Alistair Enser
MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Alistair joined the board of Reliance High-Tech in September 2018, prior to which he was the President of the Global Products and Technology Division at Stanley Security and Global Sales Director at Siemens Security Products.

During a successful career that spans more than 25 years within the Security Industry starting in sales, Alistair has enabled business success across a range of Commercial, Technology and Leadership positions ranging from mid sized, independent UK businesses, through to venture capital backed International Security & Systems Manufacturers, as well as global roles within large corporations.

At the core of all of these activities has been a focus on building first class, highly skilled and highly motivated teams with a customer first attitude, supported by world class solutions and value add.

Equally at home on the athletics track as an active member of England Athletics, managing an annual series of Cross Country Events for 100’s of athletes, Alistair is deeply passionate about people as well as business.

This is summarised in our simple mantra “Serious about Technology, Passionate about People”

David Walton,
LLB(Hons) ACMA CGMA

Chief Finance Officer

David joined the board of Reliance High-Tech as Chief Finance Officer in August 2018, following 14 years in Siemens. The majority of his time there was spent within Siemens Building Technologies where he held a variety of senior finance and commercial roles and has 10 years’ experience within the Fire & Security market.

David has a track record of delivering process improvement across the finance functions and has a strong focus on customer relations. David is a Chartered Management Accountant, CIMA and has a Law Degree from Brunel University.

Andy Schofield

Chief Technology Officer

Andy joined Reliance High-Tech in 2014 as Chief Technology Officer from UTC following several senior roles within the security industry.

Andy has over 25 years of experience working within IT, fire and security. During this time he has delivered information technology solutions that have successfully combined operational improvements with technical compliance for leading security organisations and their customers. This has included roles with Chubb Fire and Security and UTC Fire and Security globally.

His role at Reliance High-Tech is focused on creating differentiation and growth through new technologies and offerings, whilst also ensuring that Reliance continues to deliver innovative and secure solutions to its key markets.

James Smith
MBA, BA (Hons), MCIM)

Sales & Marketing Director

With a career that spans more than 25 years within the dynamic realms of technology and security, James joined the Reliance High-Tech family in 2023. Throughout his professional journey, he has navigated senior roles and amassed a wealth of experience and expertise in the ever-evolving Security Industry.

James is driven by a fervent passion for cultivating successful teams and recognising the intrinsic value of relationships as the cornerstone of any prosperous venture. His approach revolves around the art of building enduring connections, valuing each relationship as a pivotal element for positive outcomes. With a keen eye on the transformative power of technology, James is dedicated to showcasing how organisations can leverage cutting-edge advancements, including the latest cloud and AI technology, for revolutionary impact.

His philosophy aligns seamlessly with Reliance High-Tech’s guiding mantra – “Serious about Technology, Passionate about People.”

Mark Burroughs

Operations Director

Mark Cole

Head of Projects

Carl Smith

Head of Service

Carl joined Reliance High Tech in 2000 as a Service engineer and swiftly moved into the role of Service Manager a year later. He has since worked to grow the Service and Maintenance department and build strong relationships with a diverse customer base. He joined the board in 2017 as Head of Service.
Carl has an in-depth knowledge of the Security industry, with over 30 years experience, and has a track record of delivering solution-focused improvements for customers.
His role at reliance is focused on customer satisfaction and first fix solutions and to ensure that customers continue to feel safe, secure and valued within an ever-changing market.

Chris Allcard

Lone Worker Services Director

Chris joined Reliance in 2013 in the role of Head of Lone Worker Services having spent the previous 10 years in the lone worker sector with SoloProtect (formerly Connexion2) in senior management positions responsible for developing both direct and indirect channel sales models both in the UK and overseas.

Chris took overall responsibility for the Reliance Protect business unit and joined the Reliance Executive Management Team in late 2013. Chris has extensive experience in deploying large scale lone worker solutions with clients across a range of sectors and end user applications. Chris sits on the BSIA lone worker section committee and was part of the BS 8484 lone worker standard development work in 2016.

Chris is driven by business growth through really understanding customer needs and delivering solutions aimed to maximise value with service delivery to the highest standards.

Chris graduated from Loughborough University of Technology with a Science degree and initially held technical and project management positions within the utilities sector before moving into product development and consultancy within the medical device industry, working with start-ups to multinationals.

Paul Winstanley, F.INST.P, FIET, C.ENG

Non Executive Director and Innovation

Paul is an entrepreneurial technologist with a substantial track record for applying innovation in the defence and security sectors spanning academia, government, SMEs and international PLCs.

Paul’s early career was with UK MoD, then with QinetiQ where he held a number of leadership roles including Technical Director of the Sensors & Avionics business and then CEO of QinetiQ Inc. Subsequently, Paul has founded and ran a SME and then was the inaugural Executive Director Innovation and Investment at the UK Defence Solutions Centre. Currently, Paul is the CEO of CENSIS, one of Scotland’s Innovation Centres focused on sensing, imaging and the internet of things (IoT).

Paul’s broad technology and business skills are ideally matched to ensure Reliance continue to be the number one partner of choice for future proof, innovative solutions.

Technology and Engineering and The Institute of Physics and is a Chartered Engineer.

Peter Hawksworth

Non Executive Director & Chairperson

Peter is the Global CEO of Future Energy Solutions (FES), the leading European and American funded Lighting As a Service (LaaS) business.  Previously he was Global CEO of Siemens Security Products and Aim listed Photoscan Plc, a pioneer in electronic security.

He has a passion for driving the application of new technologies across Integrated Security, Building Automation and HVAC, enabling organisations to create more sustainable, energy-efficient, safe and secure buildings.

As a seasoned NED, and with a background in ‘As a service’ aaS business models, Peter’s contributions to vision and strategy are well positioned for today’s digital revolution.