On 25 June 2025, 272 senior security professionals gathered at the Hilton Deansgate, Manchester for the SJUK Leaders in Security Conference, in partnership with Platinum Partner, Advancis UK.
The 2025 instalment was a milestone event that offered more than just industry updates – it provided a stage for key conversations about the evolution of the profession, the convergence of disciplines and the mindset shifts that we continue to see reshape the security landscape.
Although this year’s SJUK Leaders in Security Conference has wrapped, the conversation is far from over. Our post-event coverage is now live, offering an in-depth second-look at the key themes, expert perspectives and discussions that took place throughout the event.
Catch up on the action with exclusive highlight videos now available on the Security Journal UK YouTube channel, including a 2025 Highlights Reel and Keynote Address as well as full coverage of all our quick-fire panel sessions and thought-leadership presentations.
Elsewhere, the conversation is continuing across our social media platforms, where we’re already sharing behind-the-scenes content, speaker quotes and community reactions. Join the conversation by using #SJUKLEADERS2025.
Following opening remarks from Conference Chair, Rick Mounfield, and Centurian Media CEO, Ian Stokes, Lord Graham Evans set the stage for a day of exploration and knowledge-sharing.
The former MP and Patron of the Association of Security Consultants delivered a keynote address that truly challenged legacy thinking. His message? That strong business acumen is essential for those looking to promote and sustain their own enterprises in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The security professional must be seen not only as protector but as strategic partner. As risks become more integrated into the fabric of day-to-day operations, organisational mindsets need to shift and business leaders need to embed security as a proactive function rather than a reactive measure.
For years, security teams have fought for a seat at the decision-making table. What’s shifting now is not just access to that table, but a redefinition of the role entirely. This theme was echoed in the first panel of the day, which explored Business Impact Analysis (BIA) as a tool not only for crisis management but for operational continuity and strategic foresight.
With voices from sectors as diverse as media, utilities and culture, the conversation reinforced the message that BIA must evolve from being a compliance-driven exercise to a dynamic planning mechanism that informs real-time decision-making.
If security is becoming more strategic, it is also becoming more complex. A presentation from Richard McClellan – Director at Advancis Software and Services – explored the convergence of physical and cybersecurity within modern security operations centres (SOCs).
Threats today do not respect silos and neither should our response systems. Referring to key use cases, McClellan highlighted how integrated event management, real-time situational awareness and cross-domain automation empower SOC teams to respond effectively to hybrid threats.
A follow-up panel discussion on Zero Trust architecture took this further, exploring how the philosophy of “never trust, always verify” can be extended beyond IT systems to include physical infrastructure, operational technology and human behaviour. The consensus: successful implementation depends not only on technological investment, but cultural change.
These conversations felt less about barriers and more about momentum. There was a shared understanding in the room that convergence is no longer a future state, but that it’s happening now. The challenge lies not in whether we pursue integration – but in how we do so.
Throughout the day, speakers returned to the theme of leadership – not just as a title, but as a practice. Ian Fox’s talk on “Reframing the Leadership Landscape” offered a thought-provoking blueprint for leading in high-pressure environments.
Rooted in interdisciplinary research, this presentation highlighted five pragmatic constructs: Continuity of Purpose, Dynamic Adaptability, Institutional Knowledge Retention, Structured Dissent and Rest & Rotation. This isn’t just theory, however: It’s a leadership ethos built for those who act when plans fail, who lead across time zones and moral fault lines and who know the difference between outputs and outcomes.
Following this presentation, a poignant session titled “Beyond 2035” brought young professionals and early-career security practitioners into the spotlight. These voices represented a shift not only in demographics, but in mindset. These professionals working across numerous sectors and roles spoke not just about skills and knowledge, but purpose, inclusion and sustainable leadership.
For a profession that often wrestles with how to attract and retain fresh talent, this was a forward-thinking look at the future of the industry.
Prior to the buffet-style lunch break in the Deansgate’s foyer area, a fireside chat on executive protection offered a grounded look at operational security in high-stakes environments.
This conversation between Scott Hamer, Head of Security & Resilience, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Conference Chair, Rick Mounfield went beyond technical details and painted a vivid picture of human dynamics, cultural sensitivities and split-second decisions that define protective work at the highest levels.
This was matched by a compelling afternoon session after lunch featuring Sophie Cairney – Lead Risk Intelligence Consultant, Securitas Risk Intelligence Center (RIC) – who dissected the challenges of crisis communications in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) threat landscape.
When a crisis hits, ensuring accurate, timely, relevant and actionable communications are disseminated to the correct audience is becoming ever more prominent and integral to the protection of people, property and assets.
The day’s discussions also stepped confidently into the future. A session dedicated to AI and the redefinition of risk brought together voices from across consultancy, governance and technology. This was not a sales pitch for innovation, but a conversation about how tech is transforming threat detection, decision-making and ethical oversight.
As the afternoon moved into its final chapters, the day’s focus returned to foundational principles. A panel on what it means to be a Chartered Security Professional explored the significance of standards, accountability and professional identity in a sector facing rapid change.
It reminded attendees that in an age of fast-moving threats and faster-moving technologies, professional integrity and ethical grounding remain as important as ever.
Michelle Russell, Chief Executive of the Security Industry Authority, continued this theme in her presentation on buying security responsibly. Michelle – who was appointed as Chief Executive in 2020 – has over 25 years of experience working in regulation and regulatory environments in both the public and private sectors.
Perhaps no speaker captured the core of the day more powerfully than Figen Murray OBE. In a closing fireside chat with Rosie Richardson, Strategy Director at Createc, she spoke about the role of personal resilience, not only as a coping mechanism, but as a leadership imperative.
Figen’s journey offered a unique perspective for security professionals in the room looking to build personal resilience as a foundation for purposeful leadership.
By the close of the SJUK Leaders in Security Conference 2025 – which concluded with a Post-Event Networking Reception supported by the ASC, BSIA, IFPO and IPSA – one thing was clear: The profession and the industry as we know it is in the midst of a fundamental transformation.
Gone are the days when security was the last line of defence; thought of purely as the department that stepped in after something went wrong. Today, security leaders are shaping policies, steering strategy and setting the tone for how organisations, and society as a whole, responds to risk.
This year’s event asked the hard questions: What kind of leaders do we want to be? How do we embed trust, resilience and responsibility into everything we do? How do we ensure the next generation inherits not only safer systems, but stronger values?
