SIA welcomes new NPS Awards leadership, opens call for 2025 entries

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named a new chair and vice chair to lead the steering committee for the SIA New Products and Solutions (NPS) Awards, the premier industry event to recognize new and innovative security products and services.

Christine Bergeron of Visa will serve as chair of the NPS Awards Committee, with Elisa Mula of EM Designs (EMD) serving as vice chair.

Established in 1979, the SIA New Products and Solutions Awards, formerly the SIA New Product Showcase, recognize innovative physical security products, services and solutions. Technologies showcased through this program are used in the protection of life and property in residential, commercial and institutional settings.

Bergeron, senior director of global physical security technology at Visa, has worked in corporate security for nearly 27 years, managing electronic security systems, projects and life cycles via the development of design standards and strategic planning as well as managing the global teams responsible for these processes. Prior to her current time at Visa, she was vice president of corporate security technology for nearly 16 years at Morgan Stanley.

Bergeron has been part of the NPS program since 2020, when she participated as a judge panelist during the virtual years, and eventually moved to the NPS Awards Committee, where she had previously been vice chair for the last two award shows.

“I am looking forward to NPS 2025 and continued support to this program,” said Bergeron. “The NPS is a very special program, as it showcases both the new technologies and innovations as well as significant enhancements within the industry and products available today and brings them together for not only the participating judging panelists to connect with, but also to all attendees at ISC West all in one place.”

Mula, founder and protection management specialist at EM Designs, formed EMD in 2004 to achieve her vision of creating a consulting business and to pioneer efforts that would challenge existing paradigms in business management. Focused on an industry in which she had extensive education and years of experience, Mula was able to leverage her expertise for the benefit of EMD specifically and her overall professional goals.

During her more-than-decade-long immersion in the physical security industry, she worked on the manufacturing, integration and consulting aspects of the industry, while simultaneously securing her master’s degree in protection management from John Jay College and expanding her knowledge in video surveillance, access control, biometrics, artificial intelligence and how these technologies play a larger role in developing best practices within a variety of security programs.

“I’m truly honored to serve as the next vice chair of the NPS committee,” stated Mula. “The security industry is home to some of the most innovative technologies, and it’s exciting to see them take center stage. Through highlighting new products and technologies that strengthen security and improve operations, the NPS program plays a crucial role in driving our industry forward.”

“SIA is honored to welcome Christine Bergeron and Elisa Mula as the new chair and vice chair of SIA’s NPS Awards committee,” added SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Christine and Elisa’s deep security technology knowledge and strong track record of success and expertise will be extremely valuable as they lead this committee’s efforts to spearhead and advance the SIA NPS Awards, a highly regarded program celebrating innovation in our industry.”

Entries are open for the 2025 SIA NPS Awards program, presented annually at ISC West, the United States’ leading security trade event, taking place March 31 – April 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada. SIA NPS entries are reviewed by 30+ independent judges, and participating products and solutions are displayed at ISC West in a special area where over 20,000 potential buyers can discover the latest in security products. The awards program recognizes winners in several product and service categories, as well as the prestigious Judges’ Choice and Best New Product awards. SIA members can access discounted entries to the program; learn more and submit an entry here.