Case Studies

UK OSPAs winners

by Mark Rowe

The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in London was the venue for the first UK Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), on Thursday night, March 2.

Over 330 security people gathered to celebrate the best of the best from across the sector with dinner and a presentation event hosted by broadcaster Nick Ross.

OSPAs founder Prof Martin Gill, pictured, said: “The judging criteria for these awards are based on extensive research that identifies the prime factors contributing to outstanding performance. The key is to ensure that these awards are firmly based on the skills, behaviours and performance that lead to true, sustainable success, and as such the stories of our winners’ achievements provide a valuable benchmark for those working in the sector.”

The OSPAs are being set up with security associations and groups from across the globe, with similar awards already set up in Australia, the US, Germany, Norway and Romania. Prof Gill told the London event that OSPAs were to be introduced to Ghana and Nigeria in 2018.

Lifetime Achievement Award

A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Martin Smith MBE. He was recognised for his work in information security, including instigating development of BS 7799 Best Practices for Information Security Management. This was the world’s first integrity management standard which, in turn, became the current international standard ISO 27001.

The judges also recognised his work championing understanding of the human factor in security breaches and raising employee awareness of where threats lie. In 1997 he founded the Security Company (International), a consultancy specialising in employee security awareness. The company has worked with such blue-chip clients as Unilever, Barclays, Tesco, Waitrose, HMRC, Network Rail and London 2012.

In 2004, he founded the Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG), a networking forum that aims to advance understanding of the human factor behind most security breaches. SASIG has some 3,000 members representing 1000 organisations.

The complete list of award winners:

In-House Security Manager/Director: John Reading – Director, Corporate Security and Business Protection – Jaguar Land Rover

In-House Security Team: William Hill – Retail Security Team

Contract Security Company: Ultimate Security Services

Security Consultant: Joe Connell, Praemunitus Ltd; Police Capacity Building Team – Somaliland

Customer Service Initiative: CIS Customer Experience Programme

Security Training Initiative: HM Revenue and Customs – Think Before You Click (staff educational campaign about phishing)

Security Installer: 2020 Vision Systems

Security Partnership: SmartWater and the Metropolitan Police Mettrace Team Partnership

Investigator: Praemunitus Ltd: Police Capacity Building Team – Somaliland

Cyber Security Initiative: Cambridge2Cambridge Cybersecurity Challenge – University of Cambridge

Information Security Company: Darktrace

Security Equipment Manufacturer: Bradbury Group

Security Officer: Michael Foster, CIS Security

Lifetime Achievement: Martin Smith MBE

The OSPAs supported charity is Care International, with guests at the London event making donations to design and construct water facilities for a school in Africa.

The event organisers would like to thank all those who have helped to make the first UK OSPAs: supporters – the Security Commonwealth, SASIG and the ASIS UK Chapter; sponsors – Babcock MSS (headline sponsor); Procius, the Security Company (International), the Security Institute and Wilson James (award categories); Edith Cowan University (trophies and certificates); Palgrave Macmillan (place cards); and media partners – Professional Security and Risk-UK.

Visit https://uk.theospas.com.

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