The newly-elected Chairman of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), Pauline Norstrom, pictured, has marked her appointment with a focus on raising stakeholders’ awareness of the value of quality and innovation over price. In her inaugural address to association members and industry stakeholders, delivered at the Association’s Annual Luncheon earlier this month, Pauline outlined her goals for her two-year tenure as Chair, citing economic recovery and international demand for UK products and services as key drivers of industry growth.
Speaking to a packed auditorium at London’s Hilton on Park Lane, Pauline said her vision is to cultivate an increased understanding of – and engagement with – industry customers. “It’s crucial to our members’ future success that we invite end users to input into influencing the issues that affect them, to ensure that the products and services offered by our industry meet their needs and deliver a return on investment. Increased engagement with end-users will help members to drive demand by navigating the specification and tender process to their advantage, demonstrating the value of quality to ensure that BSIA membership becomes a key requirement in the competitive process and further enables members to compete and win against competitors who do not care about quality and instead undercut on price at any cost.”
Other aims outlined include presiding over the development and introduction of a dedicated section of membership for industry stakeholders before the end of 2014.
Paying tribute to outgoing Chairman, Geoff Zeidler, Pauline described the “significant progress that the Association has made towards creating a better industry environment for its members through the influence of legislation, regulation, and the development of standards” and added: “Throughout his two years as Chair, my predecessor, Geoff Zeidler, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the BSIA is best placed to achieve [its] goals.”
With less than a year until the next General Election, political engagement is also on Pauline’s mind, and forging new relationships with key political figures including MPs and peers, Police and Crime Commissioners, local government officials and think tanks remains a priority for the association’s public affairs programme over the coming months.
An issue close to Pauline’s own heart and reflective of her well-respected position as a key influencer in the CCTV sector is ensuring that the BSIA continues to influence the further development of the Government’s CCTV Code of Practice. The launch in 2013 of the BSIA’s own research into the number and scope of CCTV cameras in the UK succeeded in positioning the Association as the key authority on the subject, while emphasising the important role that privately-owned systems play in supporting the Police and criminal justice system in securing high profile prosecutions.
In the coming year, Pauline predicts, the Code of Practice will reach even further, supported by the BSIA’s own Code of Practice, Form 109, with which members must comply.
As Chief Operating Officer of Dedicated Micros and the wider AD Group (comprising 18-plus companies), Pauline has 15 years’ experience in the industry. As chairman of the BSIA, Pauline chairs the association’s Council and the Operating Board. She is a long-serving member of the BSIA’s CCTV section and works with the association’s Chief Executive to form strategic objectives for the BSIA.
Pauline will serve as BSIA Chairman for a two-year period, and will be supported in the first year by Geoff Zeidler as Immediate Past Chair.
A video of Pauline’s full speech, given at the BSIA’s Annual Lunch on July 16, is available to view on the BSIA’s YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/MXKLR0UuSlU
The BSIA’s annual lunch was kindly sponsored by Eaton’s Security Business. For more on the BSIA, visit www.bsia.co.uk.
