The Security Commonwealth announces new Chair
James Thorpe
Share this content
The Security Commonwealth, the umbrella organisation for UK security membership associations, has announced that Jayne King ASMS FSyI will take over as Chair in the spring of 2021: Jayne will be the 6th SyCom Chair and the first woman. Normally the Chair role runs until 31 December but work commitments mean that Jayne will take over a few months later than normal, with current Chair, Guy Mathias FSyI extending his role until then.
Having been approved by the SyCom Board, Jayne’s appointment was confirmed unanimously at the recent meeting of the whole SyCom committee. In 2021, SyCom is determined to maintain and expand its role as the voice of the security industry believing that we are ‘Stronger Together’. Next year will see SyCom focus on improving diversity, equality and inclusivity within the security world.
Jayne served two terms as Chair of the National Association for Healthcare Security (NAHS) and at their November AGM was elected as President.
Current SyCom Chair, Guy Mathias commented: “It has been a privilege and honour to serve as The Security Commonwealth Chair. I wish to thank all Security Commonwealth member organisations for their support during my tenure.
“I welcome Jayne to this pivotal position next Spring and the vast wealth of experience, professionalism and integrity Jayne will bring to the role.
“Jayne is an individual who commands immense respect in our sector and I look forward to continuing to support both Jayne and The Security Commonwealth as the Immediate Past Chair.”
6th Chair of the Security Commonwealth
On her appointment, Jayne says: “I am enormously proud to have been selected to become the 6th Chair of the Security Commonwealth and of course the first of the stronger gender brigade!
“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 consider taking on this role, along with all the other members of the board who have been so supportive. Special thanks must go to David Cooke, SyCom Secretary who keeps us all on track and makes everything look so seamless.”
Jayne continued: “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’ therefore with this in mind, one of the objectives for my tenure will be the development and implementation of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity strategy for SyCom and its members. I think we’ve reached a point where women – and certainly many men too – are asking what progress we have actually made towards ensuring equal participation in society, particularly in leadership and key decision-making roles in the security sector.
“There is a 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 SyCom is representative of the Security sector workforce, at all levels and of course we must ensure that we are reflective of the communities that we serve. I look forward to 2021 and the challenges that we may face together.”
There are over 40 members of the Security Commonwealth covering all areas of the profession. For more information, please contact the Secretary, Dave Cooke on [email protected]
