The annual Women in Security (WiS) awards was another magical night at Shakespeare’s Underglobe on London’s South Bank last month.
As Gary Thomas, chair of the host industry body the Association of Security Consultants (ASC) reminded the audience, all the 15 shortlisted women, in five categories, were winners, for having made it through the judging. An extra award for 2024 was in honour of Baroness Ruth Henig, an early supporter of WiS, who died in February. Her son Simon was among guests. Judges nominated Lynda Moore of the guarding scheme ACS Pacesetters. The compere, Professional Security MD Roy Cooper, got an early round of applause by giving the news that Martyn’s Law – in Parliamentary terms the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill had entered the House of Commons at the start of its journey to become law.
Winners
The winners and categories were: Amy Stanley (security manager); Letitia Emeana (contribution to industry); Lindsay Hibberd (business manager), Andrea Strong.(technical), and Debbie Watts (front line). The other finalists in the same order of categories were Stefania Romanazzi and Alecia Emerson-Thomas; Hannah Wadey and Farah Benis; Sophie Harper-Booth and Francesca Boeris; Hannah Powell and Lauren Lever; and Christyll-Ann Bryans and Lisa Newton. In keeping with the sentiment that all 15 were winners, all went on stage to receive trophies or certificates; and all were photo’d as a group afterwards. That, coming after the dinner, was the cue for more conversation; and dancing until gone midnight.
Pictured on stage left to right (courtesy of Andrew Baker) are Roy Cooper, Lynda Moore, WiS organiser Liz Lloyd and Gary Thomas.
Thanks go to the event’s sponsors – City Group Security, Dynamic CCTV Ltd, Hikvision UK, Honeywell, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), ASEL, Texecom, CIS Security, Gratte Brothers Group, SSAIB, Lazerbeam, ASIS International, Norbain, Securitas, the BSIA, Videcon and Kore Systems; and supported by the Security Industry Authority.
The entries for 2025’s awards are now open, Roy Cooper announced on the night. Judges ask that nominations are based on two questions: how does the nominee contribute to the wider world of security, going beyond her job role? and, why should she win? Visit professionalsecurity.co.uk/wis-awards/.
