SIA Member Profile: Cento

Security Industry Association (SIA) member Cento has two decades of expertise in fire and security industry staffing, forging strategic partnerships and tailoring solutions to match client culture. The company’s global headquarters are in the United Kingdom, with offices in Loughborough and London, England, and it has additional offices and teams in Miami, Florida, and Cape Town, South Africa.

SIA spoke with Brett Ennals, founder and CEO of Cento, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Brett Ennals: Twenty years ago, I stood at a crossroads in the recruitment landscape and saw something different—a chance to revolutionize how businesses find their perfect matches. Starting my journey at the Ministry of Defense, my career evolved through engineering precision into the dynamic world of sales at industry titan Honeywell, which provided me with a 360-degree understanding of what both sides of the talent equation truly needed.

In 2005, that vision crystallized into Cento—born not from a desire to simply fill positions, but from my mission to do recruitment differently. Instead of candidates and vacancies, I saw untapped potential and strategic partnerships.

Two decades later, that pioneering spirit has thrived and transformed. We’ve grown from simply matching skills to becoming strategic architects of our clients’ success stories. Today, Cento stands as proof that when you dare to reimagine an industry from the ground up, you don’t just change how business gets done—you redefine what’s possible. And for me, we’re just getting started.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings or your company unique?

BE: Imagine a world where security organizations don’t just grow—they evolve intelligently. That’s the reality we’ve engineered at Cento Search, your strategic resourcing growth partner that transforms how you scale. Backed by two decades of battle-tested sector expertise, we’ve cracked the code on sourcing executive talent that doesn’t just fill roles—it catalyzes transformation.

We’ve shattered the traditional search paradigm. We deliver what we call “plain talk service”—revolutionary honesty in a world of recruitment rhetoric.

Our game-changing arsenal:

• Contingent—The Smart Gamble: Minimal commitment, maximum quality. When you need stellar candidates without the heavyweight process, we deliver solid resumes with our signature light-touch support.
• Cento ONE—The 24-Hour Miracle: Hire in a single day. We orchestrate the entire recruitment symphony while you invest just one day interviewing and walk away with your next game-changer. It’s recruitment at the speed of decision.
• Cento Project—The Cash Flow Guardian: Everything from Cento ONE, supercharged with flexible monthly payment plans that protect your cash flow while you build your team.

Growth without the growing pains—that’s what sets us apart. We don’t just understand the security industry—we’ve lived it, breathed it, and built teams within it for over 20 years. This isn’t theoretical knowledge—it’s intelligence.

What is something we might not know about your company—or something new you are doing in security?

BE:The company is originally named after the Italian motor scooter the Lambretta Cento. The Italian meaning of Cento—100—additionally really resonated with us, as we aim to deliver a 100%, top-level recruitment solution.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

BE: We want to continue to revolutionize how security organizations scale by transforming traditional recruitment into intelligent growth partnerships. Through our cost-effective, feature-rich solutions—from same-day hiring to flexible payment models, we want to eliminate the financial and time barriers that constrain expansion.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

BE: I’m genuinely excited about the incredible evolution ahead for the security industry over the next few years. We’re entering an era where intelligent, self-diagnostic products will empower technicians to achieve unprecedented first-time fix rates, transforming service delivery from reactive to proactive. This technological leap creates a tremendous opportunity for forward-thinking integrators to reimagine their operations—building agile, streamlined models that deliver lightning-fast service while maximizing efficiency.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

BE: As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, I believe the security industry is poised for revolutionary transformation both short- and long-term. As AI-powered systems evolve from reactive monitoring to proactive threat prevention with self-diagnostic and predictive capabilities, I believe first-time resolution rates will massively increase. Security professionals will transform into AI-augmented specialists who leverage machine learning insights to solve complex challenges, while forward-thinking integrators will pioneer ultra-lean, hyper-responsive service models that deliver faster diagnostics and seamless optimization.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

BE: The security industry faces a critical talent shortage driven by three converging factors: fewer young people entering technical trades as they gravitate toward white-collar careers, experienced technicians being recruited away by higher-paying IT firms once they develop valuable skills and an aging workforce nearing retirement without adequate replacement. As predictions show, thousands of jobs vacant by 2030, organizations requiring years of experience for supposedly “entry-level” positions need to rethink their talent search strategies.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company—and in the security industry?

BE: I enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit of building something different in recruitment—challenging the traditional model with innovative solutions like one-day hiring and being part of a team that genuinely solves real problems for clients, rather than just filling positions.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

BE: SIA allows us to connect and meet with like-minded, driven security professionals who want to change and impact the future of the security industry. SIA provides the opportunity to access a variety of ideas, perspectives and companies who you might not have come across and, at its simplest, have a conversation with these organizations and people.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

BE: I am currently involved with SIA’s Startups in Security community and Human Resources Working Group and have attended numerous events, such as AcceleRISE. I am genuinely impressed by the quality of the events and the enthusiasm of the members.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.