40 under 40: Tommy Chiu, senior principal, Stantec Consulting Ltd.

YARMOUTH, Maine—Tommy Chiu, 39, is a senior principal at Stantec Consulting Ltd., a global provider of sustainable design and engineering services based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Find out what inspired him to pursue a career in the security industry, what being a "40 under 40" winner means to him, what appeals to him about the security industry, and more. 

SSN: Describe your roles, duties, and tenure at your current job. 

CHIU: As a senior principal at Stantec Consulting Ltd., my primary role focuses on leading a team of security consultants to deliver both strategic and technical security engineering services for our various commercial, healthcare, and institutional clients within our global community. Specific duties include educating our clients with the latest and greatest security industry best practices, providing guidance on the development of their corporate security strategy, and performing innovative physical and electronic security designs for their real estate investments.

SSN: What inspired you to pursue a career in the security industry?

CHIU: Making a world more safer, fairer and livable is what has inspired me to pursue a career in the security industry. Having to balance between budgets, security, and privacy has always been interesting for every security project, but my security consulting career has always given me a great sense of purpose, job satisfaction and personal fulfillment.

SSN: What does being named a winner of SSN's 40 under 40 mean to you?

CHIU: Being named as a winner of SSN’s 40 under 40 is one of my major achievements and milestones in my early career. I am honored to receive this prestigious award and have my security consulting work recognized globally.   

SSN: As a young leader, what appeals to you about the security industry?

CHIU: I believe the applications of real-time locating systems (RTLS) and artificial intelligence (AI) on data analytics will revolutionize the security industry in smart buildings.

SSN: With the hiring, recruitment and retention challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, how can the security industry engage young talent?

CHIU: Hiring, recruitment and retention of young talent in the security industry, especially in Canada, has always been challenging even prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the new norm of hybrid workplaces, the utilization of electronic security systems and artificial intelligence of data analytics, some of the security job services could now be done effectively at remote locations (which may be more ideal for the new generation). I believe we should also offer more academic scholarships and facilitate more mentorship programs to further attract the up-and-coming young talent to our security industry.