Mary Gates, CEO, GMR Security Consulting Group: Best Advice
Gates reveals the best advice she’s heard, what she tells young security industry pros and whose words mean most across the sector.
Published October 16, 2025 in Security Sales & Integration
Today’s entry in the Best Advice Q&A series comes from Mary Gates, chief executive officer of GMR Security Consulting Group. She shares the best advice she’s ever gotten, what she tells youngsters in the security industry and whose voice carries the most weight.
Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Mary Gates: When I started my security journey more than 40 years ago, it was sometimes intimidating to share my opinions or knowledge among a crowd of boisterous voices. A mentor shared, “in the security industry, credibility is built not just on technical expertise, but on authenticity.”
Finding your voice as a security professional means staying true to your values, speaking with clarity and bringing your unique perspective to the table, even when it challenges conventional thinking. When you are authentic, you earn trust from colleagues, clients and leadership, and that trust is the foundation of influence. I have carried that message with me throughout my career.
When aligning your knowledge, integrity and personal qualities, you establish a voice that not only protects assets and people but also inspires confidence and respect.
SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry?
Gates: Great question! I believe the first thing I would suggest to someone starting their journey in security is take the time to discover what most interests you about security, what are you most passionate about and why. Your joy in any career comes from that understanding of your motivation.
The security industry is broad, covering corporate security, infrastructure, intelligence, investigations, physical security, cyber and risk management. But the fundamentals of success are consistent across all paths. As a roadmap, I believe there are several keys to success:
- Master the fundamentals: Understand the basics of physical security, risk assessment, threat analysis, and emergency response. Stay familiar with evolving standards such as ASIS, ISO, NIST, DHS and your sector-specific standards and guidelines. Always ground flashy solutions in proven best practices.
- Commit to lifelong learning: The industry evolves rapidly with technology, geopolitics and crime trends. Pursue professional certifications, they signal credibility. Attend conferences to stay ahead and build your network.
- Build a diverse skillset: Technology solutions and cybersecurity fundamentals, and the intersection between the two. Soft skills such as communication, leadership, crisis management and diplomacy are just as important as technical expertise. Improve your business acumen. Understand how security ties into ROI, brand protection, and compliance.
- Network relentlessly: Success in security is as much who you know as what you know. Join your local ASIS chapter, InfraGard, and regional security working groups. Find mentors who have navigated the paths you are interested in. Security professionals are willing to share advice.
- Embrace adaptability: Threats evolve. The best professionals adapt quickly while keeping a steady hand. Be willing to learn about adjacent fields. Think globally. Even local roles are influenced by international risk.
- Prioritize integrity and trust: Security leaders are trusted with sensitive information, people’s safety and sometime national infrastructure. A reputation for honesty, discretion and ethical decision-making will open more doors than technical brilliance alone.
- Deliver measurable value: Translate security’s work into business language (e.g., reduced liability, regulatory compliance, operational continuity, and reputational protection). Executives want assurance their investments reduce risk.
To sum it all up, stay curious, stay ethical, and always align security solutions with the mission of the organization you serve.
SSI: If you could point to one person in the security industry and tell up-and-comers, “Make sure to listen to what they have to say,” whom would you pick and why?
Gates: I would point to Don Taussig. Here’s why:
- Global perspective: Don has worked across industries and geographies, giving him a balanced view of corporate, infrastructure and enterprise security challenges.
- Mentorship and accessibility: Unlike many executives who operate behind the scenes, Don is known for being approachable and actively encouraging the next generation of professionals to find their place in the industry.
- Advocacy for professionalism: He’s vocal about elevating security as a business enabler, not just a cost center, which is a mindset to be internalized early in your career.
So, if you’re building a career in the security field, I would say, study ASIS for the broad foundation and listen to leaders like Don Taussig for a vision of where the profession is going.