BAPSC - Key Persons


Andy Bearpark - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Director General
  • Director General of the British Association of Private Security Companies
Andy Bearpark is the Director General of the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC), an independent trade association representing the leading UK companies in the specialist private security and risk management sector. Prior to taking up his position, Mr. Bearpark served as Director of Operations and Infrastructure for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Bearpark served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG) in charge of the EU Pillar of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and was responsible for overseeing the province's reconstruction and economic development. From 1998 to until his appointment in Kosovo, Mr. Bearpark was based in Sarajevo where he served as Deputy High Representative in the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and was responsible for the Reconstruction and Return Task Force, a grouping of international organisations facilitating minority return in Bosnia Herzegovina. Before taking up his positions in Bosnia and Kosovo, Mr. Bearpark held a series of senior positions with Her Majesty's Government. From 1991 to 1997 he was Head of the Information and Emergency Aid Departments of the Overseas Development Administration (ODA). In this position Mr. Bearpark was responsible for running all UK Government emergency relief operations, including programmes in Bosnia, Rwanda, Northern Iraq and Somalia. Between 1991 and 1995, he was also Press Secretary to the ODA Minister Baroness Chalker. Before rejoining the ODA 1991, Mr. Bearpark founded and managed a public relations consultancy. From 1986 to 1989, he served as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, responsible first for Home Affairs and later for Parliamentary Affairs. He later served as Chief of Staff to Lady Thatcher during her initial period after leaving office. Mr. Bearpark began his career in public service in 1973 with the ODA. In his first thirteen years with the organisation he was responsible for running a number of bilateral development programmes in Asia and Africa. His field postings included three years based in Bangkok with regional responsibility for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma and Malaysia and on secondment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as First Secretary (Aid) with the British High Commission in Zimbabwe. A graduate of the University of London, he is married with 2 children and lives in Bath in England.

Penny Beels

Job Titles:
  • Deputy Director General of the British Association
Penny Beels is the Deputy Director General of the British Association of Private Security Companies. She came to the BAPSC from a background that encompassed working for Her Majesty's Government, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the private security industry, International Monitoring in the Balkans and experience of nation and democracy building, including security sector reform, in the Cabinets of successive High Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her career began in 1973 as a government servant in the security defence sector. From 1976-1977 she served in Northern Ireland. In 1978 she joined Control Risks where she played a major part in setting up their Information Service providing incisive analysis of regional and political developments world-wide supplying the private sector with up-to-date information on formulating their business strategy abroad particularly in hostile areas and difficult environments. She then moved to their office in Washington DC to assist develop their opportunities in the Americas returning in 1982 as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and their Main Board. She left the security sector in 1983 working in the Art Business establishing a successful picture framing and gallery business. Returning to the defence sector in 1994 she worked for Defence Systems Ltd (now Armor Group) establishing their Special Projects Department providing security assistance and support to International Agencies and Humanitarian Projects in post conflict areas such as the Balkans and Africa. Working directly with both the Chairman and CEO of the company, she provided the management for the first EU contract in Bosnia and Herzegovina providing mine clearance training. In 1997 she was recruited by the FCO to join the UK Presidency of the EU Monitoring Mission and spent two years working extensively throughout the Balkans, including the period of the crisis in Kosovo, reporting on the political developments and the social and security situation. She has extensive experience of providing the administration for election monitoring and its processes. In 1999 she joined the Cabinet of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, where her responsibilities, along with the constitutional process of state building and establishment of the Rule of Law, included the social problems of refugee return and reconstruction. Throughout this period she worked closely with Andrew Bearpark, whom she had met previously through business with the ODA, now DFID. In 2001 she assisted in the coordination of the handover of the High Representative to Lord Ashdown and moved to Brussels to manage his representative office as EU Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wolfgang Petritsch

Job Titles:
  • High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina