Unconscious bias in Australia's security industry, and what to do about it

Rebecca Sorgiovanni, Optic Security Group Corporate Services Development Manager and winner of the 2025 Australian Security Industry Awards ‘Unsung Hero (Electronic Security Sector)’ category, delivered an International Women's Day address at a recent ASIAL Adelaide breakfast briefing.

Above image: Rebecca Sorgiovanni speaks at ASIAL Adelaide Breakfast Briefing.

2025 Australian Industry Awards winner Rebecca Sorgiovanni took the opportunity as a speaker at the Australian Security Industry Association (ASIAL) South Australia Breakfast Briefing on 12 March to discuss unconscious bias in Australia’s security industry – an industry in which women remain significantly under-represented.

Just four days after the annual observance of International Women’s Day on 08 March, Rebecca shared her career journey both before and after joining the security industry, providing personal insights and prescriptions for progress.

“Security is about protecting people. It’s about creating environments where others can feel safe, supported, and able to do their best work."

“Unconscious bias isn’t about anyone deliberately excluding people. It’s about the shortcuts our brains take, said Rebecca. “We often gravitate toward people who look like us, think like us, or remind us of ourselves earlier in our careers.”

“When most people in an industry look the same, those patterns can quietly shape opportunities. It can show up in small ways. Who gets invited into conversations. Who is assumed to be the expert. Whose ideas get heard first. Most of the time, no one even realises it’s happening.”

As a school leaver, Rebecca explored several industries before settling into a receptionist role in a manufacturing company.

“It was the late 1990s, and the culture was very different to what we expect today,” she said. “The office was filled with inappropriate banter and pin-up posters on the walls. As a young woman entering the workforce, it was an environment I found difficult.”

Rebecca moved between industries and then stepped away from the workforce for a decade to raise her children. Returning to work, she spent eight years managing a practice in the medical oncology sector.

“In this role, I had the privilege of supporting and being supported by an inspiring man and medical oncologist, walking alongside countless cancer patients and their loved ones on what is one of the most uncertain experiences we can have as humans,” recalled Rebecca.

She then took up her next career challenge – a supervisory role in the security industry.

“Security is about protecting people. It’s about creating environments where others can feel safe, supported, and able to do their best work. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about knowing the work you do contributes to the wellbeing of others.”

“Unconscious bias isn’t a character flaw; it’s a blind spot. And in security we are trained to look for blind spots."

During her time in security, Rebecca has experienced some of the challenges that many women in male-dominated industries face.

“There have been moments where I’ve been the only woman in the room, where my competence was questioned before I had the chance to demonstrate it,” she said. “Those experiences can be discouraging, but they also reinforced something important for me: competence builds confidence.”

Her advice to women in security: build confidence by taking the next step; keep learning; speak up – you might be the one person who notices something others don’t; find your community of mentors and supporters; and lift other women as you rise.

“Real progress is made when everyone is part of the effort,” said Rebecca, and men have a key role to play in this effort “by listening, by advocating, by challenging bias when you see it, by sharing opportunities rather than gatekeeping them, and by recognising that this balance benefits everyone—not just women.”

According to Rebecca, balancing the scales doesn’t mean lowering standards or giving special treatment, but simply ensuring that everyone has the same opportunity to contribute, to be heard, and to succeed.

“And the good news is that awareness alone can shift things,” she said. “If we pause and ask ourselves simple questions — Have I heard from everyone in the room? Am I judging the idea, or the person presenting it? Would I respond differently if someone else said this? — we start to interrupt the patterns of unconscious bias.”

“Unconscious bias isn’t a character flaw; it’s a blind spot. And in security we are trained to look for blind spots. So, the real question isn’t “where do we have bias?”, it’s “are we courageous enough to challenge it?”— because the strongest security teams aren’t built on assumptions, they’re built on awareness.

Above image: Rebecca Sorgiovanni(right) at the 2025 Australian Security Industry Awards.

An unsung hero

As winner of the 2025 Australian Security Industry Awards Unsung Hero (Electronic Security Sector)’ category, Rebecca was nominated in her role as Group Corporate Services Development Manager at Optic Security Group.

According to her nomination, Rebecca’s track record not only reflects a strong work ethic and ability to master complex corporate management initiatives with proficiency, but also a passion for connecting with people and providing support to deliver high quality outcomes.

Rebecca demonstrated her capability and capacity for quality outcomes came with the roll-out of a new Group-wide Corporate Services function, an unprecedented and significant undertaking. Rebecca’s work – and the way she went about her work – ensured optimal acceptance and compliance with this new regime.

In her ASIAL presentation, Rebecca made special mention of Group Corporate Services Manager Stuart Norton-Baker as a stand-out male mentor: “He doesn’t overshadow my work; he amplifies it. He doesn’t speak for me; he makes space for me to speak. And he doesn’t just say he supports equality—he demonstrates it through action."

Also speaking at the ASIAL SA Breakfast Briefing were Peter Hilhorst (Metropolitan Commander Operations, SA Metropolitan Fire Services), Dave Chaffey (AI Strategist, AIWise), and a representative of the South Australian Police.