After a recent meeting of the Security Commonwealth (SyCom) members, the umbrella group of security associations has two new board members. They are David Ward; and Houdah Al-Hakim CSMP, pictured.
They join the 2021 chair Jayne King, who’s president of the National Association for Healthcare Security (NAHS); past chairs Guy Mathias and Joe Connell, secretary Dave Cooke, and Graham Bassett, Oliver Curran and Mike Hurst.
Houdah is the founder and CEO of Quick Click Security, an online platform with a vision to become the “go to” for the private security industry; designed to promote career opportunities as well as increase accessibility and access to training resources, knowledge and networks.
She trained and qualified as a solicitor before a chance encounter led her to security. She helped set up and manage a security services firm before moving on to consult with various SMEs on everything from business development and recruitment, to operations, legal compliance and contract management. Having also been an SIA licence holder working across various sectors, Houdah has acquired a variety of perspectives which she now uses to assist others joining or building their careers in the industry.
In 2017 Houdah completed the Level 6 CSMP Diploma with ISMI. She now sits on the board of the Women’s Security Society, is a member of the Security Institute and a member of the Institute’s Inclusive Security SIG. More recently she has joined the Sycom EDI SIG and works to support various initiatives which promote diversity and inclusivity within the private security industry.
David Ward is a senior security consultant who has worked at every level of security over many of the security disciplines for over 25 years. In 2000, he founded Ward Security, a guarding company which under his direction, grew to a £45m turnover, employing over 1000 personnel. He left his Chief Executive position in the business in 2021 to establish DWA Associates and specialise in working with businesses at an international level to provide risk management consultancy, security advice and training.
He is a board trustee of the CSSC (Cross-Sector Safety and Security Communications) which cascades security and related resilience info; and since 2015 has chaired its Southeast region. That involves developing partnerships between law enforcement agencies, local and national government, and private sector businesses. He is the creator of the London-based group of guarding companies the City Security Council (CSC) and its immediate past chair.
