Organisers announce the appointment of a judging panel that will determine this year’s category winners as the assessment of shortlisted finalists in the 2023-24 Women in Security Awards Aotearoa gets underway.
The New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN) has today announced the members of its judging panel for the 2023-24 Women in Security Awards Aotearoa. The four-member panel will be evaluating finalists with a view to providing their evaluations by the end of April.
According to the NZSSN, finalists are due to be announced this week, and include a roll call of high performing professionals across defence, policing, border security, cyber and information security, and private security.
“We’re incredibly inspired by the quality and diversity of this year’s Women in Security Awards Aotearoa finalists,” said WiSAA co-founder Andrew Thorburn. “With finalists representing so many domains across national, public, and private security, their stories provide humbling insights into the service of women across the security spectrum.”
The members of the judging panel for 2023-24 are:
Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor
Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor is Strategy & Critical Risk Manager at KiwiRail. She was previously Senior Lecturer in business at the University of Auckland’s Graduate School of Management, and during 20 years in the UK, she worked in the National Health Service (NHS), with the UK Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and in a range of academic positions.
Dr Sullivan-Taylor currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury Business School, a Board Member of the Crowded Places Security Advisory Group, and as a Steering Committee Member of the New Zealand Security Sector Network. She is a member of the judging panel of the New Zealand Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) and was a member of the 2022 WiSAA judging panel. She gained her PhD in Strategic Management from the University of Warwick, and her areas of expertise include risk management, organisational resilience, strategic decision making, public-private partnerships, uncertainty and extreme events.
Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor.
Andrew Thorburn
Andrew D. Thorburn has 25 years of security technology, strategy, and implementation experience. Based in Auckland, he is currently the New Zealand Enterprise Security & Risk Manager for global supply chain solutions provider, Wesco Anixter.
Mr Thorburn currently serves as Co-Chair of New Zealand Network for Women in Security (NZNWS), NextGen Coordinator for ASIS International’s New Zealand Chapter, and as a Steering Committee Member of the New Zealand Security Sector Network. Co-founder of the Women in Security Awards Aotearoa, Mr Thorburn is the only New Zealander to have been thrice named an IFSEC Global Influencer in Security. He was awarded Security Consultant of the Year at the 2018 New Zealand Security Industry Awards.
Mr Andrew Thorburn.
Ngaire Kelaher
Ngaire Kelaher CPP PSP is a leading security practitioner who has worked across Aotearoa New Zealand’s private security industry in a career spanning three decades. She is currently Senior Security Consultant and Trainer at RISQ Australasia (part of Red Badge Group) and was previously Deputy Director of Training at the New Zealand Security Association (NZSA).
Ms Kelaher currently serves as Regional Vice President of ASIS International in Australasia (Region 15A), having previously served as ASIS International New Zealand Chapter Chairperson in 2020 and 2021, and Deputy Chair in 2019. She was a WiSAA award winner in 2020 and a member of the 2022 WiSAA judging panel. She holds the ASIS International Board Certifications Physical Security Professional (PSP) and Certified Protection Professional (CPP), and a National Diploma in Adult Education and Training.
Ms Ngaire Kelaher CPP PSP.
Jennie Vickers
Jennie Vickers is the CEO of Zeopard Consulting. She was previously a consultant to Fortinet, CEO of the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) (2017-21), and ANZ Director for the International Association of Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM). She commenced her career as a lawyer in London specialising in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions.
Ms Vickers currently serves as a Board Member of RiskNZ and a Steering Committee Member of the New Zealand Security Sector Network. Among her honours, Ms Vickers was in 2021 named inaugural IFSEC Global Influencer of the Year, having achieved first place in the ‘Association/Thought Leaders’ category in the IFSEC Global Influencers in Security of that year. Also in 2021, she was co-winner of the WiSAA Thought Leadership category. She gained her law degree from the University of Sheffield and holds a Master of Management from the University of Auckland.
Ms Jennie Vickers.
