Commercial Integrator + Security Sales Sept/Oct 2023 - 122

SECURE PERSPECTIVES
EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
i-PRO HR Director Urges Women in Security
Industry to Stand Up and Be Heard
FOR THIS EDITION of SECURE Perspectives,
SIA spoke with Dayanna Nunez, human
resources director at i-PRO Americas
Inc. In spring 2023, Nunez was recognized
as a 2023 SIA WISF Power 100 honoree -selected
as one of 100 exceptional women in
security who are raising the bar, changing
expectations and breaking barriers.
SIA: How did you get into the security
industry?
Dayanna Nunez: I was contacted by a
recruiter for i-PRO, which at the time was
Panasonic i-PRO Sensing Solutions. I did
not know anything about the security
industry prior to this!
SIA: What are the top challenges your
company has faced in the past year?
DN: Most of us are feeling the effects of the
economy, and it is sometimes difficult to
find people who want to leave their current
roles not sure what is going to happen in
the future. We are also still feeling the
effects of a hot job market that raised
compensation expectations tremendously
during the pandemic.
SIA: How does your organization serve
the industry?
DN: Our line of business includes development,
manufacture and sales of devices
and modules for the security, medicine and industrial fields. We
provide solutions including system integration, construction,
maintenance and related services.
DAYANNA NUNEZ
Human Resources Director,
i-PRO Americas Inc.
SIA: What is your best advice for
women in the industry?
DN: Do not be intimidated by being the
only woman in the room. Take this as an
opportunity to impress, change biases and
drive change.
SIA: Who or what was the strongest
influence in your career?
DN: I come from a family where the womSIA:
What trends are you seeing in your role in HR
leadership for i-PRO?
DN: I am really excited about what we are doing around diversity,
because for us, diversity is not just gender, but diversity in
industries, backgrounds, generations, etc. Last year we started a
D&I Steering Committee in each global region, and we focus on
activities that drive change across the company.
In the U.S., we looked at our policies and updated our
parental leave policy effective early 2023. We went from two
weeks of parental leave, although women could take short-term
disability, and updated it to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for
all genders.
We also went above that and are allowing parental leave to be
taken up to a year after birth of a child to allow for flexibility in
childcare. This change has allowed us to better attract younger
professionals who are considering starting families soon.
In addition, we keep pushing our hiring managers to think
outside the box and look at their departments deeper when it
comes to recruiting. What do they really need? Do they need
someone from the industry that is so seasoned, or do they already
have technical experts in the team but lack other soft skills
that are harder to teach?
Our recruiting strategy has been developing greatly, and that
has allowed us to find a diverse and talented pool of candidates.
en are very strong-willed and overcome all obstacles. Watching
my mom thrive in difficult situations and mentoring me along
the way since I was little really shaped me. I had to grow up
very quickly due to life circumstances, but she made sure to
explain the whys and possible solutions so I knew there was
always another way to do things. She always pushed me to be
better and do better and would really encourage me to make
my own decisions and not follow the status quo. She taught me
that it was a good thing if I was the only woman or woman of
color or the youngest person in the room.
SIA: What would you say to new upcoming women in the
industry?
DN: It is very important to take advantage of resources available
to you - that could be trainings, networking opportunities, employee
resource groups, participating in events, joining SIA, etc.
The more visible you are, the more you will have opportunities
to learn because people will see that you want to be involved.
Learn from other women by getting a mentor so you can learn
their struggles and how they have overcome them. SSI
SECURE Perspectives is a column by the Security Industry
Association (SIA) profiling women in the security industry.
This column is part of SIA's Women in Security Forum
(WISF), an initiative to support the participation of women in
the security field.
122 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | Sept/Oct 2023
Commercial Integrator + Security Sales Sept/Oct 2023

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