Heather Baily QPM, is the new chair of the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Appointed by the Home Office, her term will run for three years. Her field: the overall strategic direction and corporate oversight of the SIA, working with other Authority Members, so that the SIA’s Executives are held to account for discharging duties.
Michelle Russell, Acting Chief Executive of the SIA, said: “On behalf of the Authority Members and colleagues at the SIA, we welcome Heather Baily as our new Chair. She brings with her a wealth of experience in both non executive and executive roles in public service. We all look forward to working closely with Heather in the future.”
Heather Baily was Deputy Chief Constable for Hertfordshire Constabulary and was Deputy Chief Inspector for Garda Inspectorate, based in Dublin, inspecting the Republic of Ireland’s policing services. Since then, she has held posts as a Board member with the National Crime Agency and Police Remuneration Review Body and as a Non-Executive Director with the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. She is a Non-Executive Director with Dorset Healthcare University NHS Trust and Deputy Chair of the Trust. She was awarded the Queens Police Medal for services to policing in 2011.
She takes over from the Acting Chair, David Horncastle, who was appointed on an interim basis in January 2021 after the retirement of Elizabeth France.
Michelle Russell added: “We would also like to thank David Horncastle who has been interim Chair of the SIA since the start of the year and before that Deputy Chair. His insight and guidance have been invaluable over the years, and we will miss his sound advice and the support he has provided us.”
Heather said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chair of the SIA. This is an important time for the organisation, as the SIA continues with its plans, having in the past year to respond quickly to the impact of the pandemic. I look forward to working with the dedicated staff there and with our partners as we shape the organisation to ensure that the SIA is as effective, productive and consistently reliable and operates to the principles of the Regulators‘ code.”
That appointment does fill one of the two interim places at the head of the UK’s private security regulator, as the SIA has been without a Chief Executive since Ian Todd left last year.
