GCMA Advisory Board

John Badcock (UK)

John Badcock is a freelance event operations manager with 14 years of experience working across a range of UK festivals and events, from major camping festivals on greenfield sites to single day events in city locations to broadcast arena shows. Since 2014 John has also worked seasonally in Austin, Tx as Event Safety and Operations manager for SXSW, with a specific focus on crowd planning, and integration and emergency preparedness with City of Austin Public Safety agencies.

Simon Battersby (UK)

Simon Battersby is the Co-CEO of Showsec, bringing over 25 years of experience in crowd management and security operations. He has played a central role in the planning and delivery of high-profile events such as the Queen’s funeral, the King’s coronation, the 2012 Olympic Games, and the Tour de France in London. Simon oversees regional operations across the Southeast, Southwest, and Midlands, as well as several corporate functions including Marketing, Projects, and Logistics. A trusted advisor to clients, he has led security efforts at events drawing over 80,000 attendees and is dedicated to creating safe, memorable event environments. Simon has collaborated with Viacom and MTV for more than 15 years, consulting on European productions like the Isle of MTV Malta and the MTV Europe Music Awards. Known for his communication and leadership, he brings both strategic insight and operational expertise to the industry.

Anne Marie Chebib (UK)

Anne Marie Chebib is UKCMA Secretary (United Kingdom Crowd Management Association) and Managing Director of Select Security and Stewarding Ltd . She is a crowd management practitioner and consultant for the special events industry, looking after people who look after people, in all roles. Specialisms include strategic planning, agency liaison, and management of projects and personnel. Representative on various consultation committees, she spends far too much time on Zoom. Taking it seriously but likes to smile. Likes tea.

Iain Fourie (SA)

Iain heads up Safeguard Africa, providing H&S and allied services to events & productions in South Africa and across the continent. An accomplished event safety practitioner, his focus on keeping people safe at events of all shapes and sizes has seen his role evolve into more crowd-focused planning & management. Passionate about building a stronger culture of crowd safety back home, Iain believes in collaboration and is a serving board member of the Event Safety Council in South Africa. With a particular love for crowd dynamics, event control, and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes he is known for bringing a sense of calm to serious situations. He is also proficient in full-contact origami- a highly underrated skill at events.

Eoghan Gill (IE)

Eoghan is the Director of Strategy for S2|FOAMHAND the event consulting division of OSI Systems Inc. He has been involved in the management of security, stewarding and training on major events for over 20 years. He has managed and led teams at two Olympics, two PanAm Games, two Commonwealth Games , two Ryder Cups and one European Championship, as well as hundreds of regional and national events in numerous countries in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

Kate James (UK)

Kate James is a freelance Events, Festivals, and Project Management professional and principal support for the UKCMA. She is the former Festival and Events Manager for the Durham County Council, working on a broad portfolio of events and festivals specifically designed to target the visitor market. Her diverse professional background includes roles in stage management, site coordination and creative programming.

Oliver Kastens (DE)

Oliver Kastens is the Managing Director of KOKO GmbH and one of Europe’s foremost experts in crowd management and event safety. He is known for developing innovative approaches and integrated concepts for managing large-scale events. In 2013, he authored EVENT SECURITY – Handbook for protection at events, which serves as a foundational training guide for event security personnel. Oliver earned a BA (Hons) in Crowd Safety Management from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, making him one of only three Germans to hold an academic degree in this field. He also holds certifications from the German Federal Office of Civil Protection (BBK) and TÜV Süd as a planning coordinator for event safety. Through both scholarship and practical leadership, Oliver continues to elevate standards in the event safety profession.

Chris Kerr (CA)

Chris is the President and co-founder of XA Security, a Calgary, Alberta based firm that has focused on live productions, sporting events and crowd management since 2004. He is a Production Manager with nearly 20 years of experience representing promoters and recording artists on concert tours worldwide. He is also a Festival Operations Director responsible for site planning, infrastructure, stakeholder relations and regulatory compliance. He has extensive experience producing urban events with active audiences and high energy performances. He is the Vice Chair of the Event Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC).

Ben Kidd (UK)

Ben Kidd is an accomplished artist and seasoned creative consultant, specialising in crafting bespoke art across diverse media. With decades of experience in the creative sphere, Ben's journey has taken him centre stage as a performer and behind the scenes as a technician, engineer and producer. A true Renaissance man, he has mastered a spectrum of creative skills, consistently delivering innovative, high-quality work that cements his reputation as a versatile and reliable force in the creative industries.

Cathy Knowsley (NZ) - Director

Cathy is a consultant to the events, arts, and entertainment industries, specialising in health and safety management system development, risk management planning, event specific safety planning, event site management and health and safety monitoring. Cathy is a graduate member of NZISM and is on the HASANZ register for health and safety professionals.

Thyr Rodrigues (BR)

Thyr is a specialist in Fan Services & Experience with over a decade of international experience in major sporting events. He holds an MSc in Crowd Safety & Risk Analysis from Manchester Metropolitan University and has worked in more than 20 countries since 2014.

Thyr began his career at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil before taking on leadership roles in Spectator Services at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. From 2018 to 2024, he led the development and implementation of UEFA’s first Spectator Services programme, delivered at EURO 2020, EURO 2024, and across all UEFA club competition finals including the Champions League, Europa League, and Super Cup.

Janet Sellery (CA)

Janet Sellery is one of Canada’s leading experts in health and safety and the arts. She pioneered the health and safety program at the Stratford Festival, Canada’s largest repertory theatre and one of her favourite projects was working as the Health & Safety Manager for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Ceremonies. Janet is Chair, Event Safety Alliance Canada and an active volunteer with the Ontario Ministry of Labour Live Performance Health & Safety Advisory Committee.

Eric Stuart (UK)

Eric is the director of Gentian Events, a Crowd Safety Management Company established in 2009. He has been involved in Crowd Safety for 15 years, although working with crowds since 1980. He is engaged in planning and creating crowd management plans, delivering them on events sites and training others to do likewise. He is also the author of the UKs good practice guide for multi agency safety advisory groups for events. His current work includes contracts in the UK, US and Canada. He is the Chair of the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA)

Becca Wilusz (US)

Becca Wilusz serves as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Game Operations and Championships. Wilusz is a Duke Athletics lead in planning and execution of stadium safety and security operations and has been recognized as an Industry Leader Under 40 by The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. A multiple degree graduate of Duke University, Wilusz earned a B.S.E. in biomedical and mechanical engineering with a minor in history in 2007, a M.S. in biomedical engineering in 2011 and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering in 2013.

Jacob Worek (US)

Jacob Worek is a BCSP-certified Safety Management Professional (SMP) with over two decades of experience in event production and operations. He currently serves as the National Director of Safety for Rhino Staging and spent 12 years as the Director of Operations for the Event Safety Alliance, where he oversaw business operations and played a central role in the creation and implementation of the organization’s education, training, guidance, and outreach programs. Jacob is a course developer and instructor for the University of California San Diego’s Event Safety Certificate Program and has served as a safety advisor for a wide range of concerts, festivals, experiential marketing activations, and motorsports events.