ISIA Awards 2023

Celebrating Outstanding People and Service in Security

The ISIA Awards 2023 recognised individuals and ISIA member companies in the following categories:

  • Electronic Security Technician of the Year
  • Security Officer of the Year
  • ISIA Locksmith of the Year sponsored by Abloy.
  • ISIA Event Security Person of the Year
  • Innovation in Security sponsored by Axis Communications
  • ISIA Client Service Award
  • ISIA Arc Team of the Year
  • ISIA Diversity & Inclusion sponsored by Hubbcat.
  • Women in Security
  • Female Security Professional of the Year
  • Male Security Professional of the Year
  • Electronic security Supervisor of the Year
  • Security Supervisor of the Year sponsored by RSP & Hytera

A prized element of this annual event is the opportunity it gives the ISIA to recognise those individuals. groups or organisations that have shown exceptional courage or made a significant contribution to the safety and security of the island of Ireland and its people with the Courage Award and the Premier Award, Paul Lynch Memorial Trophy. Each accolade is always a highlight of the event, and the ISIA is thrilled to have the continued support of OCS as sponsor of the Courage Award and of MITIE who have once again sponsored the Premier Award, Paul Lynch Memorial Trophy.

The ISIA Awards is brought to life by the MC who brings character and energy to a truly special annual event that shines a spotlight on private security in Ireland. We were delighted to have Colm O’Regan as MC and to have the support of Provincial as sponsor.

Sarah O’Donnell, Communications Director, ISIA stated ‘it means so much to the ISIA to be able to run the ISIA Awards and celebrate outstanding people and companies working in private security. Our members are always striving to attract the best people to their industry to manage risk and ensure security up and down the state.  Thank you to all our ponors and thank you to Synergy Security Solutions, media sponsor, whose support will allow us to shine a light on the exceptional talent in this industry’.

Electronic Security Technician of the Year

This award enables the security industry to recognise exceptional service, performance, and technical ability by electronic security technicians. The award demonstrates the importance management attach to excellent performance, exceptional achievements, and service by recognising the contributions that individual security technicians make to the overall operation and success of security contracts.

The winner was Michael Ahern of Bidvest Noonan. Merit awards were presented to Daire Tucker, Bidvest Noonan and David Stoklosa, Acre Security.

Security Officer of the Year

This award recognises exceptional service to the client and their stakeholders by security officers. The award demonstrates the importance management attaches to high standards, exceptional achievements, and outstanding service by recognising the contributions of individual security officers to the success of the security contract.

The winner was Eddie McBrearty from Mitie. Merit awards were presented to Taofik Amao, OCS; Derek Kernan, Bidvest Noonan; Carmen Mavrodin, OCS; Maree Murphy, Bidvest Noonan; John Nangle and Michal Stasiak, Synergy Security Solutions.

ISIA Locksmith of the Year sponsored by Abloy.

his award recognises the importance and vital contribution made by locksmiths to both domestic and commercial security. With a focus on customer service, quality and expertise, the winner of this award is selected through the assessment of a case study submission combined with responses submitted through an online customer survey. Nominees for this award are measured across a range of areas such as professionalism, customer service, quality of work and technical knowledge.

D15 Locksmiths was this year’s winner of the ISIA Locksmith of the Year and Crothers Security were also recognised as a finalist in this category.

Event Security Person of the Year

This award recognises exceptional services to the customer or the public by those working in event and entertainment security, an area of private security with its own unique challenges. The award demonstrates the importance management attaches to excellence of performance, exceptional achievements, and service by recognising the contributions of individual employees to the overall operation of the event security assignment.

The winner was Ben Kelly, Pulse Security Management. Merit awards were presented to Geraldine Murtagh, Pulse Security Management and Melvin Watts, Reconnaissance Group.

Innovation in in Security sponsored by Axis Communications

This award recognises those companies which are being truly innovative in their approach to the delivery of security through product, process, or service innovation. The award is intended to foster and encourage initiative and commitment to innovation in the security industry which will drive competitiveness, quality, a higher level of service and customer satisfaction in the security industry overall.

The winner of the Innovation in Security awards was Bidvest Noonan.  Brinks were also recognised in this category as a finalist.

Client Service Award

This award enables the ISIA to recognise member companies who are delivering exceptional service to their client base. The award is intended to foster and encourage client focus and high standards in the delivery of critical security services.

The winner of the Client Service award was Bidvest Noonan. OCS were also recognised as a finalist in this category.

ARC Team of the Year

This award enables the Security Industry to recognise those security companies who operate monitoring stations and the teams who deliver their services. Monitoring stations are the hidden but critical element in the delivering a response to security threats and incidents. The award is intended to foster and encourage the highest standards in the delivery of this critical security service.

The winner was G4S. BSecure Monitoring Solutions and MCM Technology were also recognised as find lists in this category.

Diversity & Inclusion sponsored by Hubbcat.

This award enables the ISIA to recognise those companies in the private security industry that are making efforts to create an inclusive culture that encourages diversity in the workplace. Diversity in the workplace brings great benefit to companies by having a wider range of skills available and improving cultural insights. This leads to increased productivity, improved employee engagement, lower turnover of employees, improved company reputation which combined all deliver successful outcomes for the company.

The winner of the award for Diversity & Inclusion was Synergy Security Solutions. Bidvest Noonan, Brinks, GSLS, OCS and Provincial were also recognised as finalists in this category.

Women in Security

This award enables the Security Industry to recognise companies who are making specific efforts to both attract and retain more women to the security industry.  Women are underrepresented in the security industry at operative level, mid management, and senior management level.  Research has found that organisations that achieve gender balance across business units realise a variety of benefits to their business.   This award aims to recognise those ISIA member companies working to encourage more women into the private security industry and to encourage others to do so.

GSLS was the winner of the Women in Security awards.  OCS were also recognised having qualified as a finalist.

Female Security Professional of the Year

This award highlights the achievements of outstanding females in ISIA companies who have contributed to their employer’s success and serve as an exceptional example for women considering a career in the private security industry. Narrowing the gender gap in the workplace leads to positive business outcomes.  By highlighting the success of female security professionals and outlining why these individuals serve as examples the ISIA hopes to encourage greater interest from women for roles within the security industry which will lead to more positive outcomes and future success for ISIA member companies.

Christina Pollard of Securitas Technology was the winner and this year’s Female Security Professional of the Year. Ashlea Addison, Provincial; Ciara Hunt, Acre Security; Marie Jackson, Synergy Security Solutions; Rebecca Kane, Bidvest Noonan; Jackie Mountaine, Synergy Security Solutions; Sarah Walker, Bidvest Noonan; Sarah Whelan, GSL received Merit awards in this category.

Male Security Professional of the Year

This award enables the Security Industry to recognise outstanding male security professionals to showcase the achievements of these men, highlight the contribution they make to the businesses they work for and encourage a future pool of candidates to join the private security industry. This award highlights the achievements of an outstanding man who has contributed to the business success of his employer and serves as an exceptional example for those considering a career in the private security industry.

The winner was Stelios Michael, Synergy Security Solutions. John Howard, Bidvest Noonan; Aiden Reilly, Bidvest Noonan; James Flynn, Mitie; John Colfer, Evolution (Electronic Security Systems) Ireland were presented with Merit awards in this category.

Security Supervisor of the Year sponsored by RSP Radio and Security Products & Hytera

This award enables the security industry to recognise exceptional service to the client and their stakeholders by security supervisors. The award demonstrates the importance management attaches to outstanding performance, exceptional achievements, and leadership by highlighting the contributions of security supervisors to the overall success of the security contract.

ISIA Courage Award sponsored by OCS.

The Courage Award is presented to an individual, group or organisation who has clearly demonstrated extraordinary acts of courage, physical valour, social services, or humanitarian deeds.

This year the ISIA presented the Courage Award to Oscar’s Kids in honour of the late Keeley Durnan, the beloved daughter of Alan Durnan, a past president of the ISIA and Eimear Brogan. Oscar’s Kids was set up to honour the founder’s incredible son Oscar, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2018. Oscar’s parents set up Oscar’s Kids to provide the support that they understood families needed when a child is faced with a terminal illness.

This year the ISIA feels privileged to be able to present the courage award to Oscar’s Kid’s in honour of Keeley Durnan, an incredibly kind, brave, strong, funny, loving, beautiful and utterly inspirational girl who was taken from our world on the 24th of July 2023.

Presenting this award to Oscar’s Kids in Keeley’s honour is also delivering on Keeley’s wish to help Oscar’s to keep sprinkling magic.

Ruhama

This year the ISIA was delighted to be able to recognise Ruhama with the Premier Award, Paul Lynch Memorial Trophy.

Ruhama is an Irish NGO and registered charity founded in 1989 that offers nationwide support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.

In their recent annual report Ruhama reported a spike in the number of people requiring their support and there was a significant increase in those that were victims of trafficking. Ruhama offer these victims a wide range of specialist, holistic support services. Their service is free, confidential and delivered by a committed and experienced team.

With the introduction of anti-trafficking training by the Private Security Authority (PSA), the ISIA hopes that its members may also be able to make even a small contribution to this area of work. The members of the ISIA are privileged to recognise the incredible work being carried out by Ruhma with this year’s Premier Award.

View the ISIA Awards 2023

https://youtu.be/suWFskb8f_4?si=1HfjQGjBE7fNDFhQ

For further details about the Irish Security Industry Association (ISIA) or the ISIA Awards 2023. Please contact: Sarah O’Donnell, Tel: 353 (0) 872229127, Email: sarahodonnell@isia.ie