Jayne King set to become chair of The Security Commonwealth

Having been approved by The Security Commonwealth’s Board, King’s appointment was confirmed unanimously at the recent meeting of the entire Commonwealth Committee. Normally, the chair’s role runs until 31 December each year, but work commitments mean that King will take over just a few months later than normal, with current chair Guy Mathias FSyI necessarily extending his role for a time.

King served for two terms as chair of the National Association for Healthcare Security and, at that organisation’s Annual General Meeting for 2020 held last month, was elected as the new president.

Speaking about the news, Guy Mathias informed Security Matters: “It has been a privilege and an honour to serve as The Security Commonwealth’s chair. I would like to thank all of The Security Commonwealth’s member organisations for their support during my tenure. I also welcome Jayne to this role. She brings a vast wealth of experience, professionalism and integrity to The Security Commonwealth. Jayne is an individual who commands immense respect in our sector, and I look forward to continuing to support her and the organisation itself in my capacity as the immediate past chair.”

On her appointment, King explained: “I’m enormously proud to have been selected to become the sixth chair of The Security Commonwealth. My sincere thanks go to the past chair Joe Connell for his unwavering advice, the current chair Guy Mathias – without whose guidance I could not have considered taking on this role – and all of the other members of the Board who’ve been so very supportive. My special thanks must also go to David Cooke, secretary of The Security Commonwealth, who keeps us all on track and makes everything look so seamless.”

Emma Shaw CSyP FSyI was the first female chair and, indeed, the inaugural chair of The Security Commonwealth, hosting the first meeting back in February 2015 with 17 organisations present. Garry Evanson CSyP FSyI took over from Shaw following his appointment as chair of The Security Institute and continued in the role until ASIS UK took over from the Institute as The Security Commonwealth under the stewardship of the late Dave Clark.

Lasting networks and alliances

The Security Commonwealth ‘aims to be the all-inclusive industry advocate on security issues in the UK, to create lasting networks and alliances and to promote and lead the security industry with a single voice’. In 2021, The Security Commonwealth is determined to maintain and expand its role.

“With this in mind,” continued King, “one of the objectives for my tenure as chair will be the development and implementation of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Strategy for The Security Commonwealth and its members. I think we’ve now reached a point where women – and certainly many men, too – are asking the key question: “What progress have we actually made towards ensuring equal participation in society, and particularly so when it comes to leadership and key decision-making roles in the security sector?”

Developing that theme, King went on to state: “There’s a real sense out there that women are at last beginning to enter the senior ranks in some work streams. The diversity and inclusion strand also needs to ensure that The Security Commonwealth is representative of the security sector’s workforce at all levels, and of course we must ensure that we’re directly reflective of the communities that we serve. I’m very much looking forward to 2021 and the challenges that we will all face together.”

*There are over 40 members of The Security Commonwealth covering all areas and aspects of the security profession. Further information is available online. Alternatively, contact Dave Cooke via e-mail at info@securitycommonwealth.org