Women in Security: Lisa Roy of JCI

MILWAUKEE—As VP of commercial sales, Lisa Roy leads commercial sales for Johnson Controls Building Technologies and Solutions Group in North America, which includes all lines of business—systems, services and energy performance contracting.

“I'm responsible for driving sales strategy and commercial excellence for the direct channel business and its profitable growth year-over-year,” she said. “Johnson Controls firmly believes in taking proactive measures to prepare for a more productive, more secure and more sustainable future. We create intelligent buildings, efficient energy solutions, integrated infrastructure and next generation transportation systems that work seamlessly together to deliver on the promise of smart cities and communities.”

Roy began her career 24 years ago with Johnson Controls as an application engineer and since then has enjoyed nearly 20 different roles in sales, leadership and general management in various businesses within the company.

“Over that time, I've witnessed the fascinating evolution of the buildings and energy industry and have been a champion for transforming infrastructure to facilitate service, growth and innovation,” she explained. “Earlier in my career and prior to the integration with Tyco, I was vice president and general manager for Johnson Controls North America Security and Fire, so I have first-hand understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing the security industry.”

In regard to the evolution of women in security, Roy is proud to work for a company that “wholeheartedly believes in diversity, inclusion and supporting women in their roles,” she said. “A significant demonstration of this was in 2012 when the company supported myself and six other women to start a field-based Women's Resource Network for our direct offices. The network was significant to our business since the offices spread across 120 locations throughout the United States, some in metro areas and many in smaller cities, all predominantly occupied by men. We had a small number of women in those locations, serving in roles from engineering, administration and sales that were eager to figure out their career path, wanted the opportunity to grow and learn, and they were looking for support from leadership.”

The network, which started with a handful of people, has since grown to nearly 800 women across an organized network that provides “a meaningful voice in our organization,” she added. “The incredible thing for me is that the organization is continuing to grow and expand throughout the company with an entirely new group of women leaders.”

She is also seeing a shift in the focus to have diversity across the highest levels of leadership from the executive level to the board. “We recently added three new women executives to our board and have increased the number of women in the leadership ranks. I also see trade associations, like SIA and ASIS, leading by example. I recently sat on a panel at GSX with other senior female executives to talk about our own experiences and critical strategies for women, such as finding and being a mentor.”