Recent events have put EP (executive protection) firmly back on the agenda in boardrooms around the world, explains Botan Osman, CEO, Restrata.
From the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, in 2024, to the war in the Middle East and the subsequent fallout this year, threats posed by global instability to those simply going about their daily business are increasingly real.
It goes without saying that companies have a duty of care to all their employees, but when it comes to senior executives and key operational people, risks are increased in direct correlation to the individual’s profile and with it, the complexity of managing those risks and ensuring their safety.
A shift in approach
As businesses navigate the changing nature of threats, somewhat due to advances in communication and technology, the shift from reactive executive protection to proactive preparedness based on an ongoing strategic approach is currently underway.
Gone are the days when people could be tracked and secured using spreadsheets and a warden system.
Nowadays, EP programs require the consolidation of live threat intelligence, real-time locating, travel risk tracking and constant assessment of exposure levels – all while preserving executive privacy.
In short, the guiding principle is resilience.
Unless every threat, every data point, every process and every operation are seamlessly connected, organisations simply don’t have the clarity to prepare and respond quickly enough, and risk being overtaken by events.
A hybrid environment
For clarity, when we talk about EP, we are predominantly concerned with physical threats to individuals, rather than cyber-attacks or reputational risks… but there is a caveat.
Today’s risks are hybrid. Digital threats have physical implications and physical vulnerabilities can be exploited online. A localised incident can quickly become international, putting seemingly unrelated people at risk; information stolen digitally could be used to cause harm in the real world.
Many organisations are locked into outdated protocols designed years ago, such as providing secure transport and, in some cases, close protection. These are certainly important elements, but they fail to account for today’s hybrid threats.
EP in practice
The use of threat intelligence in practice can take many forms.
One fairly simple example is that of a security team learning of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or a man-made threat while one of their key executives is already in transit.
In this scenario, the EP would consist of meeting the executive at the earliest opportunity with a protection detail who would then re-route them to a secure location.
Even though it sounds simple, however, timely intelligence and unbroken communication is vital to its success.
Now imagine that an organisation has several key personnel all arriving at different times to slightly different destinations, each of whom could still be affected by the incident.
Suddenly, not only are the stakes far higher but the logistics have become exponentially more complex. Understanding who is where and when at all times is central to this process.
The importance of access
Although many companies do have multiple people locating systems, they are often outdated, single sourced and standalone, making it impossible to generate a reliable country or regional headcount during a crisis.
Often the problem isn’t data itself, but more about timely access to that data. During the Middle East crisis, for example, the challenge was not a lack of data but its fragmentation across systems.
POB, travel, access control, mobile, vehicle tracking and HR records operated independently, with inconsistent accuracy and governance, reducing visibility and contributing to delays.
The inability to rapidly consolidate data sources meant establishing a reliable real-time view of who was affected was slow. This directly impacted response speed, decision quality and duty of care.
It is not only key executives that need to be accounted for at all times, but all employees, regardless of status or the current risk profile of where they work.
In this way, the organisation protects itself from threats and harmful exposure by always being one step ahead. This makes it easier to protect key employees.
Conflict can happen anywhere and organisations need to be prepared everywhere.
The new intelligence
With this level of expectation on security teams, it’s clear that they won’t be able to consolidate all the data required to keep track of everything that needs to be overseen unaided.
It seems inevitable that AI will be an important part of this in the future.
It will be vital in bridging siloes and moving towards joint operations but it will only be effective if it is treated like any other source of intelligence, working as part of a process, not as a replacement for human judgement.
If used wisely, it will automate workflows that matter most in a global safety operation, freeing up the security team’s time to consider the bigger picture and respond to any threats or limit exposure quickly.
In order for this to be effective though, that underlying platform and data must be robust and accurate so that an organisation can begin to introduce AI in a way that complements its operational systems, thus laying the foundation for future success.
A link in a chain
In reality, EP is inextricably linked to the protection of the organisation itself. Important as key executives are, they are part of a greater whole that is only as strong as its weakest link.
This has never been truer than it is now.
People and communications move at a far quicker pace than they did even two or three years ago and, without proper governance and an overview of its people, businesses leave themselves exposed to threats – both from outside and inside the organisation.
By ensuring a robust approach to protecting all their people, all the time, company leaders are laying the foundations for solid company resilience and reputation management.
