New SIA chair to be appointed in 2026

Heather Baily, chair of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has announced that she will be stepping down on 28th February 2026.

The Home Office will now lead the process to find the next chair. The Home Secretary will appoint someone following an open recruitment process run by the Public Appointments Team.

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."