Top 10 under 40: Katrina Franczak, Paragon Security

Katrina Franczak currently works at Paragon Security, where her daily tasks include guard interaction and developing security programs for clients.

For Franczak, the most important part of her role is that she remains transparent and easy to approach.

“The guards always know who their representative and management is, which to me it’s personally so important because this is my leadership model and how I operate,” Franczak says. “I want to have that close relationship with my staff.”

Maintaining a professional relationship with staff is not the only thing that Franczak believes is important.

Volunteering has also been a top priority for Franczak, who has been an executive director for Toronto Crimestoppers for the past eight years. Her tasks with the organization include overseeing community outreach, the volunteering program and handling correspondence.

“This is my biggest passion — I love what I do,” Franczak says. “I love to give back to the community.”

Franczak believes in giving back to the community; she is always willing to go for coffee to anyone new to the industry.

“Some people just come in and think they’re not good because of a language barrier, which is something that you can learn,” Franczak says. “I’m trying to encourage them to see that the field can be rewarding and with a lot of opportunities.”

In addition to working with Paragon, Franczak is also pursuing a criminology degree at Ryerson University.

Reflecting on her future with Paragon, Franczak would like to move up in the company and eventually obtain a senior manager role.

Most of all, Franczak hopes to continue creating her own path in the security industry. “I want to make the company proud and learn new things,” Franczak concludes. “You can never become perfect at something — there’s always things that you can improve on and new things that you can learn.”