Optic Security promotes Hill to WA operations manager

Optic Security Group has promoted Patrick Hill to Operations Manager for Western Australia as it expands its Perth presence with a new office in Malaga.

Hill will oversee the group's work in the state, where it is targeting service and maintenance contracts across immigration, mining, resources, data centres and tertiary education.

The appointment is an internal promotion for a manager with more than a decade of project experience in the security sector. Hill has worked with clients in data centres, universities, education and healthcare, and took part in a wireless network security project in Western Australia after training with US foreign security agencies.

He reports to Jobe Rout, Regional Manager West (NT & WA), as the business looks to build on its growth in Western Australia. The Perth operation is intended to mirror progress in the Northern Territory, where Optic works with organisations including NT Police, Darwin Airport and NT Government hospitals.

Perth expansion

The new office in Malaga is now operating as Optic's local base in Perth. Western Australia is a growing market for the group's services, and the opening reflects a broader push to strengthen its local position.

Hill currently leads a team of three specialist technicians: Ean Wheeler, Matt Withnell and Shaun Jones. Recruitment is under way to add staff, while a small group of local subcontractors supports delivery for customers in the state.

Other staff tied to the Western Australian operation include Key Account Manager Bindi Johnston, who works alongside an immigration client with operations across Australia, and National Solutions Estimator Russel Walker.

Sector focus

Optic provides security services to enterprise and government customers in Australia and New Zealand. Its work spans advisory services, integrated physical security and safety systems, monitoring, servicing and maintenance, as well as information security, cybersecurity and IT services.

Its focus on sectors such as immigration, mining, resources, data centres and higher education has helped it pursue larger maintenance opportunities in Western Australia. That focus also reflects the state economy, where critical infrastructure, industrial operations and institutional estates create steady demand for security installation and support work.

Western Australia has become an important market for security providers seeking long-term contracts tied to infrastructure and essential services. Perth's distance from the country's east coast has often required companies to establish local teams rather than rely on fly-in support, particularly when customers need routine maintenance and rapid response.

For Optic, putting a larger leadership structure in place suggests it wants a more direct role in that market. Hill and his team are positioning themselves for sustained growth under Rout's oversight.

"Patrick and his experienced team are focused on securing large service and maintenance contracts, and laying the groundwork for future solution integration projects," said Rout.

The promotion also comes as the company's leadership gains wider visibility in Australia's security industry. Grant McKechnie has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Australian Security Industry Awards in the Cybersecurity Leader of the Year category.

That nomination aligns with Optic's broader pitch as a provider working across both physical and digital security risks. It serves enterprise and government clients with a combined approach covering advisory work, systems design, installation and ongoing support.

Hill's appointment gives the Perth office an Operations Manager at a time when the company is moving from market entry to local consolidation. With a core team in place, more hiring under way and a permanent base in Malaga, the Western Australian unit is being positioned as a larger part of Optic's Australian business.