IFSEC Global Influencers in Security and Fire 2021 Announced

The IFSEC Global Influencers in Security and Fire for 2021 have been revealed, and the good news is that a record six New Zealanders feature among the winners – proof that Aotearoa’s security-focused industry sectors are influencing well above their weight.

The IFSEC Global Influencers in Security and Fire, awarded annually, is one of the most prestigious in the annual industry awards calendar, yet perhaps least understood. IFSEC Global Influencers recognises ‘influencers’ in security roles from around the world.

According to IFSEC’s definition, an influencer as a person who:

• has played a key role in driving technological innovation.

• has been a driving force in changing regulation, standards/guidance or best practice.

• holds insights/opinions that are widely respected and that are influential in shaping debate around industry issues.

• has been instrumental in the success of the organisation or business they lead or are employed by.

• has helped to raise the industry’s profile or been an influential voice in the national media.

Nominations were judged by an international panel of two dozen highly respected judges, including Line of Defence Magazine chief editor Nicholas Dynon, who sought to identify the world’s biggest ‘influencers’. This year, security professionals were recognised across six security categories, including:

• Security executives (the senior most official in an enterprise, whose primary duties encompass leading and managing security for the enterprise)

• Security end users (e.g. heads of security, directors of security)

• Security manufacturers/vendors/

installers/integrators (those displaying exemplary work in the field of installation or specific projects, as well as technological innovation)

• Security thought leadership (e.g. thought leaders, association figures, academics)

• Security ‘One to watch’ (championing the sector’s rising stars, nominees should have worked in the industry for no longer than five years)

• Cyber security professionals and thought leaders

New Zealand winners emerged in the categories of ‘Association Figures, Academics, Thought Leaders’, ‘End Users’ and ‘One to Watch’. In a record showing for Aotearoa, our winners for 2021 are:

Jennie Vickers (1st – Association figures, academics, thought leaders)

Jennie Vickers has been focused on the Defence sector in Australasia for the last eight years, stepping down as CEO of the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) in April 2021 after four years in the role. During her tenure, she brought the Association into the 21st century and widened its remit to include members from throughout New Zealand’s security sector.

As NZDIA CEO, Jennie championed courageous and open conversations between Government and industry in the defence and security sectors to support better procurement outcomes and more SMEs in supply chains.

Apart from significantly increasing the Association’s membership and its links across other industry sectors and internationally, Jennie pioneered the use of made-for-purpose virtual event platforms. This enabled the NZDIA to quickly pivot during COVID to virtual events, which was critical in ensuring that engagement among the NZ national security supply chain continued without missing a beat. It also ensured the successful launch of New Zealand Defence’s Information Domain.

Jennie’s leadership and considerable online and cross-sector engagement has been instrumental in raising the profile of the private sector’s contribution to the defence and national security sectors in New Zealand.

Now a consultant at Fortinet, Jenny describes her expertise as connecting people, building relationships, influencing, problem solving and supporting better business outcomes. Along with qualifications to practice law (commercial/IT) in NZ, Australia and UK, Jennie is a WorldCC Fellow, Expert in SRM and CCMP qualified in CCM.

As a category 1st place winner, Jennie remains in contention for the Global Influencer of the Year award! The winner of this award will be chosen between the winners of the five IFSEC Global Influencers security categories (not including the ‘One to Watch’ award).

A final round of judging will be undertaken by an independent group of judges, after which the Global Influencer of the Year award will be announced live at the Security & Fire Excellence Awards, due to take place in London in November.

Gary Morrison (13th – Association figures, academics, thought leaders)

Gary Morrison has spent 40 years in the security industry, including running New Zealand’s largest security provider, establishing his own security company and more recently as the CEO for the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA), the industry association for New Zealand’s physical security industry.

Since joining the NZSA in early 2016, Gary has been instrumental in resurrecting the association as the voice for the security industry and the catalyst for many positive industry developments. In the last five years, the NZSA’s membership has grown by over 70% and the association has led significant improvements in industry training and standards and developed a Good Practice Guideline that clearly articulates industry best practice.

During Gary’s tenure, the NZSA has also developed and introduced a Skills for Industry programme with the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development that supports and encourages those on benefit payments into fulltime employment with NZSA members. This programme has seen in excess of 400 beneficiaries take up fulltime employment with NZSA members over the last three years.

In the past 12-18 months, Gary has led several transformative initiatives, including the development and introduction of a virtual reality training platform for security guard licensing training; and he has stewarded the industry through the COVID pandemic, which included lobbying government for better recognition of the essential nature of security services, ensuring PPE supply certainty for security providers, and the establishment of a security guard awards programme to reward guarding excellence in the context of the COVID new normal.

In addition to his work with the NZSA, Gary is a long-term ASIS member and in his private capacity sits on the board for a Community Health Trust.

Ngaire Kelaher (16th – Association figures, academics, thought leaders)

Ngaire Kelaher CPP PSP is the Security Risk and Training Consultant for RISQ New Zealand and Bespoke Security Group. She started her career as a security officer in 1995 and continued to develop into the training sector of the security industry designing, facilitating and assessing various security programmes over the years.

Ngaire has been an ASIS International member for just over 15 years, and is the first female in New Zealand to hold two ASIS international Certifications – Certified Protection Professional (CPP),and the Physical Security Professional (PSP). Ngaire is also the first female Chairperson of ASIS New Zealand and has held a variety of roles on the executive committee previously, including Secretary and Deputy Chair.

As Chair, Ngaire has over the past 12 months instituted a number of key initiatives, including a Chapter Young Professionals’ Network, an annual Formal Certification Dinner to recognise and celebrate the achievements of new ASIS Board Certification certificants, and a calendar of frequent webinar and networking events significantly more active than previous years’. Ngaire’s enthusiasm is infectious, and she elicits wide respect due to her own professional example.

Ngaire is also a member of the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA), the New Zealand Institute for Professional Investigators (NZIPI), the Security Institute (UK) and the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO).

John Battersby (18th – Association figures, academics, thought leaders)

Dr John Battersby is a Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University, Wellington, lecturing in Intelligence and Counter Terrorism. John spent a decade as a research historian specialising in military and policing aspects of nineteenth century New Zealand history.

In 2005 he took up a law enforcement role, with various duties including time as a police prosecutor and then Practice Leader at the Leadership, Management and Command school at Royal New Zealand Police College. In 2016, John returned to academia as Research Fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University, Wellington where he commenced research into the impact of terrorism on New Zealand.

Dr Battersby has been a major voice within New Zealand’s security sector in the wake of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks and subsequent roll-out of gun control laws and the publication of the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the mosque attacks. In 2020, he was invited to speak on the opening panel of the hui on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Christchurch.

Importantly, in 2019, Dr Battersby also founded the National Security Journal, a peer reviewed scholarly publication. The journal has in the subsequent 18 months become widely recognised in New Zealand and internationally, providing a vehicle for the showcasing of security related research and the highlighting of important sector trends and issues. This is an achievement of major national significance.

John has also published on New Zealand Wars, New Zealand security and the United Nations, and terrorism in Australian and Zealand contexts, and he is a regular contributor to NZSM and Line of Defence Magazine.

Andrew Thorburn (2nd – End users)

Andrew D. Thorburn is Enterprise Security & Risk Manager at Atlas Gentech NZ Limited. A highly experienced and commercially astute protective security and organisational development consultant with a career that spans both the private and public sectors, he brings over 25 years of security technology and staff services strategy and implementation experience to colleagues and end user clients.

Andrew is widely respected within New Zealand’s security industry and has worked hard to promote the participation and successes of women in security and to bridge traditional silos between physical security and information security professionals. He is also pursuing initiatives for the development of culturally aligned sector training for indigenous people.

In 2020, Andrew founded the Women in Security Awards Aotearoa, a breakthrough event which recognised leading women in New Zealand’s security industry and government across several categories. The awards generated considerable interest and brought professionals together from across the physical security, cyber security and resilience domains.

Andrew regularly contributes to the profession through voluntary sector leadership, development and delivery of subject matter to special interest groups, such as New Zealand Security Association, ISC2 and ASIS International, and contributes thought leadership pieces for industry publications, including NZSM. He is also a steering committee member of the New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN), an organisation promoting cross-sector collaboration between the private sector, academia and government.

Andrew is the immediate past ASIS International Chapter 148 Chairperson and the 2018 New Zealand Security Consultant of the Year.

Ankita Dhakar (One to Watch)

In the short time since founding cyber security consultancy Security Lit as its Managing Director in February 2020, Ankita has built a strong team and acquired noteworthy key clients. Her vision is to take Security Lit global and to keep educating businesses and individuals about cyber security threats and how to protect themselves.

Ankita has taken opportunities over the past 12 months to advocate strongly for increased security awareness and an understanding of the human factors driving cyber security outcomes.

With Bachelor degrees in commerce and business administration, Ankita learnt about digital security from her previous work experiences. Now at the age of 28, Ankita is helping start-ups and SMEs in NZ and across the globe with security audits and penetration testing services, having teams in Hungary, India and New Zealand. She is also actively promoting cybersecurity awareness in the community and is also trying to get more women in IT security through multiple speaking and writing opportunities at/in sector events/ publications.

Her focus for the next growth phase is to reshape the way people think about cyber security in NZ, to keep educating businesses and individuals about cyber security threats and how to protect themselves, and to provide practical ways for implementing a new status quo.

Congratulations to our six New Zealand Global Influencers in security! With six awardees out of a total international awardee cohort of 90 across all categories, we can be proud that Aotearoa New Zealand punches well above its weight in international sector influence.