Interviews

SSAIB chief retiring

by Mark Rowe

Geoff Tate, Chief Executive of SSAIB, the UK fire and security certification body, is retiring at the end of 2014.

Geoff has led SSAIB since 1999, when he took over as CEO from founder David Hinge, and over the past 15 years has built SSAIB into a body with a record 1500-plus registered firms. After the merger of AISC, Integrity 2000 and SSAIB in early 2001, the certification body has expanded its remit within the sectors of manned services and electronic security systems, fire protection, environmental management and occupational health and safety management systems, as well as telecare monitoring for social alarms. It gained assent from the Security Industry Authority as an Approved Contractor Scheme assessment body.

He will continue his association beyond 2014 by becoming chairman of SSAIB. He’ll also keep his existing role as a member of various British and European standards committees. “It’s now time for me to make way for someone who can lead SSAIB during the next phase of its development,” he says.

“The past 15 years have been significant ones for SSAIB, as it’s moved into a mainstream role as a certification body that’s become fully accepted by insurers, the police and fire services. Importantly, however, we’ve aimed to expand our role without losing sight of the qualities that set SSAIB apart from other certification bodies. Our approach is inclusive of small and large providers alike and we always try to offer encouragement to certificated firms, as well as companies considering certification, as part of our goal to add value to the certification process.

“Above all, SSAIB is about raising standards and that’s an aim we intend to continue pursuing. We set out to provide guidance to our registered firms seeking compliance with British and European standards because it’s a myth that standards are designed to be a bureaucratic and costly hurdle for installers and others to try and avoid wherever possible. Standards are the key to unlocking product innovation and serving customers who ultimately fund the industry through their purchasing decisions.”

The Whitley Bay-based inspectorate adds that it will be recruiting a successor in the coming months, with the aim of allowing the incoming chief a transitional hand-over before taking over at the start of 2015. Visit www.ssaib.org.

Related News

  • Interviews

    Migrant smuggling report

    by Mark Rowe

    Migrant smuggling is a multinational business, with suspects originating from more than 100 countries, according to a joint Europol–INTERPOL Report on Migrant…

  • Interviews

    Cannabis growing hot spots

    by Mark Rowe

    London and Birmingham, and the ‘M62’ corridor of Liverpool, Manchester and the cities of West Yorkshire are ‘hot spots’ for cannabis growing.…

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay on top of security news and events.

© 2024 Professional Security Magazine. All rights reserved.

Website by MSEC Marketing