The security industry came together in London on 22 September to celebrate the growing contribution women make to the sector.
Award nominees at the black-tie event, which took place during the Security Institute’s Conference Dinner, included women working in a variety of fields, from Westminster Abbey to Microsoft.
The winner of the Security Manager category, Edit Bori who is Deputy Head of Security & Emergency Planning at Westminster Abbey, said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this year’s WiS Security Manager Award. It is paramount that we set good examples to aspiring young women who are considering security as a profession. I am honoured to be one of the examples to show that the opportunity to succeed is for all women. Achieving success is down to commitment, dedication and professionalism and not one’s gender”.
The Professional Security Magazine’s Women in Security Awards(WiS) started in 2013 to celebrate and recognise the accomplishments, value and contributions women make within the private security industry and wider security industry.
The SIA supports the WiS Awards; as Regulator it is committed to equality and diversity within the private security industry. The research conducted by the SIA in April 2015, which looked at gender and other protected characteristics, revealed that only 9% of the SIA’s licence holders are women.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) wishes to congratulate all the nominees.
The Chair of the SIA Elizabeth France, who was one of the WiS judges, commented that: “Congratulations to the winners and all the nominees. This is a great event which truly celebrates the important contribution and role women play in the security industry. The success of the nominees is significant because it show how women can succeed at every level from manager to frontline officer. Women in the private security industry and those nominated are positive role models”.
The 2016 winners were announced on Thursday 22nd September, in the following categories:
Security Manager
Winner – Edit Bori – Westminster Abbey
Georgia Hillyard – intu Bromley Shopping Centre
Tracey Pretorius – Microsoft
Dawn Holmes – Bloomberg
Jayne King – Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Contribution to Industry
Winner – Yasmeen Stratton – SSR Personnel
Michelle Bailey – Active Response
Baroness Angela Harris – UK Parliament
Dr. Alison Wakefield – University of Portsmouth
Kay Aitkin – NSI
Frontline Officer
Winner – Lorraine Mansfield – VSG
Caroline Sadler – Vanguard Security Services Ltd
Maverney Jones – CIS Security
Kelly Cooper – Securitas
Dorina Popoveniuc – Sodexo