March! Already; wow where is the year slipping away? Let’s get on with the gossip, shall we. I have to say when writing this gossip column each month I do get amused at some of the titles people adopt, so lets see what we have this month to amuse me.
Alan Reigler, pictured, has left Motorola and joined IQSIGHT as the VP of sales for the UK and the EU. The company says โappointing a VP of Sales dedicated to this region reflects our commitment to staying closely connected to market needs. Weโre here to listen, and Alan is the right leader to help translate those insights into meaningful growth for our partners.โ That’s from Sam Ward, their Chief Commercial Officer, Global Sales. Needless to say, Alan has a lot of experience in the industry having spent over 12 years with TYCO Security Products who had bought Honeywell Security Group where he was for six years prior to that. Good luck buddy. Liam Armstrong has stepped into a role as Associate Director with Hoare Lea, This is a promotion for Liam as he was a senior associate prior to that and has been in the industry since 2010. Talking of security consultants I see Nick Aldworth who needs no introduction as the campaigner for Martyn’s Law has joined the Association of Security Consultants; he was, you will recall from the January edition of Professional Security Magazine, at the ASC quarterly meeting at the British Library in November, where he accepted a Dave Clark Award. Kieran Vineer has been promoted after being with the company for 12 years to Distribution Channel Manager, UK and Ireland for TP-Link. Dan Miller you all know well has joined Mayflex as Account Manager Converged Technologies. Wonder if he still drives a Porsche? Yeah, he used to be a Porsche after-sales advisor back in his youth. Aiden Wroe has joined Aiphone as a business development manager (BDM). Aiden an former Royal Navy guy has been in our industry since 2017. Sean Randle has been promoted at Suprema to channel sales manager; he has been with Suprema for three and a half years so is doing well by the sounds of it. ย By the way a channel is a pathway or conduit for flow, ranging from a physical waterway (like the English Channel or a riverbed) to a means of communication (TV channels, diplomatic channels, data paths) or even an emotional outlet. It signifies a route for something to pass, be directed, or transmitted, whether it’s water, data, goods, or emotions. Thanks Google AI, yes, Iโm amused.
Kelly Knowles has started with Lodge Security as Blended Solutions Director, now that is a new title I have never come across before. Kelly as you will know has been in the control room side of the industry for some time, with Fenix, VRC, EMCS, where she was for almost 20 years, canโt have been surely? ย James Dickens has been promoted at Commend to their Sales Director; he started with them in 2014 so deserves the promotion. And talking of promotions I see Pete George has been appointed as Commercial Audio Specialist (loud title, see what I did there?) at CIE. Andrew Lewis joins Ceaton Security Services as their new sales manager, I knew Andy from his days at Fortus. Andy left the police in 2010 to join our industry and I suspect hasnโt looked back since. Lee Shakespeare has joined Chubb Fire and Security as a National Account Manager. Now that takes me back as I used to be a National Account Manager for Chubb also, but they moved me to Scotland to fulfil my role. Ben Weyer has joined Norbain as their regional account manager for North Central. Now I’m calling this a promotion as Ben has been with Norbain for over seven years. Verkada, has appointed Mark Coates as its new VP of EMEA. The American firm describes him as an experienced enterprise tech leader. Ruth Sharman has started a new role; she is now in a new position as Management Support (Secondment) at Carlisle Support Services.
Guarding
On the guarding side of things, Northern Security say they are proud to announce their new appointment of Paul Wimpenny as its new Operations Director. They say โThis strategic hire marks a significant step in the companyโs mission to align rigorous regulatory standards with a premium customer experience.โ
And Bidvest Noonan has announced Michele Powell as Head of Operations for its Security Co-Ordination and Intelligence Centre (SCIC). In this key leadership role, Michele will oversee the delivery of the companyโs specialist operations centre, intelligence and threat-notification capabilities, and incident-coordination function.
Acquisition:
ASSA ABLOY has acquired NSP Security (‘NSP’) in the UK, a company providing design, manufacturing and installation of access control solutions primarily in the student accommodation segment. “I am very pleased to welcome NSP into ASSA ABLOY, an exciting technological addition that will reinforce our current offering within the hospitality business, and provide complementary growth opportunities,โ says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY. โNSP is a provider of electronic access control solutions to a broad range of customers across the student accommodation segment.ย NSP is an excellent addition to Global Solutions and with its strong expertise in access control, expands our offerings across the Hospitality business area.ย We welcome the team at NSP to the ASSA ABLOY family,โ says Stephanie Ordan, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Technologies business unit Global Solutions.
And Ranger
Last but not least, Ranger Fire and Security have confirmed a new ยฃ150m funding partnership with Apera Asset Management this will help them accelerate their growth which is already very impressive, as I keep gossiping about. As of February 2026 they notched up their second acquisition of the year, and 15th so far; Huddersfield-based Centurion Fire & Security. ย This acquisition is Rangerโs first in Yorkshire and will enable the company to expand its footprint in the north of England.
Centurion was set up in 1974, and has provided services to commercial properties across the UKย across industries and sectors including education, nuclear power plants, hospitals, robotic manufacturers and major retailers. Centurion offers customers 24/7 monitoring as well as AI operated systems. The installer also provides BAFE-registered fire alarms with early warning systems, intruder alarms and access control.ย The firm has National Security Inspectorate (NSI) Gold in all four disciplines for fire, CCTV, intruder and access systems installation and maintenance.
Founder, David Armstrong who has not been operational on a day-to-day basis for over five years will continue to consult for the business as he goes towards retirement. General Manager, Nathan Douglas-Smith who has run operations for the last five years is promoted to Managing Director and will remain in post as with the rest of the leadership team.
Mark Bridges, CEO of Ranger Fire and Security, said:โCenturion Fire & Securityย isย an excellent addition to the Ranger team. The businessย broadens our reach in the North of England andย boasts a nationwide customerย baseย that the group can support. We will continue to support themย to grow and excelย in orderย toย reach as many customers as possible. This will be Rangerโs first acquisition in Yorkshireย and build on previous acquisitions in theย North West, enabling us toย continueย growingย our group of industry experts to become the UKโsย one-stop shop for allย fire and securityย needs.โ
