THE 2017 UK OSPAs

The first UK OSPAs took place on 2nd March 2017 at London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, Mayfair.

The evening was a celebration of successes within the security industry, with over 300 attendees and 14 awards presented.

A few quotes from the evening follow,

A much needed step forward and a great evening – see you again next year Martin!

Peter Lavery, cMgr FCMI FSyl

Brilliant event, worthy winners and very well deserved! The OSPA’s epitomise the very best of the security industry. Looking forward to next year.

David Clark, , CPP PCI PSP, ASIS

The event was fantastic! It was well attended and there was a real buzz of excitement around the awards and nominees. The OSPAs recognise the pinnacle of professional security and I have no doubt will encourage other security to redouble their efforts towards promoting the highest standards.

Chief Inspector Georgie Bernard, Metropolitan Police

Clearly the OSPAs are set to be the star in the awards firmament. Onwards and upwards then! OSPAS to the fore!

Garry Evanson, Chair, Security Institute

A great night. A great success.

Graham Bassett, Vice Chair, ASIS

It was a very interesting evening, well supported and a worthy purpose that promotes the profession.

Stuart Osborne, BAE Systems

Brilliant night at the UK OSPAs, just what the security industry needs. Well done.

Paul Smith, Consultant

I wouldn’t miss this adventure for anything.

Martin Smith, MBE, Security Company International

I think that this is a great initiative and your team were so organised that the whole evening just flowed. Certainly a ‘market leader’ event for the future.

Andrew Nicholls, Vice Chair Security Institute

The OSPAs give an excellent opportunity for the Security Industry to celebrate the achievements of professionals from across all areas of security … It is a great tribute to them all.

James Willison, Consultant

Martin and his team have developed an excellent awards project, with which I am delighted to be associated. When he and I first discussed them in September 2015, I was immediately struck by his passion and determination to develop a truly international and independent performance recognition scheme. I am very proud to have been invited to judge the UK OSPAs and look forward to being involved with it for many years to come.

Andy Williams, ASIS

Below are the Winners of the 2017 UK OSPAS.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Martin Smith MBE

Being awarded the lifetime achievement award at the first UK OSPAs was a humbling experience, especially when viewed against the other finalists – all of them the most senior members of the security community whom I myself look up to. But the award is nonetheless welcome, since it provides me and the SASIG community with renewed encouragement for our work. I thank my peers for their respect and recognition.”

Martin Smith MBE

Outstanding In House Security Manager/Director

John Reading – Director, Corporate Security & Business Protection – Jaguar Land Rover

“I was proud to be nominated for the 2017 OSPA’s ‘Outstanding In-house Security Director, honoured when I became a finalist among equally deserving peers and greatly humbled when I received the award. I would like to offer my sincerest gratitude to all those who considered me worthy. Positive or undesirable, all feedback is good, but peer validated feedback is truly valuable. I believe that every leader only achieves with the help and commitment of the team. At Jaguar Land Rover we have a superb Corporate Security and Business Protection team who are passionate about protecting the assets of the Company; a team who want to continuously learn and improve and this award would not have been possible without their continued commitment, passion and support”.

John Reading, Director, Jaguar and Land Rover

Outstanding In House Security Team

Retail Security Team, William Hill

We are delighted to have won the award for Security Team of the Year and view it as external recognition of the progress we have made in recent years, reflecting the professionalism, hard work and passion of every colleague within the department. It has actually been surprising how proud everyone is to have won this award and great to see the boost in morale that has arisen since the announcement.

Nicola Furlong, Security Intelligence Unit Administrator

Outstanding Contract Security Company

Ultimate Security Services Ltd

This is the first year the OSPAs have been held in the UK and to win one award and be a finalist in another category is a fantastic achievement. The awards reflect the hard work of our team and the work they do every day to deliver the highest levels of service for our clients. Adding value for our clients has always been at the forefront of what we do. We never take for granted that we operate in a very competitive sector and our clients have a choice. These awards demonstrate that we’re doing something right and we look forward to many successful years to come.

Paul Harvey, Director of Ultimate Security

Outstanding Security Consultant

Praemunitus Ltd; Police Capacity Building Team – Somaliland

For me the OSPAs provided a valuable opportunity to recognise the outstanding work of a diverse team who were often quoted as exceeding targets in a harsh operating environment, but not otherwise officially recognised for their individual and joint efforts. It was also gratifying for international capacity building to be recognised within the security industry framework.

Joe Connell, Director of Praemunitus

Outstanding Customer Service Initiative

CIS Customer Experience Programme

Outstanding Security Training Initiative

HM Revenue and Customers – Think Before You Click (staff educational campaign about phishing)

HMRC’s Security Education and Awareness Team has worked hard to make the Think Before You Click learning experience innovative, positive and engaging for staff, and I’m proud that this training initiative has received external recognition and won an OSPA despite being up against very strong competition.

John Linnett of Cyber Security and Information Risks

Outstanding Security Installer

2020 Vision Systems

Outstanding Security Partnership

SmartWater and the Metropolitan Police Mettrace Team Partnership

Outstanding Investigator

Praemunitus Ltd; Police Capacity Building Team – Somaliland

Outstanding Cyber Security Initiative

Cambridge2Cambridge Cybersecurity Challenge – University of Cambridge

Outstanding Information Security Company

Darktrace

Outstanding Security Equipment Manufacturer

Bradbury Group Ltd

Outstanding Security Officer

Michael Foster – CIS Security

Congratulations to all the Finalists and Winners of the 2017 UK OSPAs.

We have the whole album from 2017 OSPAs on Flickr, Search The OSPAs 2017, click people and then follow The OSPAs 2017 to find the photos.

The 2017 UK OSPAs judges were:

David Clark – Head of Security – Francis Crick Institute
Trevor Elliott – Director of Manpower & Membership Services – BSIA
Nick Grewcock – Accreditation Manager, Mitie Fire and Security
Sarah Harvie – Information Security Manager & Security Controller – Pcubed
Jayne King – Head of Security and Site Services – Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Bob Martin CSyP – Owner – RFMSolutions
Martin Smith MBE – Chairman and Founder of The Security Company (International) Ltd (TSC) and The Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG)
Andy Williams – Vice Chairman – TINYg
Jerry Woods – Head of Campus Services – London Metropolitan University
Emma Shaw MBA CSyP – Managing Director – Esoteric Ltd
Barrie J Millett – Head of Group Security – Wesleyan
James Willison – Founder Unified Security Ltd, Vice Chair ASIS European Convergence /ESRM committee