BY SUSAN ROSE
Sleek, armored BMW’s. Highly trained chauffeurs. Exquisite 5-star hotels. And don’t forget the trusty sidekick.
CEO Jason Ipekdjian (left) and Operations Director Steve Sommerfeld What seemingly reads like a British spy novel are actually the services offered by Belgraves of London, a company founded by CEO, Jason Ipekdjian in 2013. After providing executive transportation for more than three decades—including 12 years at Belgraves of London and 16 years with Claremont Executive Services, where he was a partner—Ipekdjian has launched his Diplomatic and Armoured Car Division to transport VIPs, celebrities, and high-level government officials. In this case, however, the “trusty sidekick” is Belgraves’ adorable office cat, Pickle. (The only employee allowed to nap on the job!)
Cheekiness aside, Ipekdjian is very serious about expanding his executive armored services, he and his team have some hefty credentials and certifications behind them. Belgraves of London has long been known for managing high-profile, diplomatic, and royal logistics, in addition to providing high-end airport transfers, rides for anniversary couples, and discreet dashes for traveling VIPs. But Ipekdjian is taking it a step further by devoting time and money to new vehicles, advanced training, and the latest technology required for this very specialized niche.
“When I was at Claremont, we worked with a lot of government and diplomatic clients. When I moved over to Belgraves, I grew the company specifically targeting those sectors and then approximately 7 years ago we started to get requests for armored vehicles,” says Ipekdjian.
L to R: Chauffeur Amro Daoud, Steve Sommerfeld, Jason Ipekdjian, Chauffeur Paul Ferguson, and Fleet Manager Phil Barker During that time, Ipekdjian used his fleet of high-end luxury vehicles wherever possible, banking on the “lower” profile that they afforded for better discretion. When required, they rented in their armored vehicles, which posed other challenges. Due to the considerable costs these vehicles demand—which, in many cases, are only used a fraction of the year—Ipekdjian says that those available to rent for private hire were generally between 10 to 15 years old.
“We recognized an unmet need in this area and wanted to develop this work further, so we decided to heavily invest in new equipment, training, and facilities to make sure the service we provide is professional and all encompassing,” says Ipekdjian, who purchased several manufacturer made-armored vehicles from BMW. “We spent approximately £1,000,000 on brand new vehicles—a sedan and a couple of SUVs—as well as training for the drivers, which includes security, vehicle handling, and medical training. We’ve also partnered with BMW, where we send drivers over to their protection training facility in Germany, so they get to train in defensive, tactical, and evasive driving with the actual vehicles we offer.”
Pickle, Belgraves of London’s office cat To help build out the division, Ipekdjian hired Steve Sommerfeld in 2024 to be his new operations director. Both UK operators, the pair had known each other for years. After selling his own transportation company in the 2010s, which focused on moving celebrities and other high-security individuals, and retiring to Spain with his wife, Sommerfeld soon found himself drawn back to the industry following a conversation with Ipekdjian.
Belgraves of London employs chauffeurs who are highly trained to the standards of Royalty and Specialist Protection, or RaSP, techniques used by the Metropolitan Police to safeguard the British royal family. More than professional drivers, this training encompasses a wide range of skills, including close protection, reconnaissance, advanced driving, unarmed combat, and emergency first aid.
“When it’s done well, people aren’t even aware the security is there. It’s meant to be discreet and smooth and calm, not lots of noise, fuss, and bother,” says Sommerfeld, who is also a trained security driver.
L to R: Steve Sommerfeld, Phil Barker, Accounts Manager Dawn Don-Corolis, Head Controller Mike Hammett, and Jason Ipekdjian As well as the latest advancements in protective technology, Belgraves’ new vehicles are outfitted with medic packs (including a defibrillator) and satellite phones in case comms are compromised. Their fleet is also ballistic and blast resistance, with an understated exterior that helps them be less conspicuous—as much as a super-high-end BMW can be.
Although the company is based in London, their services extend far beyond the UK. “We cover the whole of the UK and across Europe as well. We’ve done bookings in Ireland, France, Germany, and so forth,” says Ipekdjian.
While Belgraves’ newest, and probably most exciting division demands much of the team’s attention of late, none of it would be possible without the reputationally sound foundation that Ipekdjian built over his career. As a teenager, he was captivated by the extravagant limousines his uncle owned as an operator in the UK. The thrill was still alive when he got his license at 19, where he says he “badgered” his uncle into giving him a shot as a chauffeur.
“My first job was the simplest it could have been: It was picking up the manager of a well-known 80’s pop band,” says Ipekdjian, whose uncle’s company was entrenched in the music industry. “He lived just off the main road to Heathrow, the A4, which goes straight from central London to Heathrow Airport. Of course, being so young and fledging, I missed the correct turn and ended up going the wrong way on the road. To make matters worse when I took his case out of the out of the boot at the airport, all that was in my hand was the handle with the case still in the car—if embarrassment burnt calories I would have instantly lost 50 pounds. But it was a memorable job and am pleased to say I’ve come a very long way since those days.”
L to R: Paul Ferguson, Phil Barker, Jason Ipekdjian, Steve Sommerfeld, Head Chauffeur Tom Costello, and Amro Daoud at the Palace of Westminster in central London Although the opening act was a comedy of errors, Ipekdjian stuck with it, blending his love of cars with his cordial people-pleasing mentality. He briefly left the industry in the mid-’90s but returned to chauffeuring in 1997 at Claremont, where he worked his way up to partner before striking out on his own.
Now operating 19 vehicles, the award-winning company is well known throughout the London area for their reliability and consistency. As members of the renowned Les Clefs d’Or—or the Society of the Golden Keys of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, an organization dedicated to concierge service and hospitality—they work regularly with the area’s most prestigious properties, which opened additional doors to corporate transportation as well as government clients like embassies.
“Because I’ve done it for such a long time, I’d say the essence of being a chauffeur is assistance,” says Ipekdjian. “I’ve noticed the feedback I get from certain drivers and they’re the ones that have excellent customer service skills. They’re the ones that will go out of their way to make sure the customer is pleased because taking someone from A to B is just one small part of being a professional chauffeur. The level of service that we offer is old school, quintessential British hospitality.”
Advanced driver training—not quite as intense as their Diplomatic and Armoured Car Division chauffeurs—is so important to Ipekdjian that he says he will be debuting the Belgraves of London Chauffeur Academy later this year.
“It’s still in its early stages, but we’ve concluded it’s going to be a six-day course, with three days of driving and three days of chauffeur soft skills. The driving element of it will be accredited, and we’re currently talking to various bodies about qualifications,” says Ipekdjian.
Tom Costello, Steve Sommerfeld, Trainer Philipp Priessner, Jason Ipekdjian, and former Metropolitan Police Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) Officer Dave Sheridan Despite their full plates, both Ipekdjian and Sommerfeld devote time and energy to causes that they find rewarding. Belgraves regularly offers their services to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which Ipekdjian says is always a special moment for the company as well as their chauffeurs; and also other charities like the Wildlife Aid Foundation, a local animal hospital where members of staff donate time to volunteer.
Sommerfeld, for his part, is passionate about the people affected by the war in Ukraine. Over the past few years, he’s organized seven trips in and near the country covering nearly 40,000 miles, delivering numerous forms of humanitarian aid and even helping refugees move to their next destination and get resettled.
“When the war started back in 2022, my wife and I were horrified and wanted to do something other than just donate cash. Donating cash is wonderful, but I just felt I needed to get my boots on the ground and do something more,” says Sommerfeld.
Belgraves has been recognized numerous times by Professional Driver’s QSi Awards, which Ipekdjian calls “the UK’s version of the Oscars for the chauffeur industry.” Winning nine awards over the past eight years, including the coveted ‘Chauffeur Company of the Year’ and ‘Sustainability’ awards, Ipekdjian says they hold the record for the most Gold wins in QSi’s history.
“This is all down to our dedicated staff and chauffeurs, they are our greatest asset, and we are lucky to have such devoted individuals working with us,” says Ipekdjian.
Earlier this year, Ipekdjian says he was “truly humbled and gobsmacked” when his company was named among the 100 Emerging Global Businesses of 2025, a significant honor from the Leaders Without Borders Development Centre. The ceremony took place at the House of Lords, where Belgraves of London became the first ground transportation company to receive this prestigious award.
Over the past 30 years, Ipekdjian and Sommerfeld have been a part of some of the most pivotal moments for their clients, serving everyone from celebs and Heads of State to everyday citizens with discretion and peak hospitality. They’ve been behind the scenes at Wembley Stadium or driving some of the most famous figures in the world or in the thick of events numbering in the tens of thousands. These are moments that they don’t take for granted.
“I still get goosebumps driving into certain places and certain buildings and then saying to myself, I never thought I’d see the view from this side,” says Ipekdjian. [CD0725]
