Judges

Simon Banks

Founder, The Banks Foundation

Simon founded CSL in 1996 and continues to be heavily involved. He is also Chairman of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and Skills for Security, as well as a board member of the National Security Inspectorate (NSI). He also spent 8 years on the board of BAFE.  

Simon founded Apprentices for Fire and Security (A4FS) in 2011 which has placed thousands of apprentice engineers within the security sector and he also represents the security manufacturers for the Government’s Trailblazer framework. Most recently, Simon founded The Banks Foundation, acquiring 49.9% of Skills for Security (SfS), the UK’s largest fire and security apprenticeship provider.

Tim Barnes

CEO, The Centre for Entrepreneurs

Tim is the CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurs, the UK’s leading entrepreneurship charity and has worked with thousands of startups across a 25-year career that has encompassed being an early-stage investor, building startup accelerator and incubator programmes and developing entrepreneurial talent at universities including UCL, Cambridge and Loughborough. He sits on the boards of Capital Enterprise and NACUE, two leading entrepreneurship support organisations. In 2014 he was granted the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion for life.

Jonathan Biney

Trustee, IIRSM

Jonathan is an IIRSM Fellow with over 15 years of experience in Quality Health, Safety, Environmental (QHSE), and Explosives (Fire) safety management, including 8 years in leadership and strategic roles. He is adept at managing strategic risk and ensuring regulatory compliance, with a strong focus on organisational performance and workforce wellbeing. As a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), he brings over a decade of management expertise, dedicated to driving improvements across all levels of an
organisation.

A 15-year tenure in the British Army has provided him with a robust foundation in risk management and leadership, equipping him to develop and implement effective safety protocols in high-pressure, high-risk environments. This background has fostered a unique blend of analytical and technical skills, combined with excellent communication and leadership capabilities with experience in leading diverse teams and managing complex safety projects across a variety of industries and geographical locations.

In his current role as QHSE Manager at Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions UK, he oversees the QHSE management across Veolia’s specialist Dewatering facility at their Brettex site in Chesterfield, responsible for driving initiatives that enhance regulatory compliance, improve incident management systems, and promote a culture of continuous improvement and professional development. His approach remains tactical, focusing on sustainable, medium-term solutions with strategic solutions that align with Veolia’s goals and the ever-changing needs of their workforce.

Prior to this, as HSE Manager at Castings Technology International Ltd., Jonathan led the safety strategy for Europe’s largest titanium casting facility, overseeing safety and compliance initiatives that ensured the highest standards of performance across the organisation.

Ian Cass

Forum of Private Business

Ian Cass originally joined the Forum of Private Business in 2013 and took the reins as Managing Director three years later in Summer 2015. Ian worked for Diageo for 14 years before forming the Venture team, he also runs Jack in the box Training, owned a couple of pubs, Founded Hunters gin, is chairman of the Micro Business Alliance which represents organisations accounting for 1.4 million micro businesses in the UK and has been a business angel and investor for a variety of small businesses.

The Forum is a small business membership organisation which was formed in 1977 and offers advice, support and protection to small UK companies and puts the members and the growth of their businesses first, which is why they now represent in excess of 30,000 small private and family firms.

The Forum’s efficient and knowledgeable staff believes that everything they do for a small business owner is about growth and profitability from start up in the early years of operation to businesses that have been trading for many years.

Ian’s relationship with the Forum actually started in 1997 when he started his own business and became a member, then in 2013 he was asked to look at the strategy and development of the company’s sales and to review the partner strategy for members. Ian took the challenge, setting a firm foundation upon which to move the business forward and grow it to what it is today. Over the years, Ian and the team have together built on this developing the best membership package in the UK aimed at small private and family employers.

Ian comments: “I am passionate about providing this support, advice and protection to our members, enabling them to do what they do best, growing and developing their business. I fully support the small and medium business sector having been a business owner myself over the years. I believe private and family businesses are the backbone of the UK economy and we need to support these business owners. There are lots of entrepreneurs in the UK who want to be innovative and want to grow; they just need the support to do so.”

To find out more about Ian Cass https://www.fpb.org/getbritaintrading/ian-cass/

Carol Daniels

National Enterprise Network (NEN)

Carol Daniels, is the Operations Director for National Enterprise Network (NEN), the home of enterprise support. NEN’s members provide enterprise support for start-up, small and microbusinesses, enabling economic growth and improving lives in communities across England. Carol has been with National Enterprise Network since 2012, and brought over 13 years of experience from her previous role at a leading national charity.

As Operations Director, Carol doesn’t just manage the day-to-day running of the business; she oversees contract management on a number of contracts, ensuring every detail aligns with the organisation’s goals.

Matt Gilmartin

BSIA

Matt Gilmartin, Managing Director of Smoke Screen, brings over 25 years of people-first leadership to the security industry. In this time, he has driven the development of Smoke Screen’s award-winning security fogging technology, recognised for its proactive crime prevention capabilities. Beyond product innovation, Matt plays a vital role as a collaborator in the “Fight Back Against Retail Crime” initiative pioneered by Reading BID and supported by Thames Valley Police. Following the initiative’s success in Reading, a second event has already been held in High Wycombe, with two more planned to further bolster retail security across the country.

Sue Jones

The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals

Sue Jones joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1979 having gained a Business Diploma, with Secretarial Studies, at College. She retired in 2019 after 40 years’ service. She held a wide variety of posts in London and served overseas in Diplomatic Missions in Singapore, West Berlin and Brussels, with temporary duties in Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. She has wide experience in HR, having held posts in Recruitment and Training.
Her partner is a Past Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and it was this association with the Livery world which prompted her to join the WCoSP in 2016.

Sue is a volunteer at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, where she lives and is a member of The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS). In 2020 (during Lockdown) Sue gained her WSET Level 3 in Wines.

Sue was installed as Senior Warden of the WCoSP in June 2024 and, subject to election, should be the Master in June 2025.”

Hanna Kupny

IPSA

With nearly two decades of driving business transformation and building high-performance teams in the security industry, Hanna is a proven leader. Her journey from frontline to leadership equips her with a unique blend of operational expertise and strategic vision. Hanna’s greatest passion are people. Hanna is a vocal supporter of women’s leadership in security. As IPSA Director of Training, she fosters a culture of growth, empowering teams through industry knowledge and personal development. Committed to holistic well-being, Hanna creates positive work environments.

Julie Nel

The Security Institute

Julie Nel, MA MSyI, is the Chair of The Security Institute and one of the leading women within the UK’s security profession. She has an extensive security background spanning 35 years, having served in the UK military and UK law enforcement, leaving at the rank of Detective Superintendent.

Julie is an expert in threat intelligence and strategic risk analysis and holds an MA in Intelligence and Security Studies. She is the CEO and Founder of B4 Secure Ltd, which specialises in the cyber and digital space, enhancing organisational resilience through business intelligence and data analysis, and providing global insights on threats, opportunities, and risks.

Julie is a champion of inclusivity within the security sector and is an active mentor and coach. She runs an internship program to encourage and guide new talent, particularly women, entering the security field. She also participates in various committees and advisory groups, advocating for gender equality and the professionalisation of the security industry.

Pauline Norstrom

Industry Representative – CEO, Anekanta®

Pauline Norstrom is the CEO of Anekanta® Consulting and Anekanta® AI which are focused on commercial research into responsible AI, and the provision of impact and risk services for compliance with the EU AI Act and pending national and international regulations. The brand specialises in high-risk AI, GenAI and biometrics use cases for civil security, transportation and smart cities. She established the Anekanta® brand in 2016, having gained several decades of experience in senior statutory board positions in a number of international businesses specialised in video surveillance and analytics.

A former Chair of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), Norstrom is now an honorary member appointed by the board to advise on AI and biometrics, and represents the BSIA on the CoESS AI expert committee in the EU. Additionally she is a recent judge for the British Security Awards, IFSEC Global Security Influencer Awards and the AI Journal.

A champion of the ethical and legal application of digital technology, she played a leading role in the BSIA’s guide to facial recognition technology, now a new British Standard BS 9347:2024. She is also an advisor on AI ethics and trustworthiness to the Institute of Directors Expert Advisory Group for Science Innovation and Technology. Pauline also sits on the Security Industry Association’s cybersecurity, data privacy and AI advisory boards providing input and guidance on AI, cyber and privacy good practice for the North American security market. Furthermore, she has been appointed Vice Chair of the ISRM AI special interest group, and was instrumental in the creation of a glossary of AI terms for strategic risk management professionals.

Presenting evidence for the BSIA to the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for AI (APPG AI) on facial recognition software for national security in 2021, she was back again in 2023 representing the IoD and its framework for board governance and accountability based on Anekanta®’s own ethical AI framework. Finally, Pauline holds fellowships with the RSA (Royal Society of Arts), IoD (Institute of Directors) and BCS The Chartered Institute for IT, and is a member of the UK’s National Committee for AI standards aligned with CEN/CENELEC and ISO/IEC, run by the British Standards Institute (BSI).

David Scott

Skills for Security

David’s passion lies in the development and improvement of training within the fire and security industry. As a past apprentice himself, he is driven by his love for the industry that provided him with so many opportunities to grow and develop. With a determination to give something back, David’s career goal is to raise apprenticeship participation, employer engagement in training and continuously drive industry improvements by raising the standard of training delivered throughout the United Kingdom.

Over the last 8 years David has been employed by New College Lanarkshire with a remit to drive continuous improvement in their apprenticeship programme. After a successful number of years lecturing, David was promoted to Curriculum & Quality Manager in 2016, where he was responsible for the curriculum strategy, development & delivery to over 450 students, with the line management responsibility of 20 staff across a mixed curriculum of Carpentry & Joinery, Built Environment and Electronic Fire & Security sectors. David’s passion was instrumental in New College Lanarkshire’s rise in becoming the largest provider of the fire and security apprenticeship programme in the UK, with 200 apprentices enrolled. Since then, New College Lanarkshire have had huge success at national events, with 12 placed winners at the security excellence awards over 8 years.

David’s commitment to the industry is evident; he regularly attends key industry events across the UK to deliver engaging and promotional talks to industry about training.

Qualified to degree level in both Teaching and Management, David is an advocate of self-development and continuous improvement, and has recently become an accredited chartered manager with the CMI.

Marie Tedstone

Young Enterprise

Having worked at Young Enterprise for over 15 years, Marie is passionate about helping young people to develop enterprising mindsets and encourage their entrepreneurial spirit.    In her current role, she works with a range of organisations to secure support to help the next generation fulfil their true potential.

Young Enterprise (YE) works directly with young people, teachers, and businesses to help build a successful and sustainable future for all young people – since 1962 we’ve equipped more than 7.2 million young people with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the changing world of work.  

Jo Watling

Security Industry Federation

Jo works day-to-day with workers right across the private security industry, spanning all roles, ensuring their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed.

Incorporating decades of experience in people management within the nighttime economy into her advocacy work, she demonstrates a commitment to not only understanding the needs of security workers but also actively collaborating with employers to create solutions that contribute to a more equitable and just working environment.

Jo is an elected local parish councillor with a true dedication to making a positive impact at grassroots level. By directly addressing the concerns and needs of her community, she actively contributes to positive changes in the lives of those she represents.

Jo has always campaigned for causes she feels strongly about, specifically the importance of fair treatment and equality. She has a particular interest in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within the security industry and is an active member of the Security Industry EDI Forum, advocating for policies and practices that ensure fair treatment and opportunities for all individuals.

Jo stands out as a force to be reckoned with. Her unwavering commitment to justice and sympathetic ear, along with her proactive approach to serving her trade union members, is second to none. Her passion and expertise make her an invaluable asset in SIF’s pursuit of positive change within the industry.