Security Media Appoints Tim Compston as Features Editor
Security Media Publishing is delighted to announce the appointment of Tim Compston as its new features editor. Moving forward Compston’s main remit will be to focus on the development of topical feature-based material across Security Media’s existing outlets, namely: the bi-monthly SecurityNewsDesk newspaper, SecurityNewsDesk.com and SecurityMiddleEast.com. In addition, it is envisaged that he will work closely with members of the Security Media management team to help identify new strategic opportunities for what is already a fast-growing business.
Compston is certainly well equipped to take on the pivotal position of features editor as he brings with him considerable experience as a respected freelance journalist. Over the past four years alone he has written over 120 cover stories, and other articles, on topics as diverse as ‘piracy in the Indian Ocean’, ‘the rise of drones’, ‘biometrics for access control’, and ‘smarter parking in San Francisco’, for a wide range of media outlets with both a UK and international reach. The publications Compston has already contributed to include: Security Middle East magazine, Intersec (the Journal of International Security), Traffic Technology International, TollTrans, Intertraffic, Risk UK and PSI magazine.
In addition to his journalistic skills, through 24 years of business-to-business Public Relations (PR) for consultancies and in-house, Compston has first-hand experience of the other side of the media relations equation. Most recently Compston was the PR director at Compston PR, which specialised in promoting clients in the security sector, where he undertook work for, amongst others, the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and its Export Council as well as Elmdene International Limited.
Beyond this, Compston is a past chairman of the PR Committee of the CCTV Section of the BSIA (British Security Industry Association) and a two-time chairman of the BSIA’s National PR Committee. He also spent eight years at AD Group – the parent company of Dedicated Micros – as Group PR Manager. In terms of industry accolades, the high point of Compston’s PR career was securing a Northwest IPR Award for ‘Best Trade and Technical Campaign’ for his consultancy work around remotely monitored CCTV on behalf of RemGuard Visual Management.
Speaking about his appointment, Tim Compston said: “This is certainly an exciting opportunity for me. I am looking forward to joining a publishing house that has ambitious plans for the future and, crucially, a strong commitment to deliver issue-driven feature content across all of its platforms.”
Said Philip Ingram, managing director at Security Media Publishing: “We are pleased to welcome Tim to the team at such a pivotal time for the business and believe that he is well placed to help us further enhance the strength of the editorial content we offer, particularly from an in-depth feature perspective. His background as a journalist covering key growth markets like the Middle East over the past few years should also prove invaluable.”
