Iluminar CEO Eddie Reynolds wins inaugural SIA Progress Award

The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named industry veteran Edwina (Eddie) Reynolds, president and CEO of Iluminar Inc., as the 2018 recipient of the inaugural SIA Progress Award, an honor presented by SIA's Women in Security Forum celebrating individuals who pave the way to success for women in the security industry. The award will be presented to Reynolds during SIA Honors Night on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in New York City, in conjunction with the ISC East conference and expo.

“I am truly humbled to be the first recipient of the SIA Progress Award, and I want to thank SIA for this incredible honor,” Reynolds said in the award announcement. “I have been working in the security industry for over 25 years, and while challenges still exist, the industry has made a lot of progress, and I am committed to continuing to advocate for more equality and more diversity across the field. As influencers, leaders and companies across the security industry have a greater focus on the advancement of women, I believe we can truly empower women to be leaders and agents of change in their respective fields and shift the narrative in our industry.”

Reynolds has been the founder and CEO of multiple established CCTV lighting companies. She began her security career as an account executive for U.K. integrator Chubb Fire & Security in the mid-1990s and went on to work for Pinkerton Security, Rainbow CCTV and Sony. From 2005 to 2008, Reynolds was the U.S. partner for a U.K.-based CCTV lighting company, and she founded Iluminar in 2009. Reynolds has led Iluminar to develop award-winning solutions and be the lighting solution partner for several market leaders. In 2018, she was appointed to the SIA Executive Council, where she works with other security leaders to launch initiatives that support the growth and advancement of the security industry at large.

“SIA is proud to present Eddie Reynolds with the first-ever SIA Progress Award for serving as a longtime advocate and role model for women in the security industry,” Don Erickson, SIA's CEO, said in the announcement. “Mentorship and thought leadership are critical to helping women grow in this field, and we applaud Eddie for her dedicated involvement in the industry and contributing her expert insight, knowledge and advice.”

Reynolds has been a longtime supporter of initiatives to support the advancement of women and overall diversity in the security and technology industries. As part of these efforts, she traveled to the University of Arkansas on behalf of the International Organization of Black Security Executives in early 2018 to speak to students about career development skills and job opportunities within the industry.

Reynolds recently contributed to the first women-authored issue of SIA Technology Insights with an article on the importance of external illumination systems when lighting for video surveillance and will speak on a women's panel at ISC West 2019, coming up April 10-12 in Las Vegas, Nev.

In addition to presenting the SIA Progress Award, SIA will honor industry leaders at Honors Night 2018 with the George R. Lippert Memorial Award, the Insightful Practitioner Award, the Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award and the Women in Biometrics Award. SIA will also honor the 2018 recipients of the SIA RISE Scholarship and the inaugural Denis R. Hebert Identity Management Scholarship.

Editor's Note: Security Systems News is excited but not surprised to see Reynolds honored in this way, as SSN featured her in our annual Women in Security issue in 2016. You can read the profile here. And speaking on women in security, if you know of a woman who is making a difference in the industry, we would love to highlight her in our December Women in Security issue. Emails can be sent to: pragusa@securitysystemsnews.com.