Security Industry Authority
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is pleased to announce that Heather Baily QPM is continuing in her role as Chair. Heather was first appointed by the Home Office on 7 June 2021 for a period of 3 years. The Home Secretary has re-appointed Heather for a further 2 years, commencing on 7 June 2024 and ending on 6 June 2026.
As Chair, Heather will continue to provide effective strategic leadership for the SIAs operations, ensuring that the organisation and its staff maintain the capability to deliver the UK private security industry regulators statutory responsibilities and objectives. Underpinning this is the SIAs strategic purpose: protecting the public through effective regulation of the private security industry, and working with partners to raise standards across the sector.
Heather will also chair all board meetings, ensuring that they are conducted efficiently and effectively, and carry out annual performance appraisals of the non-executive board members.
Heather said about her tenure extension:
I am honoured to be the Chair of the Security Industry Authority and am fortunate to lead a talented board with a wide variety of professional skills. Together, the board and SIA staff are committed to delivering on our strategy and supporting the Governments public safety agenda.
I look forward to continuing to work with our statutory partners and stakeholders, particularly those in the private security industry, over the next two years. Collectively, we can improve public protection and raise standards across the industry realising practical and lasting change for the benefit of all.
Notes to editors
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The Home Office announcement and SIA announcement of Heathers appointment as Chair in June 2021 are on GOV.UK.
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Heather spent most of her full-time professional career in policing, initially with the Metropolitan Police Service and later as Assistant Chief, then Deputy Chief, Constable for Hertfordshire Constabulary. She was also Deputy Chief Inspector for Garda Inspectorate, Dublin. She was awarded the Queens Police Medal for services to policing in 2011.
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In addition to her policing experience, Heather has been a Non-Executive Director with the Department of Justice, Northern Ireland (September 2017 to March 2020) and Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair for Dorset Healthcare University NHS Trust (stood down in 2022).
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Heather has also served as a board member with the National Crime Agency and Police Remuneration Review Body. Her previous voluntary roles include work for SSAFA, the armed forces charity, and as a trustee of two Premiership football club community sports trusts (Fulham and Watford).
Further information
The Security Industry Authority is the regulator of the UKs private security industry. Our purpose is to protect the public through effective regulation of the private security industry and working with partners to raise standards across the sector. We are responsible for licensing people who do certain jobs in the private security industry and for approving private security companies who wish to be part of the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme. We are marking 20 years since we were set up in 2003 and issued the first SIA licences in 2004.
The SIA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office. For more information, visit: Security Industry Authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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