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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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Significant and life-long contributions to the industry recognised by BSIA Chairman's Awards

Some of the security industry's most influential people have been presented with prestigious British Security Industry Association Chairman's Awards in recognition of the significant contributions they have made to the ongoing success of the UK's private security industry.

The awards were personally selected by the BSIA's Chairman, Dirk Wilson, and serve to recognise the significant or life-long contributions in five different categories: Contribution to Standards, Contribution to the Community, Contribution to the Industry, Contribution to Training and Contribution to Exporting.

This year's award winners were presented with their accolades at the Association's flagship event, the BSIA Annual Luncheon, held at the Grand Connaught Rooms on the 12th July.

Speaking during the presentation, Dirk Wilson commented: "It is a huge pleasure to formally recognise the contributions of this year's winners, all of whom have made a lasting impression on the security industry through their dedication, commitment and passion."

This year's winners are:

The Chairman's Award for Contribution to Standards was presented to Tim Geddes. Tim has been described as one of the founding fathers of the electronic security industry and has helped to shape the industry we have today over the course of more than four decades. He was involved in the days of NACOSS, liaising with the Police to regulate and reduce the number of false alarms that the early systems suffered from. He spent many years as Chairman of the BSIA's Security Systems section and represented the Association at Police industry liaison meetings where he always put forward the Association's views to ACPO with sound background knowledge.

The Chairman's Award for Contribution to the Community was presented to David Cain and Fiona Noble of Sword Security N.I. David and Fiona have both been an active and consistent presence in the local communities that their business operates in. They have sponsored local sports teams for many years and have also arranged regular fundraising activities for charities such as The Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, Girls Brigade, McMillan Cancer Charities and Action Cancer to name a few. They have also been instrumental in the development of a partnership with EmployAbility South Belfast, which is a forum that assists people within the local community to attain the relevant qualifications and skills to gain employment. Through their company and the partnership, unemployed individuals that want to begin a career in the security industry are given the opportunity of securing employment with the company upon successful completion of the programme and the relevant qualification courses.

For the Chairman's Award for Contribution to the Industry, the Association chose to honour the late Mike Tennent, one of the industry's finest, most influential people (pictured, Paul Tennent). Mike founded Tavcom Training in 1994 and built the business to become the clear leader in security systems training in the UK and a major provider in many other countries across Africa, The Middle East and beyond. With the help of local partners, Tavcom courses are now available to students in Dubai, Ghana, Singapore, Kuwait, Oman, South Africa and the US. Tavcom's growth was never at the expense of quality as Mike insisted on the very highest standards. He played a pivotal role in the professionalisation of an industry where many aspects of regulation, licensing and training were once minimal or non-existent. Mike was hugely respected and liked across all sectors of the international security industry and was this year recognised by IFSEC Global with a lifetime of influence accolade for his significant contributions to training and the raising of standards within our industry. Mike was an absolute gentleman and he will be very much missed by the many friends he has across the security industry.

The Chairman's Award for Contribution to Training was presented to Lucie Banham of Banham Group. This award is particularly special as it serves to recognise those who have made significant contributions towards equipping the industry with the skills and knowledge it needs to develop and innovate. Lucie was presented with the award for her involvement in the establishment of the Banham Academy, which offers traineeship and apprenticeship schemes to those looking to develop a career in the security and emergency systems industry. The academy works with colleges and other agencies to offer employment opportunities for young people and holds Centre Approval status with both Edexcel and Highfield awarding bodies as well as being Matrix Standard accredited. Lucie has shown staunch support to apprenticeships and to how an apprenticeship in the security industry is a fantastic career prospect with plenty of opportunity for progression.

The Chairman's Award for Contribution to Exporting was presented to GJD Manufacturing who are an industry leader in the design, UK manufacture and supply of professional external detector equipment. Their products range from CCTV and lighting controllers to white-light and infra-red LED illuminators utilised in the intruder surveillance industry. Well regarded within the UK industry and throughout a wide range of international markets, the company has built an impressive network of trusted distributors world-wide and is a regular exhibitor at the industry's key trade shows around the globe. An active member of the BSIA's Export Council, GJD shares information and knowledge with other exporters and promotes the BSIA's Export Council brand values. Earlier this year, the GJD was recognised with the UK's highest accolade for international business success, the Queen's Award for International Trade 2017.

For more information about the BSIA and its award programme, please visit: www.bsia.co.uk

19th July 2017