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Our Leadership Team

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Sara Norrie, Chief Executive Officer

Sara’s appointment marks an historic milestone — she is not only the first female CEO of FIRST Security, but also the first woman to lead a physical security organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a proud moment for both our organisation and the wider industry.

Sara joins us from Wilson Parking New Zealand, where she has spent the last 18 years building a strong operational foundation and earning a reputation for people-focused leadership, customer-focused delivery, and innovation in complex environments.

Sara brings rich experience from service-driven environments, with earlier roles in the Metropolitan Police in the UK and Qantas, further strengthening her ability to lead large, distributed teams with operational complexity.

She is deeply committed to building inclusive, high-performing cultures and is passionate about uniting people behind a common purpose as FIRST Security enters its next phase of growth.

Steven Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer

A seasoned leader in security and business operations with over 35 years of industry experience, Steve is responsible for operational excellence across Aotearoa.

He joined FIRST Security as in 2019, following five years with Wilson Security Australia where he oversaw the operational delivery of selected national contracts, with primary focus on the Department of Defence contract in line with the national Defence strategy.

Throughout his career, Steve has led respected security organisations through transformative periods, driving operational excellence, elevating customer service standards, and delivering measurable business success.

A hands-on change strategist, Steve is passionate about creating lasting organisational transformation—whether through refining processes, strengthening culture, or building high-performing teams.

 

 

Brian Switalla, GM Strategic Accounts

Brian is an experienced security professional who has worked throughout New Zealand within the security industry since 1982.

Having extensive operational and managerial experience Brian is ideally suited for his role.

Ensuring the delivery of exceptional levels of customer service whilst providing innovative solutions are key deliverables for Brian.

Responsible for the retention and organic growth of our national strategic accounts Brian holds The Professional Security Officers Certificate of Competence issued by The New Zealand Security Association.

Jemima Briggs, GM Sales

Jemima is an innovative problem solver and has been a go-to partner for her customers for nearly 20 years. Most of her career has been spent leading customer-centric sales teams in the consumer goods industry and has built long lasting relationships across multiple B2B customers in UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Jemima is happiest getting out there and getting to know her customers’ businesses and then delivering solutions to better meet their needs and solve their problems.

Nick Gibbs, GM Operational Delivery

Nick has a wealth of experience across all aspects of the security industry, having initially got involved while studying at university in 2000. He has managed numerous key contracts for FIRST Security, and previously as a successful local business owner in Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru.

​Nick holds a Bachelors in Applied Science from Massey University and is currently completing a NZ Diploma in Security to further extend his security knowledge.

Brett Farrell – GM Northern Region

Brett is an experienced Commercial Manager and joins us with over 15 years’ experience in the energy and services industry.

He brings a wealth of knowledge in Business Strategy, Team Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Agile methodologies, Financial analysis and Project Planning.

Brett feels most at home when he is collaborating with his team to challenge the status quo and deliver customer centric solutions.

Wade Wilson, GM Systems & Technology

Wade has over 15 years’ management experience across several industries in the UK, Australia and NZ. Having led teams in Finance, Operations, Information Technology and Project Management, Wade is a collaborative leader with a passion for the continuous improvement of both people and service.

Wade’s role at FIRST Security is responsible for our systems strategy, technology innovation and project delivery.

Steven Gregan, GM Finance

Steven is a Charted Accountant of New Zealand and Australia and has a Bachelor of Management Studies from Waikato University.

His expertise is in the implementation of business strategies, stakeholder engagement, the setting of operational targets and the delivery of accurate business metrics.

Steve has extensive experience at the CFO Level, including at HP, Origin IT and The Instillery Group and will bring great experience to ensure we meet Customer and Business demands into the future.

 

Chris Harris, GM Southern Region

Chris brings over 25 years’ experience in the security industry and has been with FIRST Security since 2017. In 2021 he was promoted to his current role as Southern Region Manager. He’s based in Christchurch and is responsible for all South Island operations. Chris oversees our South Island branches and directly manages strategic contracts for the region.

Chris is a seasoned security manager, leading teams to ensure an innovative approach to customer solutions and service delivery. This includes collaborating with security partners and emergency services and managed deployments. He has a Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.

Vaughan Henry – Commercial Manager

Vaughan is an entrepreneurial and passionate Commercial Client Management professional. Over the last 30+ years Vaughan has worked in Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence and Government industries in Senior Account Management and leadership roles.

Adept at bringing people together to create strong and successful win-win solutions, Vaughan leads teams that set and achieve meaningful goals and outcomes. With extensive commercial, contractual and programme management expertise he looks to build long term value for both client and supplier.

As Commercial Manager at FIRST Security Vaughan manages and advises on a wide range of commercial matters, supplier and client facing.

Carl Trask - GM Central Region

Carl is an experienced operational leader with a 27-year career that spans the Airline, Freight, Food Assurance and Dairy industries.

His strengths are in leadership, operational excellence, financial management, logistics, planning, along with managing customer and stakeholder relationships.

A key focus for Carl and the way he works is identifying how things can be done better to deliver for customers and the business.