Prior to starting 2nd Line of Defence, Lisa Baskott had a 20-year career in media, specialising in publishing, television, online and mobile advertising.
It was in 2021, after the murder of Sarah Everard, that Lisa felt compelled to take action against the growing issue of violence against women and girls. Lisa was enraged that a young woman had lost her life at the hands of a Police Officer. This prompted her to think about the vulnerability of women and other groups of people and questioned whether they were likely to be affected in the night-time economy.
Motivated to make a change to help ensure greater safety at night for women, Lisa qualified as a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed door supervisor. She then set about her mission to create 2nd Line of Defence, the UK’s first female-focused recruitment agency for the private security sector.
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Lisa Baskott | Other Positions and Responsibilities
As well as being a serving Magistrate and CEO of 2nd Line of Defence, Lisa is also a board member of the national Security Skills Board, working alongside industry leaders to further professionalise the private security industry.
In 2023, she was made a Board Director of the Safer Business Network, a Community Interest Company, which coordinates and administers several award winning business crime reduction partnerships (BCRPs) across some of London’s most challenging and diverse boroughs. In addition to the role, Lisa sits on the Women’s Night Safety Charter steering group.
Lisa acts as an external advisor and ‘critical friend’ to the British Transport Police on their Police Race Action Plan and initiatives around preventing violence against women and girls.
In 2023, she was also invited onto the steering group of Racial Equality in Live Music Events Licensing by Amy Lame, Night Czar, Greater London Authority (London City Hall).
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Lisa Baskott | 2nd Line of Defence
Lisa founded 2nd Line of Defence in 2021, recognising the need for better diversity and inclusion in private security, noting that of the 400,000 licenses for door security staff in the UK, only ten per cent of them are women.
By making women more visible on the doors of venues, and ultimately changing the perception of what it takes to be a door supervisor, Lisa believes current safeguarding issues including harassment and spiking can be better addressed.
Lisa is also talking to key stakeholders in the sector with the aim of improving the working conditions for security workers, which she believes will also encourage more people from different backgrounds to join the industry.
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Lisa Baskott | Accolades and Awards
In 2023, Lisa was named as one of 100 most influential businesswomen in the UK. The f:Entrepreneur #ialso100 campaign highlights, champions and celebrates 100 inspirational female entrepreneurs across the UK who are wearing many hats and doing many inter-connecting roles, with a specific focus on community and sustainability. She also won the ‘Best New Business’ category of the national Enterprise Vision Awards 2023 (EVAs).
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Lisa Baskott | Speaker Topics
Lisa is an expert on both frontline private security and diversity and inclusion and is a popular speaker on both of these areas. She can adapt her speaking content to meet the needs of the audience but popular topics include:
- ED&I
- Women in Security
- Race
- Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
- Culture and Societal Norms/Cultural Awareness
- Transformational Change
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Example Speech Titles
- The Impact of Inclusion and Belonging in the Security Industry
- Safeguarding in Security: the case for building resilient communities
- Creating a New, Inclusive Face for the Security Sector
- Changing the Face of Frontline Security; why more women are needed in security industries
- Networking: why turn up when you can arrive?
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To check fees and availability for Lisa Baskott, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289
