Heather Baily, the Chair of the Security Industry Authority has today announced that she will be stepping down from the role on 28 February 2026.
The announcement brings forward by a few months the end of her tenure which commenced on the 7 June 2021 and was due to conclude at the start of June 2026.
Commenting on the conclusion of her tenure, Heather Baily said
It has been a privilege to be the Chair of the SIA. I have been supported by a Board with strong professional expertise amongst our non-executive directors and a very capable executive team and staff. Under the leadership of Michelle Russell as our CEO, the SIA team have consistently performed to a very high standard with dedication and professionalism.
I would like to thank them for this. Their commitment together with the engagement and support of the private security industry and our partner agencies, has enabled us to achieve our public safety objectives and rise to the challenges and opportunities we have faced over the last four years. I am very proud of what the SIA has achieved, and I am confident that we will continue to deliver our core objectives of raising standards and protecting the public as well as delivering high quality and robust regulation.
Michelle Russell, Chief Executive of the SIA, today said
It has been a pleasure working with Heather as Chair of the SIA. During her tenure she has built a strong and professional Board and has supported the SIA to be a proactive and-forward looking organisation with a focus on public safety.
Heather has ensured that the SIA has had a much more external focus on engagement with the Private Security Industry. The insights from this have been invaluable in shaping the SIA’s approach to delivering public safety outcomes. She has established and embedded the SIA as a UK wide regulator and has fostered strong relationships with the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Scotland. On behalf of the SIA team, I want to thank Heather for her commitment to the work of the SIA.
The process to identify the next Chair for the SIA will be led by the Home Office. The role of Chair is a Ministerial appointment, so the decision as to who to appoint will be made by the Home Secretary following an open recruitment process run by the Public Appointments Team, which will commence shortly.
Background
The SIA is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).
Over the course of the next 6 months, Heather will lead the Board as the SIA continues to deliver its regulatory functions and the outcomes set out in its business plan for this year. She will also continue to oversee delivery on the priorities for the SIA identified earlier this year by the Security Minister Dan Jarvis MP. These include development of the Martyn’s Law regulatory function; continuing to develop the new business approval scheme; tackling training malpractice; reviewing the approach to the granting of individual licences so that there can be greater confidence in the licensing regime. Heather will also continue to support the development of the SIA’s next 3-year corporate strategy, which takes effect from April 2026.
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