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Paul Williams, Senior Security and Resilience Manager within Estates, Facilities and Commercial Services

Paul Williams recently joined the University as Senior Security and Resilience Manager within Estates, Facilities and Commercial Services. His role is all about making sure Sussex is a safe, resilient and well-prepared environment for staff and students, now and in the future.

Here, Paul shares what drew him to Sussex, and his priorities for the years ahead.

As Senior Security and Resilience Manager, my role focuses on providing strategic security advice to the University’s Executive and strengthening our resilience through business continuity planning. My priority is ensuring that the University is fully compliant with the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, which is due to come into effect in April 2027. Preparing for this will be a key area of focus in the months ahead.

Prior to joining Sussex, I worked as a civil servant in central government, mainly with the Ministry of Defence, before finishing my time at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Before this, I had a full career in the armed forces, working across engineering, logistics and intelligence roles.

Having lived in Brighton for the past ten years, I’m very familiar with the Sussex brand, its strong reputation, and its progressive culture. What inspired me to join the University was hearing Caroline Lucas speak at the Brighton Dome in January. She spoke passionately about her work with Sussex, and it made me think that this is something I want to be part of.

In a year’s time, success will mean having clear foundations in place: strong governance, robust plans, and tangible progress towards compliance with Martyn’s Law. Looking ahead five years, success will be a fully embedded and mature resilience management system, with the University fully compliant with legislative requirements and recognised for best practice in security and resilience.

I was fortunate to be living in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, and the brutalist architecture of East Germany left a lasting impression on me. That’s one of the reasons I really appreciate the Sussex campus buildings, particularly the Library, which I find especially striking with its rolling concrete arches. That said, my favourite place so far has to be the gymnasium. It’s a fantastic facility and one I use daily. An outstanding resource for staff and students alike!