Obituary by Kirsten Toxværd

This obitutuary was written by Kirsten Toxværd, former  Director of the Copenhagen City, Chairman, Helsingør. It was published Berlingske Tidende (Danish newspaper) on Friday 29 January 2010 

The life and career of Nils Jørgen Philip-Sørensen is known by many. Less known is the man behind.

From his early childhood, the centre of his life was Vagtselskabet Svenske Securitas – founded and owned by his father, Erik Philip Sørensen. He had to learn the business from scratch and Philip served as a night guard in Belgium. He founded the Belgian company, then went to England where Group 4 was started. At the same time he started a family with his first wife, Ingrid, with whom he had four children and 12 grandchildren.

Philip was a man of visions and nontraditional ideas. He was the first to replace the anonymous dark vans for cash in transit with shiny white vans flashing a large company logo. He was the first to renew the penitentiary system in Australia and the UK, with respect to the operation as well as to the conditions of the prisoners.

Group 4 participated in the big British Steel around-the-world sail with a good result. Philip saw the publicity value as well as the value of corporate spirit. Employees were able to keep up to date with bulletins from the race every day.

His incentives were service, entrepreneurship and curiosity - combined with insistence on high quality in everything he did. It was no surprise that he bought the Dormy House luxury hotel in England and developed a large conference centre with Ingrid as its manager.

Philip had the overall view as well as a sense of detail. He remembered every name and had an almost photographic brain for things and arrangements.

He did indeed dress nonchalantly, he was on Christian name terms with everybody, but one should not doubt his swift perception and assessment of people. Informal, humorous, self-ironic, but also aware of his capability. He possessed great generosity, but he never flaunted it.

He was the centre of his large family, since 1997 including his wife Susse and her family. Festive seasons were always celebrated in England with both families, and each summer everybody met in Skagen.

Thank you, Philip, for 50 years of friendship.

You were a man of the world, but first and foremost you were a gentleman, and the world will miss you.