In Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University’s recently promoted SafeGuarding and Resilience Manager, Hannah Booth, was among the winners in the 2021 annual UK OSPA awards in the category ‘outstanding young security professional of the year’.
This is the first time this ‘rising star’ category has been included in the awards. A shortlist of ten young security professionals came from some of the sector’s leading employers. Hannah was recently promoted to operational head of security, in recognition of the lead role she played in the introduction of SafeZone safety software at Heriot-Watt, and her work innovating with the service and promoting it to students, academics and others on campus.
Hannah, pictured, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive such a prestigious award, especially at such an early point in my career. I am very grateful for this and for all the support I have received, and I am looking forward to the new and exciting challenges we will all face in the future.”
At 26, Hannah is thought to be the youngest head of security in the UK higher education sector, and her recent promotion and this award are testimony to her professionalism and her promise as future strategic leader, said Les Allan, Director of SafeGuarding Services at Heriot-Watt.
He added that it was significant that the OSPAs’ first outstanding young professional was from the higher education sector, which has been pioneering new approaches to service delivery and the use of technology.
Les, who’s the chairman of the university heads of security association Aucso, and a past speaker at Professional Security’s Security TWENTY series of events, ST Glasgow, said: “Hannah’s achievement is a recognition of her own outstanding qualities and it also demonstrates a commitment to diversity in our sector and a recognition that young professionals add value and innovation as our future executive leaders.”
Heriot-Watt, which this year is marking its 200th anniversary, is among UK institutions to take the SafeZone product from CriticalArc, which can pass on security and other alerts, and be used on phones to raise medical or other alerts with first responders.
OSPAs founder Prof Martin Gill said: “The security sector can feel very proud; it has not only stepped up to the mark during these unusual times but has gone above and beyond – which is evidenced by all of the finalists and especially the winners. 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.”
About the OSPAs
The UK OSPAs were announced at a virtual afternoon event on February 25, by organisers Perpetuity instead of the usual physical event in London. For the winners in full visit https://uk.theospas.com/.
