK Whistleblowing Commission’s Code of Practice.

Completed 

112

on-site internal audits, including measurement  
of compliance with business ethics standards.

Conducted

120

human rights country risk assessments  
as part of regular ‘heatmap’ reviews.

Signed a commitment to the UN Global Compact 
Business for Peace platform, promoting the positive 
change that business may bring to former conflict 
environments by enabling stability, development  
and advancement of peace.

Securing our people
Established ‘Safety first’ as a new group value.

Developed a health and safety management framework 
on which businesses can base their approach to  
ensure that they embed health and safety into their 
business practices.

Implemented performance objectives related  
to health and safety for all senior business leaders.

Extended the Driving Force Rules campaign  
to all regions.

Provided health and safety training to our global 
leadership team.

Completed six health and safety critical country  
reviews in countries where serious incidents  
occurred during the year.

Enhanced the monitoring of health and safety key 
performance indicator (KPI) performance, particularly  
in respect of incident investigations.

Implemented a new senior management  
onboarding tool.

Extended our talent management system to capture  
more data on the wider employee population.

Launched a new senior leadership development 
programme with attendance from all six regions.

Continued to support businesses embedding  
cultural awareness training.

Ongoing implementation of the actions arising from the 
2013 global employee engagement survey, such as a 
values based leadership programme in the UK. 

For more information, visit: www.g4s.com/csr

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  175 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  175 

Application of FRS 101

On 1 January 2015 old UK GAAP used in the preparation of the parent 
company financial statements ceased to exist. We have the option to adopt 
one of three reporting regimes: 1) the EU endorsed International Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRS), already used for the preparation of the group’s 
consolidated financial statements; 2) a new reporting regime known as the 
FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework permitting entities that otherwise 
apply the recognition, measurement and disclosure requirements  
of IFRS to adopt a reduced level of disclosure for their individual financial 
statements; or 3) FRS 102, which is a modification of FRS for small and 
medium enterprises. 

We are proposing that the FRS 101 Reduced Disclosure Framework  
will be applied for the individual financial statements of the company  
(i.e. the parent company financial statements) for financial years beginning 
on and after 1 January 2015, allowing the parent company to use the same 
accounting framework as is utilised in the consolidated financial statements 
for the group. 

The framework permitted by FRS 101 reduces disclosures covering a wide 
range of topics including cash flow statements, financial instruments, fair 
value measurement, share-based payments and related party transactions, 
which would already be provided in the group’s consolidated financial 
statements. A brief narrative summary of the disclosure exemptions 
adopted under FRS 101 will be disclosed in the notes to the individual 
financial statements of the company. There may also be some 
presentational changes in the individual financial statements of the  
parent company. 

The parent company’s accounts will still be prepared to meet the 
requirements of the Companies Act 2006 including giving a true and fair 
view of the company’s assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. 
This means the parent company will therefore always be required to 
include in its accounts all information relevant to shareholders and 
necessary to show a true and fair view.

For further information about FRS 101 please visit:

http://www.icaew.com/en/technical/financial-reporting/reduced-disclosure-
framework

Before an entity can apply the reduced disclosure framework it  
is required to inform its shareholders and provide a reasonable 
opportunity for its shareholders to object. The company will not be able to 
adopt the reduced disclosure framework if a shareholder or shareholders 
holding in aggregate 5% or more of the total allotted shares in the 
company object.

If you have any objections to the company applying the FRS 101 Reduced 
Disclosure Framework to the individual financial statements of the parent 
company, please notify us in writing to the Company Secretary, G4S plc  
at The Manor, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9UN on or  
before 29 May 2015.

176  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
176  G4S plc  Annual Report and Accounts 2014 

General information

Financial calendar

Results announcements
Half-year results – August 
Final results – March

Dividend payment
Interim paid – 17 October 2014 
Final payable – 12 June 2015

Annual General Meeting
4 June 2015

Corporate addresses

General shareholder information

Registered office
The Manor 
Manor Royal 
Crawley 
West Sussex RH10 9UN 
Telephone +44 (0) 1293 554 400

Registered number
4992207

Auditor (until 2015 AGM)
KPMG Audit Plc 
15 Canada Square 
London E14 5GL

Stockbrokers
J.P. Morgan Cazenove 
25 Bank Street 
Canary Wharf 
London E14 5JP

Citigroup Global Markets Limited 
Citigroup Centre 
Canada Square, Canary Wharf 
London E14 5LB

Financial advisors
J.P. Morgan Cazenove 
25 Bank Street 
Canary Wharf 
London E14 5JP

Barclays Capital 
5 The North Colonnade 
Canary Wharf 
London E14 4BB

G4S website
www.g4s.com

Registrars and transfer office
All enquiries relating to the administration 
of shareholdings should be directed to:

Capita Asset Services 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road 
Beckenham 
Kent 
BR3 4TU 
Telephone: within the UK 0871 664 0300 
(calls cost 10p per minute plus network 
extras); from outside the UK 
+44 20 8639 3399 
Fax: +44 (0) 1484 600 911 
Email: shareholderenquiries@capita.co.uk 
Secure share portal: 
www.capitashareportal.com

Please note that beneficial owners of shares 
who have been nominated by the registered 
holder of those shares to receive 
information rights under section 146 of the 
Companies Act 2006 are required to direct 
all communications to the registered holder 
of their shares rather than to the company 
or the company’s registrar.

Capita share portal
The share portal is an online facility 
provided by the company’s registrars, Capita 
Asset Services, for shareholders to manage 
their holding securely online reducing the 
need for paperwork. By registering for a free 
portal account, shareholders are able to 
access a range of online facilities 24 hours  
a day including those described below.

View account holding details
Allows shareholders to access their 
personal account, shareholding balance, 
share transaction history, indicative share 
valuation and dividend payment history.  
It also enables shareholders to buy and  
sell shares.

Change of address, bank mandates, 
downloadable forms
Allows shareholders to update their postal 
address and complete, change or delete 
bank mandate instructions for dividends.  
A wide range of shareholder information, 
including downloadable forms such as stock 
transfer forms, is also available.

Dedicated helpline
Capita Asset Services also has a helpline  
to help users with all aspects of the service. 
Telephone (from the UK): 0871 664 0391 
Calls cost 10p per minute plus network 
extras, lines are open 8.30am to 5.30pm 
Monday to Friday. 
Telephone 
(outside the UK): +44 (0) 20 8639 3367 
Email: shareportal@capita.co.uk

Annual Report and Accounts 2014  G4S plc  177 

www.g4s.com

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G4S plc 
The Manor 
Manor Royal 
Crawley 
West Sussex 
RH10 9UN 
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8770 7000 
Email: investor@g4s.com

Registered in England No. 4992207

Printed by Park Communications on FSC® certified paper. 

Park is an EMAS certified company and its Environmental 
Management System is certified to ISO 14001. 

100% of the inks used are vegetable oil based, 95% of press  
chemicals are recycled for further use and, on average 99%  
of any waste associated with this production will be recycled. 

This document is printed on Cocoon 50 Silk; a paper containing  
50% recycled fibre from genuine waste paper and 50% virgin fibre 
sourced from well managed, responsible, FSC® certified forests.

Designed and produced by Black Sun Plc.