The Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), an organisation for professionals working in higher and further education, has been celebrating a significant award.

AUSCO chair Les Allan received the International Leader of the Year Award, at the Intersec Expo conference, held last week in Dubai.

Allan said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive such a prestigious award; I am very grateful for this and for all the wonderful support I have received from all my friends and AUCSO colleagues and the wider security industry.

“I see this as not only an award for me personally but also for recognition of AUCSO and Tertiary Education Security worldwide as significant contributors to global security.”

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It is is the first time the award has been won by an individual in the Education Security sector and so will be a beacon going forward in showcasing the work undertaken by AUCSO members on a global scale.

Oliver Curran, Vice-Chair at AUCSO, said: “One of Les’s key objectives as Chair of AUCSO was to break down silo thinking and embrace collaborations and mutual aid support with the wider security industry worldwide – we certainly feel Les has successfully achieved this.

“Les’s true strengths lie within his capacity as an experienced leader to develop new approaches to modernise security and safety by breaking down barriers to collaborative thinking and using his influence to support new initiatives and strategic alliances.

“His leadership is a clear indication of what can be achieved when experience and knowledge is shared to encourage the next generations of security leaders.”

During his time as Chair at AUCSO Les has created strategic alliances and signed Memorandums of Understanding with the following organisations.

The Institute of Strategic Risk Management, The Higher Education Business Continuity Network, The Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa, The International Foundation for Protection Officers and The National Association for Healthcare Security.

He is an IFPO and NAHS Board member and is also a member of the Scottish Government PREVENT Group and the Edinburgh Resilience Forum, supporting strategies for major incident responses.”

Julie Barker, COO at AUCSO, said: “Les is so deserving of this prestigious award as he works tirelessly dedicating his own time to his role as Chairman of AUCSO. He frequently uses his annual leave to attend conferences as a speaker and attend strategy meetings worldwide.

“Much of the development work Les led on with AUCSO was forming several focus groups to progress multi-initiative strategies, forming business and operational plans, organise annual conferences, developing sector wide training initiatives, generate income and increasing membership.

“Les also promotes mentorship programmes encouraging senior managers to support junior managers and talented individuals with career progression and succession planning.”