WE ARE COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

The International Foundation for Protection Officers provides professional learning opportunities for security practitioners, to impart the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to maximize job performance and enhance career potential.

Purpose:  to make a positive difference in the quality of the participant’s job performance and elevate the professional status of students who partake of our learning opportunities.

Business: to supply committed security practitioners with a quality education to help achieve their highest potential and provide recognized accreditation for successful completion of educational goals.

Values:  commitment, integrity, responsibility, and standards of excellence, provide the platform that supports our journey as we pursue our mission.

Meet Our Board

Pat Finucane CPP CSSM CPO
Pat Finucane CPP CSSM CPOCountry Director
With over 28 years experience within the Private and Public security sector, Pat is an experienced security professional and transformation driver with a demonstrated history of physical security program design and execution across global markets. He was recently appointed Global Physical Security Operations Manager at Pinterest.
Prior to joining Pinterest, Pat has held senior leadership roles at Dropbox, Global Risk Solutions and the Irish Defence Forces. He has served on operational deployments to the Middle East, Africa and across the Balkans.

A keen advocate for Veteran affairs and continuing professional development, Pat is the Co-President of the Veterans Employee Resource Group at Pinterest, where he is actively involved in helping to encourage former service personnel transition from service and retrain to new careers in the tech sector.

Pat holds several postgraduate degrees from Dublin City University, University of Saint Andrews, National University Maynooth and Institute of Technology, Carlow. In addition to academic credentials, he holds IFPO CPO, CSSM certifications and ASIS CPP certification.

Garry Bergin PC MSc CSyP® CPP® SRMCP® CPOI® CTSP® FSyI F.ISRM M.Sec.I.I EMII-M
Garry Bergin PC MSc CSyP® CPP® SRMCP® CPOI® CTSP® FSyI F.ISRM M.Sec.I.I EMII-MAdvisory Board Member
A Multi-Award Winning Security Professional, Garry was appointed as a Peace Commissioner appointed by the Minister for Justice in 2017. Garry is a highly qualified and experienced security professional, with over two decades of security management experience across a variety of security industry sectors. He holds an MSc in Security Management and is currently studying towards a Professional Doctorate at the University of Portsmouth focussing on the development of training syllabuses for the security industry internationally. Garry currently works as a Commercial Manager and Security Consultant at Manguard Plus. He has extensive security operations management experience and has previously managed some of the largest multi-national security contracts in Ireland.
• Current Chair of ISRM Ireland Chapter & Former Vice-Chair of ASIS Ireland (Chapter 216)
• Director, Board Member and Lecturer with the Security Institute of Ireland (Since 2011)
• Fellow of the UK Security Institute (FSyI) & Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (F.ISRM)
• Chartered Security Professional (CSyP®) and Certified Technical Security Professional (CTSP®)
• Security Risk Management Certified Professional (SRMCP®)
• IFPO Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI®)
Paul Kellett DSM, PC, MSc, CPP, SRMCP, CPOI, F.ISRM
Paul Kellett DSM, PC, MSc, CPP, SRMCP, CPOI, F.ISRM Advisory Board Member
A Peace Commissioner appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality in Ireland, Paul is a highly skilled and qualified professional with over 35 years front-line uniformed service, including 17 years of strategic management experience in a leadership role. He also has 14 years military experience, during which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) and the Spanish Cross of Naval Merit with White Distinction by the Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, on behalf of the King of Spain. He holds a MSc (Hons) in Emergency Management from Dublin City University (DCU).

• Current Vice Chair of ISRM Ireland Chapter
• Director, Board Member and Lecturer with the Security Institute of Ireland
• Board Member of the Emergency Management Institute of Ireland (EMII)
• Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (F.ISRM)
• Chartered Security Professional (CSyP)
• Security Risk Management Certified Professional (SRMCP)
• IFPO Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI)

Finbarr McCarthy CPP, CPOI, F.ISRM, M.Sec.II, Dip F.C. Psych
Finbarr McCarthy CPP, CPOI, F.ISRM, M.Sec.II, Dip F.C. PsychAdvisory Board Member
Finbarr has spent over 30 years working within the private security industry locally and internationally, holding both European Regional and Global security leadership roles with US Fortune 500 companies including Dell, UPS, Amgen BioTech, State Street Bank, Mylan Pharma and Amazon.

With a personal mantra of “doing what’s right and not what’s easy”, Finbarr specialises in developing dynamic and sustainable physical security programs across the globe with a focus on contract guard force management, project management, policy development and risk identification and mitigation.

Winner of the 2022 OSPA for the Outstanding In House Security Manager/Director, Finbarr is also a member of both the Security Institute of Ireland and ASIS Chapter 216, as well as a Fellow and Chapter Secretary of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), is an ASIS Board Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and was was appointed a Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI) on successful completion of both the Certified Protection Officer (CPO) and the Certified in Security Supervisory Management (CSSM) examinations with the IFPO.

Damien Mc Donough MSc, PGCert, CPP®, CPOI®, SRMCP®
Damien Mc Donough MSc, PGCert, CPP®, CPOI®, SRMCP®Advisory Board Member
Damien is highly qualified security professional, with over 20 years’ experience in the Military and private sector. He holds a MSc in Security Risk Management from the University of Leicester, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Healthcare in Austere Environments from the University of South Wales. He also has a Professional Certificate in Strategic Leadership and Organisational Change from the National University of Ireland Maynooth.
He is a board-certified Protection Officer Instructor with the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) and is also a registered security consultant and trainer with the security institute of Ireland (SII). He is also a board-certified ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP), as well as a board-certified Security Risk Management Certified Professional (SRMCP) from the SRM body of knowledge. Damien is also a registered Emergency Medical Technician with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council of Ireland (PHECC). He also holds a QQI level 6 in Train the Trainer.

• Director of the Security Institute of Ireland
• Member of the security advisory board of the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO)
• Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM)
• Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI) with IFPO
• ASIS Certified Protection Professional

Committed to the support and professional development of protection officers and supervisors