SIR – It is with great pleasure, and no small degree of trepidation, that I have accepted The Security Institute (TSI) Council’s nomination as chairman of the organisation for the coming year.

Geoff Whitfield will be a tough act to follow, having been the key motivator in bringing the Institute to its current pre-eminent position within the UK security profession.

The Institute is at a key point in its development. Under Geoff’s leadership, we have become a central force in our industry, representing the views of serious security players of all types in their dealings with public and private sector bodies.

Underpinning all of the many activities and initiatives with which the Institute is presently involved is the core vision – the very reason why TSI was established. That vision was – and is – to increase the professionalism and profile of the business of security. Going on from there, we seek to bring to our activity the transparency of experience and qualifications that will help a chief executive or Human Resources director to identify the true security professional, and to understand what can be expected of such a person.

My goal for the coming year is to ensure that all we do as a group is focused firmly on that core vision. Now is the time to build on the strong foundations laid to date. Of all those ways in which we can contribute to moving forward, the simplest – and the most valuable – is to expand our membership. That said, the standards of acceptance for membership must not be compromised, and the work of the Validation Board will ensure that they are not.

An expansion of our membership will create additional dynamism, enlarge our sphere of influence and – lest we forget – help to raise the money we need to finance our work. In the next 12 months I want to see the Institute’s membership doubled.

Ambitious? Perhaps, but if each current member recruits just one new member, we will have met that target.

We’d be delighted to welcome new members. Any Security Management Today readers who are interested in joining should visit www.security-institute.org and follow the Application Form link.

The Institute is on the brink of hugely exciting developments. I would urge you to join with your colleagues in the security management arena in participating actively with its work.

Bill Wyllie, Chairman The Security Institute

Source

SMT