Ava Risk Group names Bryant Henson as Chief Executive

Ava Risk Group has appointed Bryant Henson as Chief Executive Officer, effective later this month.

Henson joins the security technology company after senior roles at Otis, L3Harris Technologies and Lockheed Martin. He takes over as Ava looks to expand in North America and strengthen its position in infrastructure security.

The appointment brings a long-serving aerospace, defence and industrial executive to a business whose products are used by government, defence and commercial customers in more than 70 countries.

Most recently, Henson was Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategy and Business Development at Otis Worldwide Corporation, where he oversaw growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and business development across more than 200 countries and territories.

Before that, he served as President of both the Tactical Communications Sector and the Mission Avionics Sector at L3Harris Technologies. Earlier in his career, he spent 16 years at Lockheed Martin in a series of senior operational, business development and executive roles.

Ava develops sensing and physical security systems for critical infrastructure. Its portfolio includes Future Fibre Technologies, BQT Solutions and GJD Manufacturing, supplying products spanning fibre optic sensing, biometric access control, electronic locking, perimeter detection, illumination and imaging.

The leadership change comes as governments, defence organisations and infrastructure operators increase spending to protect essential assets. Ava pointed to geopolitical tensions, ageing infrastructure, digital transformation and the convergence of physical and cyber security as key demand drivers.

Board view

Chairman David Cronin outlined the board's view of the market backdrop and the rationale for the appointment.

"The protection of mission-critical infrastructure has become one of the defining security challenges of our time. Governments and infrastructure operators are under increasing pressure to protect essential assets against more sophisticated threats while maintaining operational continuity, resilience and efficiency. For decades, the physical security industry has focused on detecting events. We believe the next generation of intelligent security will be defined by understanding those events, providing customers with meaningful operational intelligence that enables faster decisions, improves resilience and helps safeguard essential services," said David Cronin, Chairman of Ava Risk Group.

Cronin also highlighted Henson's record in strategy and operational leadership.

"Bryant brings exactly the leadership experience we were looking for. He has built and led world-class technology businesses, developed long-term strategic partnerships and successfully executed growth strategies across global defense, aerospace and critical infrastructure markets. Just as importantly, he understands that innovation only creates value when it delivers measurable outcomes for customers," Cronin said.

New Chief Executive

For Henson, the move marks a return to sectors where government and industrial customers are seeking more integrated approaches to monitoring and securing sites and networks.

"Throughout my career, I've been privileged to work with organizations that solve complex challenges for customers operating in some of the world's most demanding environments. What attracted me to Ava Risk Group was the opportunity to build on an outstanding technology foundation and help scale a business with tremendous global potential. The market is entering an exciting period of transformation. Customers increasingly require more than sensors or security devices; they need intelligent platforms that deliver actionable information, improve operational awareness and support better decisions across increasingly complex environments," said Bryant Henson, Chief Executive Officer of Ava Risk Group.

He also outlined how he intends to approach the role.

"Ava has earned an outstanding reputation for innovation, technical excellence and customer success. The company's technologies address some of the world's most important physical security challenges, and I believe there is a significant opportunity to expand that leadership by continuing to invest in innovation, strengthening strategic partnerships and remaining relentlessly focused on customer outcomes," Henson said.

"My priorities are straightforward: listen to our customers, support our people, invest in innovation and execute with discipline. By bringing together intelligent sensing, AI-powered analytics and integrated physical security platforms, we have an opportunity to help customers generate better operational intelligence, strengthen resilience and make faster, more informed decisions. I believe Ava is exceptionally well positioned for its next phase of growth, and I look forward to working alongside our employees, customers and partners to realize that opportunity," he added.

Ava's businesses serve sites including airports, military installations, correctional facilities, energy infrastructure, transport networks and communications links. That gives the company exposure to customers under pressure to improve detection, visibility and response across large or sensitive estates.

Henson's appointment suggests the board wants a leader with experience in large-scale international sales, strategy and defence-sector procurement as competition grows in security systems for critical infrastructure.