Princess Anne at Institute day

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Princess Anne the Princess Royal was again a visitor, and a speaker, at the Security Institute annual conference and awards ceremony. Her Royal Highness is pictured left, at the Royal Society of Medicine on Wimpole Street, facing a plaque to mark its opening in 1986 by her mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The event in London was sponsored by Fastline Steel and HZL and titled ‘The Changing Face of Security’, ahead of the Institute’s 25th anniversary year in 2025. Security people from across the sector reflected on the shifts that have reshaped their roles in recent years, and welcomed the Institute’s Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as a guest of honour. She announced the Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award to their late former President, Baroness Ruth Henig CBE JP DL. Baroness Henig’s family were in attendance to accept the award; her son Andrew is pictured right; also pictured from left are Institute chair Julie Nel, CEO Simon Hepburn, vice chair Sarah Austerberry and Bob Martin.

After updates from Julie Nel MSyI and Simon Hepburn MA MCMI FRSA came talks from Paul Maskall of the trade body UK Finance and the City of London Police, who spoke about the psychology and sociology of security in a talk titled ‘The Changing Face of Risk’, and Heather Baily QPM, chair of the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

In a panel discussion, diversity and inclusion were addressed. After lunch, delegates heard from the UK official National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), Stuart Wortley of the law firm Eversheds Sutherland, Paul Bean MSyI of Royal Mail and last but not least representatives of recent Nobel Prize-winners Google DeepMind.

Simon Hepburn said afterwards: “We are truly delighted to have held such a successful conference this year, and are deeply honoured by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s continued dedication to our cause and Royal patronage.

“The importance of our range of speakers, the topics discussed and the themes addressed this year cannot be overstated; the threat landscape is now more vast and more complex than at any previous point in history, and we at the Security Institute are proud to be facing these challenges head-on, not only for the benefit of our members, but for wider society as a whole.”