Security Management Resources Inc.

 

CEOCFO-Members Login

 

December 28, 2015 Issue

The Most Powerful Name In Corporate News and Information

CEOCFO MOBILE  CONTACT  |   CEOCFO-SERVICES HOME

Executive Search Firm Focused on the Global Security Space and CISO Positions

 

 

Jerry J. Brennan

CEO

 

Security Management Resources Inc.

www.smrgroup.com

 

Jerry Brennan

540-428-2020

jerry@smrgroup.com

 

Interview conducted by:

Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor, CEOCFO Magazine, Published – December 28, 2015

 

CEOCFO: Mr. Brennan, would you tell us about Security Management Resources?

Mr. Brennan: We are a leading international executive and professional level search firm specializing in the security recruitment space globally. We have successfully recruited in more than 55 countries, placing the heads of security and their various staff positions that help companies manage their security risk programs. In today’s environment, security crosses many sectors, so a company might want to address security compliance issues, security governance issues, intellectual property, branding, physical security, human capital and technologies issues. We see these components in CSO and CISO positions. It is a broad spectrum.

 

CEOCFO: How do you find candidates with appropriate experience and the right fit?

Mr. Brennan: We have been involved in recruitment and consulting activities in support of security talent acquisition since 1997. Very early on, even as a small firm we recognized the need to be able to manage data and information. We utilize a highly secure, custom database that manages our data; and, through the career-long conversation we have with our candidates, we continually gather and update information on the people who work in this space.

 

I am fortunate in that my background and experience is in the security industry, and I have lived and worked around the world managing various components of global security programs. As a result, I already had a deep contact base in both the public and private security sectors.

As we began to take on more search projects, we were able to expand upon what was already an in-depth knowledge of well-qualified contacts within the security space. Further, all of our consultants are active in organizations that support the security industry, and we regularly sponsor programs that work to advance the profession. We are continually in contact with both our clients and our candidates and can speak to them on a peer level

 

CEOCFO: How do you know when someone understands all the nuances?

Mr. Brennan: Our background in the security space gives us the advantage of being able to look at a resume or have a conversation with a potential candidate, and immediately be able to assess their capabilities accurately. The security practitioner community is actually a small one, and often we already know the person’s history, so that is a great starting point.

 

We are a strategic partner for the Foushée Group, Inc., the one firm that does truly comprehensive salary studies in the security space. We work with them to develop the job descriptions they publish that HR departments then use to benchmark against. The many years we have been assisting Foushée means we are in the unique position of having done deep analyses of all levels of job descriptions that comprise the security space.

 

Internally we have done further studies dealing with skill sets. We have incorporated the results of our research into our intake process for both clients and candidates. This means we can utilize this data for clients to help them identify precisely what they want in the role they are seeking to fill. Every organization has a different take on it, and the accountabilities are not always obvious.

We additionally use these criteria in order to evaluate potential candidates further.

 

Of course, when working with a candidate the focus is on the person. It is critical to meet and thoroughly interview candidates to get a complete sense of them as well as an understanding of where their strengths lie, including their personal take on their career progression. We can further conduct assessment work using various tools and instruments, because often the discriminating factor of whether or not a candidate advances in the recruitment process is a cultural fit or the ability of that person to function within our client’s organization.

 

CEOCFO: If you are placing someone in a particular country, do you place someone with a background from that particular locality?
Mr. Brennan:
Yes; for instance, many of the roles we have recruited for in Asia recently have required region-specific experience. We have successfully recruited in over 55 countries globally, and our candidate base reflects that international experience. It allows us to offer the option of a local hire to a client that may not have the budget for an ex-pat hire, as well as suggest candidates who may not be local but who have more broad regional experience.

 

CEOCFO: Do you point out to a client what they might be missing?

Mr. Brennan: Yes. Security Management Resources views our approach as a consultative one, and we frequently work with clients to develop roles that contribute to their corporations’ security program goals. We are a full service recruitment services company and we draw upon our backgrounds within the security and human resources industries to develop partnerships with our clients on all aspects of their projects. We frequently consult on organizational alignment, assist with talent and market mapping for structure and planning purposes and then extend the relationship with transition coaching and mentorship services. This allows our clients a more accurate view of the direction of the market overall in order to hire at level for current needs as well as plan for development well into the future.

 

CEOCFO: Do they pay attention because of your reputation?

Mr. Brennan: Yes. They have made a commitment to the success of their project, and likely have chosen us for our expertise in this niche profession. We offer the benefit of many years of experience in the arena backed by successful recruitment for the world’s leading organizations.

The department driving recruitment for a security professional can vary widely, and we work equally with human resources and security executives throughout the phases of an engagement. Relatively speaking, the number of security-focused positions within companies tends to be lower in comparison to other disciples. Therefore, they are not roles recruited for as frequently as others are, and this can mean clients are not always certain about what their requirements are. They may be seeking to fill a newly developed position, or one that is a replacement but may take on a new form to adapt to shifting needs. The extensive information we are able to share with our clients in situations like this stimulates discussion and results in a better outcome for both their current requirements as well as future planning.

 

CEOCFO: Are there many companies exclusively placing people in this industry?

Mr. Brennan: No. There are not. That is not to say we do not run into firms doing search work in this space. Some smaller companies focus on a narrow area within the space, but they are single-service search firms. In large, generalist firms, security is usually only a small subset of their larger, more expansive practice, and we encounter one-off security searches by these huge generalist firms perhaps three or four times in a given year. We also see people who have specialized exclusively in the IT space broaden their practices to include IT or cyber security because this is such a big space and there are such large numbers of technical operational roles. There are also search firms who have hastily set up a security practice in response to news headlines, for instance an accounting or auditing placement firm that is suddenly a supposed security specialist, too.

 

There is, however, no other recruitment company focused exclusively on the security space that offers the full complement of services that Security Management Resources offers.

 

CEOCFO: How do you reach out to potential clients?

Mr. Brennan: In addition to our marketing program, Corporate Citizenship is an important component of who we are as a company. Our consultants are participatory members in groups and organizations that support the security profession and we regularly attend, support and sponsor events and conferences. These activities allow us to meet regularly with both current and future clients and candidates and further builds relationships with the industry we serve.

 

CEOCFO: What keywords would people use to find you in an online search?
Mr. Brennan:
The easiest way to find us online would be to use our company name, “Security Management Resources”, or simply to enter our URL: http://www.smrgroup.com.

 

CEOCFO: Do security professionals tend to move around?

Mr. Brennan: I would say that it is probably a little less than the overall market. Security practitioners tend to be more of a conservative group because of their backgrounds. Often they come from a government or public agency background, and are now retiring at relatively young ages, having spent twenty years with an agency. They generally are not risk-takers, liking the stability of working with an organization and the consistency of working with the people within that organization.

 

Mergers and acquisitions similarly affect the job market for security practitioners as they do other professions. Companies continue to reengineer and downsize significantly because of pullbacks in market spaces. Security professionals are learning that they are going to have to stay current in order to continue to be relevant to their organization.

 

CEOCFO: Are you able to help someone coming out of the government arena to be ready for the private arena?

Mr. Brennan: Yes absolutely! We have those conversations all the time. A lot of us in the company remember the challenges we faced transitioning from the public sector, and we view our role of mentoring those who are now on that path as an opportunity to give back.

 

We regularly give presentations on the topic, going out to agencies and organizations on career days to share information and advice on transitioning into the private sector. We author articles on the process for publications, and regularly meet and have discussions with members of senior leadership in a wide variety of global organizations in order to share information about this with them. In addition, as a full-service recruitment partner, we additionally offer transition coaching and mentorship services as an adjunct to our recruitment offering for clients who want to extend our relationship with them.

 

CEOCFO: How is business these days?

Mr. Brennan: Excellent. While economies do shift and have an effect on hiring regionally, we work internationally so take a global view. We find that when one area slows down, another picks up.

 

CEOCFO: Why chose Security Management Resources?

Mr. Brennan: Security Management Resources, established in 1997, has experienced organic growth steadily since our founding. We remain the only international security management search firm with wholly owned offices around the world. Our focus is professional and executive-level positions in the security risk space, and we have successfully recruited in more than 55 different countries. We are a full-service firm and our consultative approach sets us apart and supports our clients with capabilities that include organizational alignment, talent and market mapping and transition coaching and mentorship.

 

Our team members, prominent specialists in the security and human resources fields, draw upon their senior-level management experience in corporate security programs within leading global companies to serve clients and candidates alike. Our deep industry knowledge and contacts mean we uniquely understand the nature of the roles for which we recruit on behalf of our clients.

 

We value long-standing partnerships with our clients and the career-long conversations we enjoy with our candidates.



 

“Security Management Resources views our approach as a consultative one, and we frequently work with clients to develop roles that contribute to their corporations’ security program goals. We are a full service recruitment services company and we draw upon our backgrounds within the security and human resources industries to develop partnerships with our clients on all aspects of their projects.” - Jerry J. Brennan


 

Security Management Resources Inc.

www.smrgroup.com

 

Jerry Brennan

540-428-2020

jerry@smrgroup.com

 

 



 

 


disclaimers

Any reproduction or further distribution of this article without the express written consent of CEOCFOinterviews.com is prohibited.

 

 

Staffing Agencies, Security Management Resources Inc., CEO Interviews 2015, Jerry J. Brennan, Executive Search Firm Focused on the Global Security Space and CISO Positions, staffing for CSO and CISO positions, international executive and professional level search firm, security recruitment companies,, placement firms for heads of security, staff positions for security risk management, security compliance experts, security governance staffing, staffing agencies for human capital and technologies issues, intellectual property, branding and physical security, Business Services Companies, Recent CEO Interviews, Security Management Resources Inc. Press Releases, News, Business Services Stock, Companies looking for venture capital, Angel Investors, private companies looking for investors, staffing companies seeking investors, CSO and CISO recruitment companies needing investment capital

 

ceocfointerviews.com does not purchase or make
recommendation on stocks based on the interviews published.