The Life Safety Alliance (LSA) has announced its 2026 Top Global Thought Leaders in Security and Life Safety, recognizing 41 professionals after a tie for the final position expanded the annual list beyond its traditional 40 honorees.

Now in its third year, the recognition program identifies individuals shaping the future of the security and life safety industry. According to LSA, the 2026 honorees represent physical security, life safety, cybersecurity, risk and crisis management, and occupational health and safety. The list includes practitioners, technology and service providers, researchers, and academics from 13 countries across six continents.

For 2026, LSA updated its scoring methodology by introducing two new categories: Expert Witness, which recognizes individuals who provide specialized testimony in litigation, insurance, or investigations, and Legislative & Regulatory Testimony, which acknowledges those who influence policy through formal testimony before legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, or standards organizations.

Andrew Thorburn, enterprise security and risk manager at Wesco Anixter (formerly Atlas Gentech NZ Limited) in New Zealand, led candidate outreach for the second consecutive year and helped refine this year's scoring criteria.

"Introducing new categories for 2026 enabled us to identify types of influence previously overlooked," said Thorburn. "We will keep refining these categories for the program to make sure we include the most important efforts shaping our industry."

The Class of 2026 includes 13 individuals recognized for the third consecutive year, 14 returning honorees making their second appearance and 14 first-time recipients. Nineteen of the 41 honorees are based outside the United States. Austria, India, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay are represented on the list for the first time.

LSA said final scores covered activity between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026 and were calculated using a proprietary algorithm. The methodology evaluates conference speaking engagements, webinar and podcast appearances, authored articles and mentions, academic instruction, awards and honors, board positions, and volunteer leadership.

The organization reviewed the credentials of hundreds of professionals across the life safety and security sectors and invited more than 200 candidates identified as leading industry voices to submit supporting evidence for their nominations.

"A tie at the very bottom of the list tells you everything about how competitive this recognition has become," said Becky Lane, CEO of LSA. "Rather than artificially break the tie, we chose to honor both candidates, and I think that decision reflects the spirit of this program."

Lane added that the program continues to recognize different forms of industry leadership.

"What strikes me every year is how differently thought leadership can look," Lane said. "Some of our honorees have built decades of visibility in this industry, while others are only now stepping into that role. Both belong on this list."

LSA also announced that nominations for the 2027 recognition program are now open.

"If you're doing work that's moving this industry forward, whether that's on a stage, in a courtroom, or on a podcast, we encourage you to participate," Thorburn said. "That's the spirit behind the list, and it's why we're opening nominations for 2027 now."