Securitas has appointed Alan Rae as Area Director for UK North and BAE Systems, combining oversight of its northern branch network with continued leadership of the BAE Systems account.

Effective immediately, the role covers Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rae will retain responsibility for the security group’s partnership with BAE Systems while taking on the wider regional brief.

The newly created position expands Rae’s remit beyond the account team he has led for the past five years. During that time, he oversaw the team responsible for BAE Systems and worked across the client relationship.

Rae joined Securitas in 2007 and has held both operational and commercial leadership roles. He will continue to lead the BAE Systems account as the company adjusts the account team structure.

Wider Brief

The move gives Securitas a single senior leader across its multi-client branch network in the North of the UK and one of its key customer relationships. It also broadens Rae’s responsibilities as the group places greater emphasis on regional leadership and account management.

Nadine Matthews, Country President of Securitas UK, said: “Alan has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his time with Securitas and has played a significant role in strengthening our partnership with BAE Systems. His ability to combine operational expertise with strong client leadership makes him the ideal person to take on this expanded position.”

Securitas described its relationship with BAE Systems as strategically important, saying Rae’s new role reflects both that partnership and his track record within the business. His continued oversight of the account points to a focus on continuity in a client relationship central to its UK operations.

Long Tenure

Rae said the appointment comes as he approaches two decades with the company and highlighted a continued focus on the branch network and internal teams across the region.

“I’m delighted to take on the role of Area Director for UK North and BAE Systems. Now in my 20th year at Securitas, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. I look forward to expanding my responsibilities across our multi-client branch network in the North of the UK and working closely with our talented teams to continue driving performance, enhancing service delivery, and supporting our people and clients,” Rae said.

According to company figures, Securitas employs 341,000 people across 44 markets. In the UK, the latest leadership change gives Rae responsibility for a broad geographic area while keeping him at the centre of the company’s work with BAE Systems.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes builders in Oxfordshire revealed their top drinks and biscuits to mark National Tea Day, which falls on April 21.

Despite the UK consuming an estimated 100 million cups of tea daily, 58 per cent of survey respondents said they preferred coffee, compared to just 28 per cent who chose tea.

Chanda Chileshe, head of sales at Barratt and David Wilson Homes, said: “When important decisions need to be made, there’s no better time for a nice, hot cuppa.

“It’s not a surprise to see coffee named the beverage of choice, alongside top-tier dunkers Hobnob and Digestive.

“Whatever your drinking preference, we are always ready to put the kettle on for our customers looking for their first or next home and welcome anyone interested to visit our sales advisers for a cuppa and a chat.”

Most workers, 87 per cent, said hot water should be poured first when making a cup of tea.

A health-conscious 61 per cent preferred their drinks without sugar.

Tea and coffee remained the dominant choices, with only 14 per cent opting for alternatives like hot chocolate or herbal teas.

Chocolate Hobnobs were named the top biscuit for dunking, earning 31 per cent of the votes, narrowly beating chocolate digestives at 26 per cent.

Others gave honourable mentions to shortbread, rich tea, and cookies.

For more information about nearby developments, visit the Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes websites.

OVHcloud and Alchemy have entered a strategic relationship centred on a multi-chain development platform for Web3 developers.

Under the agreement, Alchemy will offer its tools and blockchain infrastructure on OVHcloud’s cloud platform, giving developers access to services for decentralised applications and blockchain networks across multiple regions.

The tie-up brings together a European cloud provider and a Web3 infrastructure company that says it supports 70% of crypto applications and more than USD $4 trillion in annual on-chain transactions. It also expands Alchemy’s multi-cloud set-up by linking OVHcloud’s infrastructure with its existing cloud estate.

The relationship targets app and chain developers seeking infrastructure across multiple blockchain ecosystems. It is designed to support users ranging from startups to institutions operating in regulated markets.

Multi-cloud setup

OVHcloud’s platform connects with Alchemy’s existing infrastructure, including hyperscale cloud services. This allows Alchemy to operate across more than one cloud environment while adding OVHcloud’s bare metal servers in different regions.

The arrangement has already influenced Alchemy’s regional expansion, according to the companies. OVHcloud said its pricing and infrastructure model helped Alchemy scale into new markets earlier than planned, including those with tighter regulatory requirements.

That matters in a sector where infrastructure costs, latency and regional presence can shape where developers launch products and how they manage compliance. Web3 companies often spread workloads across several providers to reduce concentration risk and improve resilience.

Omar Abi Issa, Global Director for Blockchain, Web3 and AI at OVHcloud, described Alchemy as a key player in the blockchain market.

“Alchemy is one of the cornerstones of the blockchain industry,” said Omar Abi Issa, Global Director for Blockchain, Web3 and AI at OVHcloud. “The team provides essential building blocks for the industry across a number of chains and ecosystems, offering functionality including orchestration, dev tools, wallets and data for blockchain-native design, development and hosting, especially for businesses that require their infrastructure to comply with industry regulations. We’re delighted to formally announce our relationship, and together we will power the future of Web3.”

Alchemy cast the partnership in more operational terms, emphasising reliability, pricing and geographic reach.

“Infrastructure is the thing most developers don’t want to think about. Our customers range from startups shipping fast to institutions operating in highly regulated markets, like JP Morgan, Robinhood, Visa, Stripe and Coinbase, and the common thread is that they all need reliability and performance without overpaying for it. OVHcloud’s bare metal foundation lets us deliver that across regions at a price point that actually makes sense for Web3 builders,” said William Platt, Chief Operating Officer at Alchemy.

Years in making

The relationship did not begin with this agreement alone. Abi Issa said the companies’ ties go back several years through work involving Bware Labs, a blockchain infrastructure company acquired by Alchemy.

“The relationship has been built over a number of years,” said Issa. “We initially worked with Bware Labs in 2022, helping them deploy Blast, one of the world’s fastest blockchain API platforms. Bware was acquired by Alchemy in 2024, and during discussions with the team, we realised that a strategic relationship between our two brands had truly incredible potential.”

The Bware Labs link helps explain how the current arrangement developed, suggesting the companies had already tested technical and commercial co-operation before broadening the relationship under the Alchemy brand.

OVHcloud has also been building its profile in blockchain and Web3 infrastructure as part of a wider push beyond traditional cloud hosting. The company operates more than 500,000 servers in 46 data centres across four continents and serves 1.6 million customers in more than 140 countries, according to company figures.

Alchemy, for its part, is expanding its reach among developers building blockchain applications, layer-two networks and financial services products. Its customer list includes large financial and payments groups, reflecting how parts of the digital asset infrastructure market are seeking closer ties with mainstream institutions.

The companies also pointed to earlier work around OVHcloud’s blockchain startup accelerator, where Alchemy supported efforts to build links between startups, larger companies and partners working on blockchain services.

“We’re proud to be working with such a forward-looking organisation, enabling Alchemy users to develop their visions for new blockchain applications at speed and without restrictions, knowing that the underlying cloud infrastructure is also built on the core blockchain ethos, supporting Alchemy’s vision. We can’t wait to see what the future holds,” said Issa.