IFSEC Global has unveiled its top 50 most influential people in the security and fire industries. The show organisers say that the annual list features prominent thought leaders with pioneers in product development and entrepreneurs and executives who have overseen surging revenues, profits or market share.
Topping the list in 2015 is Avigilon’s CTO Dr Mahesh Saptharishi, an industry veteran with more than 18 years’ experience in developing smart video analytics technology and network camera software/hardware. This year Dr Saptharishi has steered the Canadian surveillance company through a busy year during which they launched the world’s first 7k surveillance camera and announced their Centers of Excellence R&D initiative.
At number five the highest ranked individual in the fire industry is Jonathan O’Neill, MD of the Fire Protection Association (FPA). During 16 years in the role O’Neill has overseen the opening of a fire test facility to keep the organisation at the forefront of fire protection innovation and represented UK insurers on the Prevention Forum of Insurance Europe, sat on the Executive of the Fire Sector Federation and sat on the boards of BASEC, SSIAB and BAFE.
Tom Lapage-Norris, security manager across EMEA for Google, Martin Gren, co-founder of Axis Communications and Dr Alison Wakefield, senior lecturer in security risk management at Portsmouth University, make up the other top five spots. The top 50 rankings were determined by a round of public voting and deliberations from a panel of 13 judges from across the security and fire safety industries.
IFSEC and FIREX event director Gerry Dunphy says: “Once again there was some stiff competition for the top slot on the IFSEC Global top 50 in another year of innovation and evolution for the industry. Overseeing the company’s widely respected engineering team Dr Saptharishi is very much a key part of driving innovation in the sector and a very worthy winner.
“It’s interesting to note the growing number of cyber-security experts and pioneers in the ‘internet of things’/home automation markets making it into the top 50. As the IT and traditional security worlds become ever more entwined this trend will surely continue for years to come.”
IFSEC Global hosts its flagship events IFSEC International and FIREX International next week from June 16 to 18, at London’s ExCeL. Dr Saptharishi will be speaking at IFSEC, examining how an end-to-end security system that includes self-learning analytics, high definition cameras, and intelligent bandwidth and storage management can help proactively mitigate the impact of incidents in progress—reducing damage and loss. To register to attend – visit www.ifsec.co.uk/lastchance.
Security Institute comment
David Thorp, Security Institute Managing Director, hailed the achievements of three of his fellow board members in being voted among the top ten most influential people in the poll. “The interesting thing is our Chairman, Garry who is Head of Security and Emergency Planning at Westminster Abbey can be considered a generalist whilst Alison, our Vice Chairman, is an educator and researcher who is Senior Lecturer in Security Risk Management at the University of Portsmouth and Mike Gillespie, our other director on the list, is an acknowledged expert and thought leader in the cyber security field through Advent IM, the company he founded. It demonstrates that we really are an organisation that appeals to people from all the many disciplines that combine to make up the security profession.” Last year the Institute also had the then current Chairman Emma Shaw voted into second place.
