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| Geoff Zeidler will serve as BSIA Chairman for a two-year period, with support from Julie Kenny |
Demonstrating the tangible benefits of trade association membership is key to the British Security Industry Association’s future growth and success, says Geoff Zeidler, the Association’s newly-appointed Chairman.
In his inaugural address to BSIA members at the Association’s Annual Luncheon, Geoff stressed the importance of “absolute clarity” in setting the long-term direction of the Association against a challenging backdrop of a changing regulatory and market environment.
He said: “In support of this objective I want to ensure the BSIA can demonstrate the tangible benefits and commercial advantage that membership of the BSIA offers to all its active participants, which in turn will drive a long term growth in membership.”
Reflecting on the past two years, Geoff acknowledged the achievements of his predecessors and pledged to build upon their successes: “Under Stuart Lowden’s chairmanship, the BSIA changed its leadership and started a challenging programme of restructuring to improve the capability of the Association to serve its members under a new Chief Executive.
“In the past two years, Julie Kenny has driven this even further, spearheading the Association’s Constitutional Reform Group to devise a new set of governance arrangements that wholeheartedly embrace the BSIA’s vision to become a fit for purpose, flexible and representative organisation that’s designed for success in the 21st century.”
“In these tough economic times we are all under pressure to demonstrate a return on our costs and investments, and our counterparts in the public sector are feeling this pressure even more acutely." |
Speaking about the future, Geoff described police reform and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as the two most imminent challenges for the UK’s private security industry:
“In these tough economic times we are all under pressure to demonstrate a return on our costs and investments, and our counterparts in the public sector are feeling this pressure even more acutely. Police forces across the country are beginning to explore different approaches to delivering a critical public service, and in recent months many forces have engaged with the private sector to investigate innovative ways of partnering to save cost and enhance service without compromise to their responsibilities for core policing.
“It is also impossible to talk about forthcoming challenges without making mention of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This represents a significant opportunity for our industry to demonstrate its professionalism under intense scrutiny by media and critics. In the months to come, the whole world’s attention will be focused on Olympic security, and we must all work hard to ensure that the reputation of our industry is upheld, while taking full advantage of the opportunities this brings to showcase our wide range of talent and innovation.”Finally, Geoff called for renewed commitment to Association activities and widespread participation in establishing how a pro-active BSIA can best help its members and support the industry:
“The results of our recent members’ survey show membership is of greatest benefit to those who get involved, and the reason is simple. There is a tremendous amount going on in the BSIA, and it is guided and driven by those who actively participate. I look forward to working out how best to get even more members engaged, and so to ensure that the BSIA remains relevant and representative; and becomes even more effective for all current, and future, members.
Geoff will serve as BSIA Chairman for a two-year period, and will be supported in the first year by Julie Kenny CBE DL as Vice-Chairman.
A video of Geoff’s full speech is available to view on the BSIA’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmOkYwbrZas&feature=plcp
