As featured in the March print edition of Professional Security magazine, February saw a virtual awards ceremony to celebrate the 2020 WiS (Women in Security) Awards. That would have been confusing at any other time … but during the covid-19 pandemic, not so much! Una (pictured on the night) writes.
The 2021 WiS Awards will resume in September, hopefully at a live venue; and if that does not happen, we can be prepared for another fantastic virtual event. This year will be unique in the history of the WiS Awards – when 2020 and the 2021 were in the same year! With the pandemic preventing the normal black-tie event, it was a case of creating the same party vibe; but virtual. I think the thousands of people that have watched the event on YouTube would agree, that the party atmosphere was achieved … none of our recipients accepted their award dressed in their pyjamas – unlike the Emmys in Loss Angeles. In my opinion, Roy Cooper was an even better host than Jimmy Kimmel … watch out Roy, Hollywood calling!? Seriously, the party atmosphere was spot-on and was helped by party hampers that had been sent to the homes of the finalists of the five award categories so that they could enjoy the online ceremony with family members, in their respective ‘bubbles’. The Zoom-based online event enabled all the finalists, judges, and sponsors to see and interact with each other during the hour’s ‘party’. I had a great time and have not enjoyed any virtual event like it.
I say it every year and mean it more and more each year, every finalist is a winner. However, there has to be one person in each category who recieves the award. The five 2020 winners were: Security Manager – Alison Isom-Leonard – Allied Universal (Europe) Limited, Contribution to Industry – Lisa Reilly – Global Interagency Security Forum, Business Manager – Angela Bennett – Diamond Systems, Technical – Elaine Moran – Hanwha Techwin and Frontline – Gemma Myring – OCS Group UK Ltd.
I caught up (in a covid-safe way) with a few of the winners. I asked Elaine Moran how she felt about winning in the Technical category. Elaine said: “I was completely shocked at winning the award. I was up against stiff competition, both Melanie [Sullivan, of Knight Fire & Security Products] and Lynn [Zhang, of Hikivision UK] are incredibly accomplished in their relative fields and I was sure either of them would win over me. I am incredibly lucky to work for a great company like Hanwha Techwin, who put me forward for the award. It is fantastic that Hanwha Techwin are supportive of promoting women in the industry. It is a shame woman are so under-represented in the industry but by having awards like this, it is an excellent way of raising the profile of women in the industry. It will only not only highlight women in the industry but also recognises highly skilled women in the profession.” How true.
I next turned to the winner of the Contribution to Industry category – Lisa Reilly. I asked how she felt on the night. Lisa said: “It was great to receive the recognition that went along with this award, not only for myself but for all those who work for the safety and security of aid workers and who, so often, go unseen. And if we can encourage more women to join the sector – even better.” That is the idea. I have always refrained from saying this is a male dominated industry … just one that women had not yet chosen to work in … but those times have changed.
I next tuned to Angela Bennett the winner of the Business Manager category. I asked how it felt when her name was called out. Angela said: “When I was announced as the winner, I was shocked and delighted in equal measure, as you could probably tell by my reaction on the screen! Effective leadership is more important now than ever, so I was thrilled to be recognised for the efforts I have made.”
Another happy WiS recipient, for the Security Manager category, was Ally Isom-Leonard. I asked her to reflect on the occasion and explain what the award meant to her. She said: “Now that I have had a bit of time to sit back and take it in. I’m so honoured and humbled to have been presented with the award. Looking back at the candidates of my fellow finalists and past recipients … to be deemed part of that class, is a privilege. We are our own worst enemies and critics at times and for me to be validated by industry experts with the award and congratulated by industry peers with comments such as “well deserved” and “well overdue” it makes those long hours, late nights, and weekend workings worth it. I am truly humbled and thankful for everything.
“Having been in the industry some 18 years and worked from the ground up, from the start, I wanted to know my industry at a certain level … knowing I wanted to become a Senior Management/Director. So, I enrolled in a distance learning postgraduate programme at Loughborough University. I specialised in security and risk management. I knew I would always have to work that much harder. I wanted to know my trade inside out and back to front. At Allied there are several members of the SMT (Security Management Team) who are female, which is fantastic. I would like to mention, Adrian Moore, who has been fantastic since joining last year. I have learned so much from him and hope I have passed some knowledge (and not just grief!) to him as well! He recognises talent, nurtures it, and gives it its place. I have learned a substantial amount from him over this past year.”
Ally pointed out the importance of training and personal development. She continued: “I have spent the last decade carrying out various CPD courses about and around security and safety, much of it self-funded. I continue to even today … which is the concept of CPD. My motto is “Knowledge is Power” and this is something that I religiously pass onto my teams as well. I keep up to date with best practice, innovations, and technology. I read trade publications such as Professional Security magazine.”
Ally went on to pay tribute to Allied and her team, and to MD Troy Hewitt for all the support she has received, from paid time off to complete her course work to experience throughout the business. Ally enthusiastically went on to say: “My friends and colleagues call me “Sheldon” (from Big Bang Theory), because I quote various pieces of laws and legislation, read Acts of Parliament and British Standards in my spare time and do my best to apply operations and educate myself. I encourage my team to do the same and am only too happy to guide where necessary but also be guided by them as well as they are learning, and open mindedness is key to progression.” The Big Bang Theory is something I can relate to…when I lived in Los Angeles I went on to the set of the show and actually sat in Sheldon’s spot; for those of you who know the show, that was awesome.
I finally asked Ally how she felt at the time of receiving the award. Ally said: “To have been awarded the “WiS Security Manager of the Year” is honestly, one of the greatest achievements of my life. It is something that I will forever cherish and has only spurred me to continue to work with many other to continue to set and raise the standard of quality, operation, image, and perception of the security industry.”
I could not agree more. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all the women who were nominated for the 2020 WiS Awards, the finalists, and the winners. I would like to remind everyone that without our sponsors, this event would not be the fantastic occasion that it is … thank you. In my opinion, the Professional Security event team, make the occasion the best in the business. Last but not least, I would like to thank the industry lead bodies – for 2020, the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (WCoSP) and the host … WCoSP Master, Yasmeen Stratton did a fantastic job. The 2021 WiS Awards nominations are now open and the awards night will be on Thursday, September 9, at Shakespeare’s ‘Underglobe’ Theatre in London. We hope to be live at the black-tie event. This year the event will be hosted by the Security Industry Authority, whose acting CEO is Michelle Russell. I cannot wait.
