Commissionaires CEO, Geoff Hamilton, Wins Atlantic Canada Top 50 CEO Award

As published in Atlantic Business Magazine, May/June 2021 Issue, Volume 32, No.3

Resilient. It’s a word that resonates with strength, spirit, toughness and flexibility. It’s also the defining characteristic of this year’s Top 50 CEOs and the way they’ve fought through the pandemic. Fought for their companies and colleagues. For their customers. For their communities. The harder they were tossed around, the higher they bounced. They embraced the chaos of creative solutions, making 90 degree turns on a dime. Exchanged face-to-face meetings and service delivery with digital interfaces and physical distancing. Discovered new products and efficiencies, expanded operations and target markets. Ultimately, they didn’t just survive, they thrived. Drop the ball? Not on their watch.

Geoffrey Hamilton has been awarded a Top 50 CEO 2021 in the Non-profit/Not-for-profit/Industry Association category.

Geoffrey Hamilton fulfilled his childhood dream when he served in the Royal Canadian Navy, like his father did before him. Now, as CEO of Commissionaires Nova Scotia, he’s found another way to serve the public; including other veterans.

Following his time in the Navy, Hamilton gained experience in organizational development and the commercial security industry. This made him a perfect fit for Commissionaires, a security services provider that creates jobs for veterans. Since becoming CEO in 2018, Hamilton has steadily improved the bottom line, with the organization seeing its first significant surplus in more than 10 years.

Under his leadership, Commissionaires Nova Scotia has also risen to the workforce challenges brought on by COVID-19 by rapidly adjusting recruitment and training methods to meet the need for remote work. The organization was so successful, in fact, that hiring and deployment of staff increased in 2020.

During his tenure as CEO, Hamilton has pushed to “introduce global industry certifications like ISO 18788 into the local market, and advocated for higher pay, better screening and more professional training of Nova Scotia’s security guards.” Further changes are on the horizon, including the addition of health and safety offerings under Commissionaires Nova Scotia’s protective umbrella. That expansion and its inherent job growth are proof of Hamilton’s lifelong commitment to serve and defend. Or as they say in the navy: Ready, Aye Ready.

You can check out all 50 of this year’s awardees HERE