RiskXtraJune2019

x
RISKXtra
Appointments
David McCann
Cordant Security, part of the Cordant Group, has further
strengthened its senior management team with the
appointment of David McCann to the role of risk and
resilience director. McCann will now oversee the risk
mitigation and resilience requirements for the company
and its myriad clients.
McCann is a specialist in crisis management, counterterrorism,
risk assessment, close protection, operations
management and physical security. He joins Cordant
Security from First Security, where he was head of risk working on the
company’s prestigious contract at the BBC. Responsibilities for that role
included directing all security and risk management processes. This
encompassed the legal governance of risk documents and protocols.
McCann has also served as a counter-terrorism advisor for corporate
contingency planning and was the Centre for the Protection of National
Infrastructure’s lead for company risk.
From 2004 until 2012, McCann was national training manager at The Senate
Group with responsibility for providing security solutions to safeguard public
and private sector organisations alike. He has also served as the lead
security/training consultant for several Government agencies.
Mark Briers
Cranfield University and
The Alan Turing Institute
have jointly appointed
Mark Briers as Professor
of Cyber Security as the
two organisations look to
align their research and
education agendas in
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
for defence, security and cyber security.
Briers is the defence and security programme
director for The Alan Turing Institute and, going
forward, will be based at Cranfield University’s
secure site at Shrivenham as well as The Alan
Turing Institute’s headquarters in London.
As part of this new role, Briers will be
combining Cranfield University’s knowledge
and experience in defence and security with
The Alan Turing Institute’s foundational
research base in data science and AI “in order
to drive operational and societal impact”.
Professor Mark Richardson, pro-vicechancellor
for defence and security at Cranfield
University, said: “It’s widely recognised that
there’s a national and international skills
shortage in data science and AI in all sectors,
including defence and security. With Mark’s
appointment and our evolving partnership with
The Alan Turing Institute, we look forward to
working together to tackle this gap through our
education and research initiatives.”
Professor Mark Briers responded: “It’s an
honour to work at the intersection of two worldleading
research and educational organisations
and drive scientific and real-world impact. I’m
excited by the opportunities ahead.”
John Sephton MSyI
MISRM
John Sephton, an account
director at Axis Security,
has been appointed to
the Board of Directors at
The Security Institute.
Sephton will now
actively support the
Institute in promoting the
highest possible standards of integrity and
professional competence in transacting the
business of security.
In addition to attending the Board’s AGM,
conferences and strategy meetings, Sephton
will have shared responsibility for membership
communications, the Institute’s vitally
important Continuing Professional
Development programme, existing and new
member engagement and the promotion of the
prestigious Chartered Security Professional
(CSyP) qualification.
Having started out as a security officer,
Sephton told Risk Xtra that he’s “honoured” to
have been selected by the Institute for a
prestigious director’s role. He stated: “I believe
in mentoring security officers to help them
realise their potential and achieve their goals.”
Mike Hurst CPP
In an effort to continue
its expansion into
various international
markets, the
International
Foundation for
Protection Officers
(IFPO) has appointed
Mike Hurst CPP to serve
as the organisation’s representative in the
UK. After several discussions with Hurst, the
IFPO’s executive director Sandi Davies feels
confident that he embraces the same goals
and objectives as that of the Foundation.
Hurst has spent over three decades
operating in the security and fire professions
as a specialist recruitment consultant and
strategic advisor with HJA Consult (formerly
HJA Fire and Security) and is also the cofounder
of www.AllSecurityEvents.com (the
dedicated security events listing site).
Hurst is vice-chairman of the UK Chapter of
ASIS International. He has held this role for
nine years and also serves on the
organisation’s Professional Development
Council and its European Advisory Council.
Hirst was a director of The Security
Institute, standing down in 2017 having
served the maximum six-year term of office.
60