A happy new year to you all, can you believe it’s 2024 already!? I remember watching the film 2001 A Space Odyssey once, and thinking ‘that’s so far in the future’; and listening to Prince’s 1999 song, released in 1982, likewise thinking ‘that’s a long way off’ and now that’s over 20 years ago! I hope you all had a great Christmas and that Santa was very kind to you.
I had a busy December as I attended a number of events – it had to be done!? The Security and Fire Excellence Awards this year were in the Grosvenor Hotel Park Lane which was a much better venue, I felt. The awards were attended by 1,000-plus people and they had Rob Beckett to host the night. It has to be said that he was one of a very few hosts that has managed to get the room quiet and listen to him; no mean feat to get security people to stop all their conversations! I had the privilege of presenting the security consultancy of the year award to Cornerstone, who have won it for 16 years now apparently. QCIC were awarded the silver prize; well done to all you guys and gals. After the many awards, and to be fair there are a lot! the band kicked in and the dancing commenced. Me, I went to the casino and lost a fortune, but it was all for charity so never mind. Soon after, and I had hardly had time to recover, I had the privilege of attending the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (WCoSP) Christmas lunch for some 250 of us. The lunch was in the magnificent setting of Stationers’ Hall – a building dating back to 1670. The guests included Sheriff Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley and consort Gary Langley; and Chris and Alex Hayward. A traditional Christmas lunch was accompanied with carols from the Carolean singers, Sophia Jin, Olivia Singleton and Ruby Bax (not Ruby Wax! We would certainly have noticed that). Their sublime voices were ‘complemented’ by our collective ‘talent’ as we joined in for three of the carols, including our traditional interactive engagement with ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’. Which was amusing, in fact those that were singing ‘five gold rings’ had clearly never heard the carol before and it was about after the sixth verse that they finally got it right; which generated the loudest cheer of the afternoon. Very funny, don’t miss it next year; unless everyone gens up in the mean time and spoils it. And of course, I also attended the Christmas Carol Service at the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, what a great way to get yourself into the Christmas spirit.
However, that was then and here we are now the start of a new year, the hardest part too. Long, cold, dark nights, and no breaks until Easter unless you can get away for the half term break. Talking of events let me just bring you up to date with our Security TWENTY. We have moved things around a bit – get these dates in your diaries. We start in ST24 Dublin – 6 February 2024, Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown Hotel, Dublin ST24 Belfast – 8 February 2024, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast Security TWENTY Special South – 12-13 March 2024, Twickenham StadiumST24 Glasgow – 16 April 2024, Glasgow Hilton Hotel Security TWENTY Special North – 2-3 July 2024, Old Trafford Football Stadium ST24 Manchester Sizzler Event – 4 July 2024, Old Trafford Football Stadium ST24 Birmingham Sizzler Event – 3 September, Edgbaston Cricket Ground ST24 London – 7 November 2024, Radisson Red Hotel, London Heathrow. As if that’s not enough to satisfy you, we also have the Women in Security Awards on September 12, at the Shakespeare Underglobe Theatre, a WIS Academy tea party on the March 8 and a WIS Golf day on May 16. The WIS Academy board meeting will be up The Shard on July 18. If you’re interested in attending or exhibiting at any of these events, let me know.
SSAIB chief
A quiet month for gossip as you may expect, as people have either moved, or are holding off until the new year. The Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) announces the appointment of Paul Phillips as its new Chief Executive. Paul, pictured, joined SSAIB in 2017 as the Compliance Manager, showcasing his dedication and proficiency, the Tyneside-based inspectorate says. His steadfast commitment led to his appointment as General Manager in 2022, where he assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations. Paul takes over after the retirement of Alex Carmichael.
