Our Women in Security Q&A series continues with Jenna Hardie, director of marketing and public relations at HiveWatch. The three-time member of the Women in Security Forum (WISF) Power 100 talks about her security industry path, the challenges she’s encountered and how to improve the sector.
Security Sales & Integration: How did you get into the security industry?
Jenna Hardie: Like many, I stumbled into security by chance. My background is in journalism and content creation. When I moved with my husband, who served in the U.S. Air Force, I needed a role that was flexible and remote, and found a PR agency that specialized in clients in the security space.
I was hired as a content specialist, but later expanded into account management and managed clients across the space, getting to learn about the various pieces of the security puzzle and realizing its importance along the way.
SSI: Have you encountered any difficulties or obstacles in your security industry career?
Hardie: The difficulties that I’ve faced aren’t unique to the security industry. Ten years ago, I became a mom and while it was the biggest blessing, it also came with a lot of challenges balancing a heavy workload and a focus on career growth with the demands that new motherhood brings.
When my son came along two years later, the demands continued to grow, which compounded the guilt you feel as a mom who wants to be successful in her career, while also focused on raising good humans. It’s not unlike the countless women who navigate motherhood and career growth, who have the expectation to work like you don’t have kids and raise kids like you don’t work.
The saving grace through the last decade has been the flexibility that remote work provides, without which I wouldn’t be here today.
SSI: Whom would you point to as the most influential and helpful mentors in your career? What did they do to help you?
Hardie: There have been so many women I’ve looked up to inside and outside of this industry. The first was my mom, who was a trauma nurse and would work 12 hours a day. I remember my teachers being so surprised when it was my dad walking into parent/teacher conferences instead of her because he carried a lot of the load at home.
My grandma was also an inspiration, having attended college in the 1930s and earning her bachelor’s of nursing degree and a master’s degree in social work before settling down much later in life. Throughout my career, I’ve looked up to Kim Loy, who walked into every room and always knew she belonged there.
Friendships with women including Candice Aragon at PSA, Therese Hume at Oncam, Sara Schonfeld at HiveWatch and allies including Jon Harris with Mobile Pro Systems and my boss at HiveWatch, Ryan Schonfeld, have all served as inspiration and support for me throughout my career.
SSI: What is your proudest career accomplishment?
Hardie: Honestly, it’s hard to point to just one thing, and I think that’s because my career hasn’t followed a straight line. Every pivot and unexpected turn taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way, and looking back, I think that non-linear path is something I’m genuinely proud of.
One accomplishment I hold close is learning how to execute in marketing without formal training. I was given the trust and the opportunity to figure it out and I ran with it. Being handed that kind of responsibility and delivering on it built a confidence in me that has shaped everything since.
A non-linear career also means you meet people across every corner of the industry, and the professional network I’ve built along the way has been one of my greatest assets. Those relationships led to opportunities I never could have planned for, including being a part of the SIA Steering Committee and being named to the Power 100 three times..
SSI: What do you love most about working in the security industry?
Hardie: I left the industry for a few years to work in cybersecurity (a WHOLE different ball game), but I never lost touch with the people I connected with. You realize when you’re not in it what the industry means and how supportive the people you meet are.
When I returned two years later to join HiveWatch full-time, I realized how much of a community physical security is. Honestly, that network has shaped my career more than any job title or credential ever could. Whether it was a referral, a candid conversation at a conference, or someone vouching for me when it mattered, this community has shown up for me and I try to pay that forward every chance I get.
SSI: How can the security industry become even better?
Hardie: We’re beginning to see the power of incorporating outside ideas and best practices into what’s being built in security – an emphasis on innovation, incorporating intelligence, and modernizing our practices. But it’s not happening fast enough.
Other industries benefit from moving quickly, iterating constantly, and challenging the status quo. And maybe it’s a testament to the kind of work we do, but I think too many security companies play it safe and miss out on the opportunities presented when you challenge the old “that’s how it’s always been done” mindset. This goes for technology innovation, but also how security is marketed and talked about.
The more voices we invite to the table who are willing to challenge the way things have always been done, the stronger and more innovative this industry will become.
Click here to read our entire Women in Security Q&A series!
