Andrew Staniforth & Special Guests

About Andrew Staniforth & Special Guests

Andrew Staniforth | Director of Innovation | SAHER (Europe)
Andrew is Director of Innovation at SAHER Europe, a security research and training consultancy operating at a global level. As an international security and innovation expert, with extensive operational expertise in counter-terrorism gained as a counter-terrorism police detective, he has supported missions of the United Nations Terrorism Prevention Branch. As a qualified teacher Andrew has designed international multi-agency security exercise programmes and has delivered counter-terrorism training to Senior Police Commanders from across the world. As a Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in security and counter terrorism, he has held academic positions at leading research institutes and is the author and editor of 12 books and sits by invitation on the Advisory Panel of the Crisis Response Journal.

Monica Crisan | Head of Social Inclusion Unit | Italian Red Cross
Monica is Head of Social Inclusion Unit, and Head of Project Management Unit at the Italian Red Cross in Vicenza. Since 2008 Monica has worked for the Vicenza branch of the Italian Red Cross as a social worker and project manager. In 2020 she became a first responder in health emergencies and during the Covid-19 pandemic she coordinated the operations centre responding to all the needs of local authorities and citizens. During 2023 she became a first responder in disaster and migration management and is a qualified social worker with a Bachelet degree in Languages, Civilisation and Science of Language, Master’s Degree in Interculturality, Labour and Social Services and Level 1 Master in Risk and Disaster Management.

Meredydd Hughes CBE QPM | Director | SAHER (Europe)
In his 32-year police career, Meredydd Hughes served in four UK forces and was the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire for 7 years. He has extensive experience in the leadership of major public events, roads policing, firearms, and emergency planning. His national responsibilities included oversight of the 2005 G8 Conference, the 2010 Papal Visit to the UK, and he led the 2012 Olympic Games Planning Team for two years. Meredydd now works as an international consultant in strategic policing issues and as a Director at SAHER (Europe), he has been involved in multiple projects funded by the European Commission and is an Associate Professor at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security.

Dr Holger Nitsch | Head of Social Science, Policing Department, University of Applied Sciences for Public Affairs in Bavaria
Holger studied at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich political science, economy, and psychology. He specialised in International Relations and Terrorism. He was working at the Munich Airport in the field of prevention of illegal migration and counterterrorism. He currently is working as the head of the social science department for the University of Applied Sciences for Public Affairs in Bavaria – Department for Policing. Holger is also the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Police & Security Research (CEPOLIS) and is the coordinator of EU funded security research and innovation projects PROPHETs, FERMI, POLIIICE DroneWISE. He has also been awarded the position of honourable professor at the state University of Odesa