The Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), the organisation for security professionals working in Higher and Further Education around the world, has announced its new Chair and Vice Chair who take up their positions in April 2025.
Current Vice Chair Geoff Brown, Head of Community Safety and Campus Security at the University of Leeds, will become the Chair of AUCSO replacing Chair, Ollie Curran, who is stepping down after serving in this role for two years.
Geoff Brown
After retiring from the police, Geoff worked in Iraq as a security consultant for an oil company, Heritage Energy Middle East, managing the logistics of local national and expat employees in search of new oil deposits.
Geoff has been an AUCSO Executive Board member since 2017 and Vice Chair since 2023.
Gary Stephen
Gary changed career paths and moved into the security sector as a Security Cleared Security Manager
Current AUCSO member Gary Stephen, Head of Security and Logistics at the University of Glasgow will take over from Geoff as Vice Chair. After 16 years of service in law enforcement, Gary changed career paths and moved into the security sector as a Security Cleared Security Manager securing the Whitehall Estate.
Gary then returned to Scotland where he worked as a Senior Operations Manager for MITIE and HFD Group, Scotland’s pioneering commercial property company as Security and Operations Manager. Gary held the role of AUCOS’s Regional Chair for Scotland from 2022 until 2024 and is now Chair of the Special Interest Group for CONTEST.
Chair of AUCSO
Speaking of his appointment, Geoff Brown said, "I am excited and honoured to step into the role of Chair of AUCSO."
"Having worked across various sectors of the security industry, I can confidently say that the Higher Education sector is both the most challenging and the most rewarding. I am deeply committed to collaborating closely with our dedicated security professionals and incredible external partners to continue driving excellence in this vital field."
Customer-centric services
Speaking of his appointment, Gary Stephen said, "I am delighted and proud to have been appointed as Vice Chair of AUCSO. With a deep passion for delivering customer-centric services that enhance the student experience, I am committed to supporting my colleagues in achieving the same."
"As an award-winning pioneer in Higher Education security, having been recognised as the Security Manager/Director of the Year at the 2023 Outstanding Security Performance Awards, I hope to bring both experience and vision to this role. I look forward to working closely with Geoff to help realise his goals as Chair while striving to showcase best practices in the Higher Education security sector and strengthening AUCSO’s profile within the broader security industry."
Value and expertise
Commenting on the announcement, Julie Barker, COO at AUCSO, said, “We are delighted to welcome Geoff and Gary to their new roles as Chair and Vice Chair on the Executive Committee and look forward to collaborating with them and all our Executive Committee members as we drive the organisation forward."
“I am confident that this will be a rewarding and fulfilling journey for them both while driving further value and expertise into our membership."
