PSN Structure, Operations and Management
Protective Security Network Pty Ltd (PSN) is an online subscription service that provides benefits to members from within Australia, across the Asia-Pacific and other nations.
The Advisory Board comprising respected and experienced persons with extensive knowledge and commitment to advancing the aim of PSN provides guidance to PSN’s Executive Director.
Geoff Harris
Executive Director
Tertiary Qualifications
Bachelor of Commerce
(Post-Grad) Diploma in Criminology
Master in Policy Studies
Geoff will be providing strategic and operational management of the PSN. As principal consultant of Harris Security Management (HSM), he has been in security leadership, policy, operations and training for over 40 years.
His expertise and experience cover security risk management, emergency management and business continuity management. He appears as an expert court witness involving security matters.
His professional development includes courses in security risk management, Defence security, communal security, maritime trade operations, workplace health and safety, and training and assessment.
Over many years, Geoff has had ongoing involvement in the development of a range of Australian Standards for security, emergency procedures, security resilience and related areas.
He is a retired Reserve officer in the Royal Australian Navy. His expertise was utilised by Navy in the areas of strategic security risk management, inter-agency terrorism response, business continuity management for critical infrastructure, safety management and training.
Geoff served as president of the (then) Security Institute of NSW and was involved in establishing and teaching at the Western Sydney University’s Australian Centre for Security Research (1996 – 2008). Geoff also taught in the University’s Bachelor of Policing course and programs at the Australian Institute of Police Management.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board provides strategic guidance. Inaugural members are:
Norman Brown
Tertiary Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Master of Arts (Psychology)
Norm’s career commenced with the Australian Army culminating in his appointment as the Senior Security Officer for the Multinational Force and Observers in the Middle East.
Since leaving the Army, he has held senior policy and operational security positions within Australia and internationally for Australian Government and overseas aid organisations. These include the Department of Foreign Affairs (Iraq, Afghanistan, Asia-Pacific), the World Food Program (Africa and Middle East), as well as the mining companies OK Ted Mining Limited (PNG) and MMG Limited (Congo and Peru).
He has held security management positions for private sector organisations within Australia in critical infrastructure, mining, financial institutions and entertainment precincts.
Norm’s professional development includes courses in security risk management, hostile environment awareness, protective security within government, business continuity management, occupational health and safety management, port security and Arabic language (level 1A).
Norm has special interests in high threat level assessments and security operations in complex, demanding and sensitive environments.
Suzette Po-Williams ASM
Suzette started her security career in 1988 operating in protective services, patrols and
guarding, cash in transit services, security training and consultancy. In 1992, she
commenced with Central Monitoring Service Pty Ltd, a Grade A1 alarm monitoring centre.
She is a Director of Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL), the national peak body for security organisations and professionals in Australia and, for the past 10 years, has been the ASIAL New South Wales (State) convenor.
Suzette is also a Director of Personal Emergency Response Services Limited (PERSL) and a Director of the Arts, Communication Finance Industries and Property Services (ACFIPS) with her interest relating to training for the security sector.
She is on the Australian Standards Committee for AS4421 ‘Guards and Patrol Security Services’. This Standard specifies the minimum requirements for the operation and management of an organisation providing protective security services.
Suzette was awarded the Australian Security Medal (ASM) in 2013, the ASIAL Security Management Award 2013 and the international Outstanding Security Performance Award (OSPA) for outstanding female security professional in 2018.
Mike Ridley
Tertiary Qualifications
Bachelor of Business
Graduate Certificate in Applied Management
Graduate Diploma of Education (Adult Education)
Advanced Diploma Work Health and Safety
Master of Applied Science (Information Science)
Mike is a learning and development and risk management specialist within the security industry. His expertise extends to quality assurance, compliance management, strategic planning, risk management, safety management, business continuity management, team leadership development and project management and training/assessment delivery.
Mike has occupational qualifications in workplace health and safety, security risk management, terrorism studies, training and assessment, security operations, personnel administration and transport administration.
He has worked in a range of sectors including security, policing, railways, water, airports and other critical infrastructure, public safety in crowded places, events management, high risk environments, transport and logistics, and financial services.
Mike has contributed to major organisations like Transport NSW, BORAL, RailCorp, IBM Australia, Sydney Water, Australian Institute of Police Management, TAFE, BOC Gases and Telstra.
He completed the Police Management Development Program at the Australian Institute of Police Management and was awarded the Graduate Certificate of Applied Management by this organisation.
Don Robertson
Tertiary Qualifications
Bachelor of Arts (Criminology)
Master of Arts (Education)
Grad. Diploma (Environmental Studies)
PhD (International airport architecture and security management)
Don is a senior associate of Harris Crime Prevention Services. Over a 20-year period at the University of Western Sydney, he was a Principal Lecturer in Social Administration, an Associate Professor in Criminology-Policing and Director of the University’s Australian Centre for Security Research.
Don also developed and managed the UWS Bachelor of Policing course and courses in aviation and mining security. He has presented at national crime prevention forums run by NSW Police and other organisations and has participated at UN crime prevention conferences.
Specifically, Don is concerned about the crime prevention dynamics between built form and the public domain. He has worked on crime prevention projects for state and local government, community and corporate organisations, specifically incorporating security (crime prevention) design into the concept planning and architectural documentation stages of large CBD commercial, mixed-use developments, campus environments.
