Developing your security career: ask the experts
We asked a number of security experts for their recommendations for keeping one step ahead in your career and their ideas on how the security sector must evolve to retain the best people.
Read their views in these articles:
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How CPD (Continuous Professional Development) helps advance your career in security
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Are security management qualifications useful to developing my career in security?
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Should I get a mentor to help develop my career in security?
About our experts
Angela Vernon-Lawson recently launched Project55 (UK), a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. She uses her specialisms and lived experience to provide a more holistic approach to security, risk resilience, and sustainability. Her work inspires others to contribute positively to a safer society by making better choices at home, work, and socially.
Ray Marskell is a Board Member and the Director of Risk and Intelligence at CIS Security Ltd. He had a successful 30-year career in the police service. Ray is a committee member at the City of London Crime Prevention Association, sits on the advisory board for Crimestoppers, and supports the College of Policing.
Scott Gough is Managing Director of UniTrust Protection Services. He has 25 years’ experience in the security sector. Scott sits on various security industry boards, including the City Security Council and the City of London Crime Prevention Association.
Greg Meek is a security professional of 30 years, with a Master’s degree in Security and Risk Management, and a NEBOSH NGC3. He is a member of the Security Institute. Starting at 17, he has worked in many roles. He now runs a business with three security-related services: security team deployment and management, training and consulting.
Sarah Austerberry, Director and Founder of Au Security Consulting, and Vice Chair of the Security Institute, Sarah has over 25 years’ experience in the public and private sector, specialising in Insider Risk.
Chris Stevens is a Chartered Security Professional (CSyP), an experienced security advisor specialising in transportation. A specialist in ‘Security in Design’ against terrorism threats and all other aspects of crime, with a unique knowledge of the rail industry and extensive delivery of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation schemes.
Karol Docherty is BID Security Manager for the Business District of Waterloo, providing security risk management, resilience, and crisis management advice to over 450 businesses. He has over 21 years of experience in the security industry and has several security-related diplomas, including terrorism risk management and retail security management.
Top tips to develop your career in security
Our experts concluded with their top tips on developing your career:
Greg Meek says:
- Do something you love.
- Never stop learning.
- Network as often as you can.
- Maintain relationships.
- Check out LinkedIn job boards and see what roles are out there and the wages you can command for doing them.
Sarah Cork says:
- Foster connections and grow your network: it is vital to grow a network of trust.
- Lean on your colleagues for advice, support, and guidance.
Ray Marskell says:
- Be likeable and seek to find commonalities with people. We now live in a world surrounded by technology, and our industry is no different. Security is very much a people’s business.
- Get on with people and always do the right thing.
- Integrity is not negotiable; we support safety in its widest terms. Protectors must protect with a high moral compass.
- Be a visionary and an enabler of change. There is no steady state in the world of safety and security.
- Be on the front foot and enable those around you to do the same.
