Maj. Manjit Rajain Reflects On Building Tenon, Leadership Lessons, Global Growth And Preparing For An Evolving Future

Building an organisation that endures requires conviction, adaptability and the ability to evolve. Maj. Manjit Rajain, Founder & Global Chairman of Tenon Group, reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, the principles that shaped the organisation, lessons from expanding across markets, and his perspective on how leadership, changing client expectations and technology will influence the industry's next chapter.

Q1. What inspired you to build Tenon Group, and how has your journey as a founder shaped the organisation?

When I started Peregrine Guarding in 1995, I believed security services in India could be delivered with greater professionalism, accountability and respect for the people performing the job.

My earlier experiences taught me the importance of discipline, preparedness and responsibility. Entrepreneurship, however, taught me something equally important: trust is built through consistent delivery. In the early years, I was closely involved in everything from winning clients and recruiting people to resolving operational challenges on the ground.

As Tenon grew, my role had to evolve as well. A founder cannot remain attached to every decision or to the methods that worked in the early years. Growth requires you to challenge assumptions, bring in capable people and build an organisation that can function beyond any individual.

One belief that has remained constant is that services businesses are fundamentally built by people. Strategy and technology are important, but ultimately it is the person on the ground who represents the organisation every day.

I believe this journey has shaped Tenon through a combination of operational discipline and adaptability. We have retained the importance of customer trust while continuously evolving our capabilities. For me, entrepreneurship is not simply about building a company; it is about creating an institution that can continue to learn, adapt and create opportunities for people.

Q2. What have been the defining milestones and key learnings in building Tenon into a global company?

The defining milestones were not simply moments of expansion. Many important turning points came when we recognised that the organisation needed to evolve before the market forced us to.

Building Peregrine Guarding established our foundation in professional security services and taught us the complexities of managing a large, people-driven organisation. Expanding into facility management and technical services was another important step, driven by our understanding that client requirements were becoming broader and more complex.

International expansion brought a completely different set of learnings. One cannot simply take a successful model from one country and replicate it everywhere. Every market has its own regulations, workforce dynamics and customer expectations. Our journey across markets has therefore required a balance between maintaining common standards and adapting to local realities.

The biggest lesson for me has been the importance of institutionalising leadership. As an organisation grows, founders must learn to delegate and empower capable teams. Scale cannot depend on one person's involvement.

Growth is also rarely linear. There are periods when expansion is important and others when consolidation and strengthening the organisation matter more. The ability to evolve without losing sight of your core values is, in my view, essential for building a long-lasting organisation.

Q3. How do you see India’s security and facility management industry evolving today?

The most significant change is in how clients define value. Earlier, security and facility management were often viewed primarily through the lens of manpower and cost. Today, organisations expect greater transparency, measurable service levels, trained personnel, stronger compliance and faster response.

This is changing the nature of the industry. Service providers need to understand the specific operating environments of their clients. The requirements of a corporate campus, hospital, manufacturing facility or high-security site can be fundamentally different, making domain knowledge and specialised capabilities increasingly important.

The workforce is also evolving. Tomorrow's security professional will require a broader skill set, including situational awareness, communication and familiarity with digital tools. Similarly, facility management professionals will need to combine technical expertise with a greater understanding of data and operational efficiency.

I also see a shift towards greater accountability. Clients are increasingly focused on outcomes rather than simply the number of people deployed. They want to know whether response times have improved, risks are being identified early, and service standards are being consistently maintained.

The future will favour organisations that move beyond viewing service delivery as a commodity and instead invest continuously in people, training, processes and specialised capabilities.

Q4. How has Tenon evolved its capabilities to meet changing client and industry needs?

Our evolution has largely been guided by listening to how client requirements are changing. Over time, we realised that organisations were seeking greater coordination, accountability and consistency rather than managing multiple disconnected service providers.

Within security, our approach has evolved beyond conventional guarding to include, where required, electronic security, remote monitoring, digital reporting and centralised oversight. Through Soteria, we have developed remote surveillance and monitoring capabilities that provide greater visibility across locations and help teams focus attention on potential exceptions and incidents.

Our facility management capabilities have similarly evolved to address increasingly complex operating environments requiring technical services, engineering support and coordinated execution.

However, capability building is not simply about adding technology or services. Technology is valuable only when supported by trained people and clearly defined processes. We have therefore focused equally on training, operating standards, supervisory structures and technology adoption.

The objective is to build scalable solutions while retaining the flexibility to respond to the specific requirements of each client and site.

Q5. What is the strategy behind Tenon’s global expansion and entry into new markets?

Our approach to international expansion has always been selective. Being present in more countries does not automatically make an organisation truly global.

When evaluating a market, we consider strategic fit, customer demand, regulations, leadership talent and whether our capabilities can create meaningful value. One important lesson from our international journey is that a successful operating model cannot simply be exported unchanged.

While principles such as governance, operational discipline and service standards can remain consistent, customer expectations and workforce dynamics differ significantly across markets. This requires a balance between global standards and local understanding.

Acquisitions have supported our growth by combining established local expertise with the broader capabilities of the Group. However, successful expansion depends equally on what happens after entering a market integrating teams, aligning cultures and creating clarity around long-term objectives.

International operations also create a valuable exchange of knowledge. Exposure to different markets allows us to learn from new practices and technologies, with those insights strengthening the wider organisation.

Going forward, our focus will remain on building sustainable depth in carefully selected markets rather than expanding simply to increase our geographical footprint.

Q6. What is your vision for Tenon Group and the industry over the next decade?

My vision is to build an organisation that remains relevant even as the definition of our industry continues to change.

Over the next decade, security, technology and facilities operations will become increasingly interconnected. Clients will expect greater visibility, faster decision-making and more intelligent management of complex operating environments.

However, I do not believe technology alone will define the future. Technology can automate routine tasks and provide better intelligence, but human judgement will remain essential, particularly in areas involving risk, safety and complex decision-making. The future will belong to organisations that combine digital capabilities with a highly skilled workforce.

For Tenon, this also means investing in the next generation of leadership and creating stronger career pathways across the organisation. An industry of this scale must become a more attractive long-term career destination, with greater opportunities for professional development and leadership.

Our ambition is to continue growing with substance, strengthening capabilities, governance and people alongside scale. Thirty years ago, the objective was to demonstrate that security services could be delivered professionally. The challenge ahead is to help build an industry that is more skilled, intelligent and globally competitive.

That is the direction in which I believe Tenon and the wider industry must move.