Global Life Safety Alliance makes new officer appointments

The Board of Directors of the Global Life Safety Alliance has approved a new slate of officers:

• President, Michael Gips
• Vice President, George Strom
• Treasurer, George Bish

The demise of Jack O’Brien

The GLSA also acknowledges the recent and unexpected passing of Jack O’Brien. Jack was a founding member of the Global Life Safety Alliance. Jack was the initial Vice President, later acting as the CEO of the organization until his untimely passing. 

Jack has served the security industry for decades as the COO of Ackerman’s Security; VP of Security Networks; Director of North American Services for Siemens; Director of SecurityLink from Ameritech; the Director of Rollins Protective Services; General Manager of ADT Fire and Security, and the GM of Wells Fargo Alarm Services. 

Jack’s International Consulting firm and his decades of industry service added to GLSA’s knowledge and expertise of the industry and lent great value to the GLSA. He is sadly missed by our organisation and will be missed by his many friends and associates in the security industry.

Past-president, Julio Fumagalli Macrae

The GLSA thanks Julio Fumagalli Macrae, its recent past president, for his contributions to the alliance from its time of inception to the present. Julio is the President of IRIS – Instituto Rector de la Industria dela Seguridad. He works and lives in Argentina, and he has accepted the position of GLSA’s Director of Education moving forward. 

Julio has enhanced organisational effectiveness, led change initiatives, and developed creative solutions

Julio brings a wide-ranging professional experience and a strong team approach that benefits his clients and partners in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and elsewhere in South America.

Julio has enhanced organisational effectiveness, led change initiatives, and developed creative solutions and strategies for his clients. He has led inter-cultural environmental initiatives with a style and vision that integrates global, regional, and local issues.

Michael Gips,President 

Michael Gips, JD, CPP, CSyP, CAE, is a security professional, attorney, writer, and business executive. He is the principal of Global Insights in Professional Security, where he consults for security executives and security firms alike.

Previously he served as the Chief Global Knowledge and Learning Officer for ASIS International, where he oversaw Learning, Content, Certification, Standards & Guidelines, Production, and other departments.

Work experience

He developed the CSO Roundtable (now CSO Center) as a membership group within ASIS. He also served as editor and publisher of Security Management, where he authored hundreds of articles.

Mike is also a senior advisor for Cardinal Point Strategies, a senior advisor for the Network Contagion Research Institute, and a Partner in the Knowledgebase of Insider Threats. He is also an associate with the Netherlands-based insider risk firm Signpost Six and serves on the advisory boards of several organisations.

Research publications, columns

Mike frequently presents on security and legal topics on topics such as disinformation, insider threat

Among his many research publications are papers and reports on ESRM (2010), the security sector (2012, 2014), convergence (2019), blockchain (2020), business continuity and Covid (2021), and a forthcoming article on security professionalisation co-authored with Dr. Alison Wakefield (2022).

Mike writes a monthly leadership column for Security magazine and regularly contributes to Security Management, International Security Journal, and other publications. He frequently presents on security and legal topics at conferences and webinars, on topics such as disinformation, insider threat, trends in access control, and security skillsets.

Recognitions

Mike has received many commendations, including Outstanding U.S. Security Consultant (OSPAs, 2022), sixth most influential security thought leader (IFSEC, 2021), and one of the most influential people in security (Security magazine, 2019).

He has received more than a dozen awards for his writing. Mike heads the security committee for a large house of worship. He is on the committee that is updating ASIS’s CSO standard, and he previously helped develop ASIS’s ESRM guideline.

Education

He also mentors many young professionals. Mike is a graduate of Tufts University (Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude) and Harvard Law School.

 Mike also has obtained security certificates from R.L. Oatman & Associates (2006), Wharton (2015), Tel Aviv University International (2016), and IE Business School (2017).

George Strom; Vice President

George has worked with alarms, detectors, controls, or PPE and manufacturers globally

George Strom is Business Development Director of IOT at Intertek, an FTSE 100 Company. George has worked with alarms, detectors, controls, or personal protective equipment and manufacturers globally to help them meet all their assurance, testing, inspection, and certification needs.

George’s 25+ years in the Quality Assurance & Safety arena bring insight into the unique challenges of launching a product in today’s Connected World. Before Intertek, George worked in Sales and Marketing within the Computer & Office Automation Industry. He is a proud alumnus of U-Mass Lowell and lives in the Greater Boston Area.

George Bish; Treasurer

George is the vice president of Ring Protect, a division of Amazon. George is a NICET Level IV and Licensed Security Qualified Agent, in VA, NC, SC, TN, AL, GA, TX, FL, WA, AK, MS, and Licensed Electrical in NC, GA, MD, WA, ESA National Training School Senior Instructor (NTS), Virginia Certified Instructor, Texas Certified Instructor.

Work experience

George is an active professional sitting on SIA Data Privacy Advisory Board

He is an active professional sitting on the SIA Data Privacy Advisory Board and a member from 2019 to present, on the NFPA 72 Chapter 29 Household from 2018 to present, NFPA 70 Technical Committee Panel member from 2008 to present, NFPA 730/731 Technical Committee member 2007 to present, on the ESA Standards & Fire Committee member, ESA By-Laws Committee member, ESA Education Committee member, Security Industry Standards Council Committee member, Past Treasurer and Executive Committee member of ESA, Past President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary of NCBFAA.

Awards and recognition

George has received the 2016 SBCA Presidents Award, 2015 ESA Sara E Jackson Award, 2000 NCBFAA Special Instructor’s Award, 1997 NCBFAA Person of the Year, 1996 NCBFAA President’s Award, 1996 NCBFAA Outstanding Service in Continuing Education Award, and the 1995 NCBFAA President's Award.

Global Life Safety Alliance

The Global Life Safety Alliance is educationally-based, focused on leadership, executive and business management, shared global risks, practices, policies, and standards of operations around the globe. 

The Alliance represents a combination of security experts and professionals from the many different divisions of the Life Safety Industry, such as international and national corporations, publishers, associations, thought leaders, and knowledgeable professionals.