Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Time flies when you are having fun, reflecting on the past four years at Buro Happold , I am astounded by the journey we’ve undertaken in building our security offering. When I joined, our team was just thirteen strong, with twelve in the UK and Muttahir Salim newly joined in Dubai. Today, we are a formidable team of over 40 professionals spread across the globe.

Starting amidst the challenges of lockdowns and remote work, our resilience shone through as we continued to deliver exceptional outcomes for our architectural clients, focusing on RIBA stages 2 to 5. Fast forward a few years, and our services have expanded significantly. We now offer expertise in Security Master Planning, Risk & Threat Assessment, Security Design Strategy, Security System Engineering, Cyber & Information Security, Operational Security, Operational Resilience, and Security Governance.

Our global footprint has grown, with consultants based in the UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and soon the United States. Europe is our next frontier, and we are excited about establishing a presence there soon.

One of our proudest achievements is the diversity within our team. Over a third of our team members are female, and we represent 12 nationalities. We’ve created a dynamic balance between experienced professionals and tech-savvy young talent, fostering innovative solutions through diverse perspectives.

Engagement with industry bodies like ASIS International, The Security Institute, Security Industry Association (SIA), IAPSC - International Association of Professional Security Consultants, Association of Security Consultants, Register of Chartered Security Professionals and Information Security Forum and Chartered Institute of Information Security has been crucial in empowering our team. We emphasize continuous professional development, and these organizations have helped us carve out career paths for our younger consultants. This year, we welcomed our first apprentice, Oliver Longworth, who has already made significant contributions.

Our threat, risk, and design strategy team, led by Peter Smith and supported by Gez Hart MSc CPP PSP CSyP FSyI RSES , @John Green, @Matt Dixon, and others, consistently manages the demands of multiple projects with great success. Richard Rhodes leads our security system design engineers across the UK and India, with senior engineers like Mithun Lakshmanan Thekkumbadan CEng MIET , Jon Laws BSc CEng MIET MEWI RSES , Tony Hillier MEng MIET , Sharon K. , and Sean Whelan overseeing cutting-edge security system designs.

Master planning at various levels is driven by Nicholas Booker , with Ally Isom-Leonard AIFSM, MSyl, F.ISRM, RISC managing aviation sector designs, assisted by Haydn Thomasson-Coombs . Adriaan B. supports our clients in understanding the strategic importance of security governance at all levels.

Our latest service addition Cyber & Information Security is led by Louise Shea LLB(Hons) an expert with experience across the commercial and governmental sectors, supported by Stef Garczynski who are focussed on transferring the knowledge and lessons learned from the regulated industries to the built environment to ensure IT & OT architecture in the design processes are Smart, Sustainable, Safe and Secure ???

This remarkable transformation wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Ian Maddocks Philip Rice and other partners at Buro Happold. I am thrilled to continue this journey with Anna Wendt leading Specialist Consulting in the UK as we look to the future and further expansion. Looking forward to working with all our existing clients and many new ones in the future don't hesitate to contact Bruce Braes CPP PSP CNSP CRISC CSC MIET FSyI CSyP London, Muttahir Salim Dubai or Matthieu Petrigh Riyadh for any support and assistance