This blog is part of our Breaking Barriers series that celebrates the remarkable women leaders who play a pivotal role in shaping Securitas into the company it is today.
Meet Laura Rose, vice president of commercial strategy for Securitas North America. Her career spans 15 years in marketing and commercial strategy.
She is recognized for leading high-performing teams and driving growth across global organizations. In 2022, Security Systems News named Laura a “40 under 40,” highlighting her impact as one of the industry’s rising leaders.
Known for her optimism, curiosity, and collaborative mindset, Laura is passionate about helping others grow and believes in learning from everyone around her. As she puts it: “I’m always looking for inspiration from all levels of the organization and from outside our industry. If we’re not learning and growing, we’re falling behind.”
Continue reading for more insights and inspiration from Laura.
Q&A with Laura Rose
What led you to the security industry (and what inspires you about it)?
In marketing and sales, it's essential to be part of an organization – and an industry – that aligns with your values and passions. For me, joining the security industry was a natural choice. Its mission to make the world a safer place deeply resonates with who I am.
As I've grown in my career and as a parent, that sense of purpose has only deepened. I travel often, and I have four kids at home. Every morning when I leave, they say, "Go make the world a safer place." It's adorable – and a powerful reminder of why I do what I do.
As a mother of four, how has parenthood shaped your approach to leadership? Are there lessons from being a mom that guide you?
So many – where do I start? I’ve always loved helping people reach their full potential, but becoming a parent has amplified that instinct. I now see opportunities to nurture and support others everywhere.
As a leader, it brings me real joy to help my team discover and grow their unique strengths. I think of it as helping each person uncover their superpower, cheering them on as they develop it, and helping their team members understand and appreciate it. No one person is perfect. Magic happens when you have a team, or family, who celebrates each other's unique strengths and leverages them collectively for a common goal.
Parenthood also teaches patience and empathy. It’s constantly reminding me to pause and consider the individual. How are they motivated? Why they are behaving a certain way, and how can I help them navigate that moment? You get a lot of practice with that as a parent, and it absolutely carries over into how I lead.
Lastly, parenthood also reminds you to have fun! Work should be meaningful, but it should also be enjoyable. Being a parent teaches you the levity of life – to look at things optimistically and to have fun.
One of your superpowers is building high-performing teams. What's your approach to identifying talent and helping people grow into their strengths?
A common trap in hiring is focusing on only the resume – on the hard skills. But I believe success comes from hiring whole people: those who are curious, eager to learn, open to new perspectives, and have strong critical thinking skills.
When you build a team like that, magic happens. You get people who constantly ask, “How can we improve?” “Why are we doing it this way?” It creates a dynamic, collaborative environment where growth is inevitable.
The next step is then ensuring the team has the space and safety to try new things and innovate. Fear can kill creativity. If you want your team to achieve their best, it’s important to foster a safe environment that celebrates innovation and allows room for risk-taking.
You’re known for seeing opportunity in everything. Can you share how that mindset influences the way you lead and empower others?
I love problem-solving. Give me any challenge, and I’ll figure out a way to create a win-win situation for everyone – charting a path where we can grow together in the right direction.
To me, everything's an opportunity. I’m naturally optimistic – sometimes to a fault! But I truly believe there’s always a way forward. Challenges spark innovation. They push us to think differently and grow. I always strive to help my team address challenges head-on and as an opportunity to find a better path.
If everything were perfect, life would be pretty boring. The beauty is in the journey – and the growth that comes with it.
Earlier this year, you stepped into a major role as VP of commercial strategy. What’s been the most surprising or rewarding part of this new chapter?
I transitioned from leading marketing and communications in North America to also overseeing sales operations and enablement, inside sales, and our field sales teams. It’s a role I’ve long aspired to – and it’s stretched me in all the right ways.
In just six months, I’ve grown more than I did in the previous three years. I’m leading a team of incredibly talented individuals, many of whom are men who have a decade or more of experience. I’m learning from them every day.
It’s also challenged me to lead differently. My role is no longer about being an expert in a functional space, but rather inspiring and fostering a growth mindset. We’re looking at data to inform strategy and focusing on uncovering the needs of our clients and prospects today and anticipating their needs of tomorrow. Coming in with a fresh perspective is helping challenge the status quo. To truly accelerate we must be willing to adjust and change to meet the evolving needs of our clients. Bringing diversity of thought and a fresh perspective has helped to drive this shift, and I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together as a team moving forward.
You’ve spent the majority of your career in security – how do you think the industry can become more inclusive for women leaders?
Every leader should look at their team and ask: Do I have enough diversity of thought here? The more perspectives we have, the stronger we're going to be as a team and as an organization. We need individuals who bring different life experiences to the table so we can understand how our clients and employees interpret things.
And then certainly, it's really important for women to support women. As a leader, I take it seriously to make sure that if someone’s voice isn’t being heard, they get the opportunity to speak up. That’s a responsibility I hold very close to my heart.
Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed with men and women mentors who went out of their way to make sure I had a seat and a voice at the table. I will forever be indebted to them and aim to pay it forward any chance I get.
What advice do you have for aspiring leaders?
Always be open to learning. If you think you have everything figured out – you don’t. We always have more to learn and grow, and the more perspectives we seek, the better off we’ll be.
Chase your dreams and passions. Sometimes, especially as women, we assume we can’t, instead of asking how we can. I work hard not to let myself fall into the “I can’t do this” mindset. Instead, I ask: How am I going to do this? What steps do I need to take?
I've learned in my life and throughout my career that experience, and skill sets are very important. But equally as important are the soft skills and being able to observe, understand, anticipate. If you have those soft skills, and remain committed to continuous learning, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
Also, have mentors at all levels. Senior mentors are valuable, but so are peers and junior colleagues. With the speed of change in our industry, and in business overall, it’s critical not to get stuck in the mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it.”
I’m always looking for inspiration from all levels of the organization and from outside our industry. If we’re not learning and growing, we’re falling behind. So, make sure you have people you can call when you face a challenge. Ask yourself: How would this person approach it? What’s the first thing they’d do? What they’d do might be completely different from what another person would – and that’s the value of having multiple perspectives.
