Dynamics of a Corporate EP Team
Director Frank Loveridge
Corporate Security & Executive Protection
Fifth Third Bank & Julie Marzheuser
Executive Protection and Organized Retail Crime Manager
Title Sponsor
Reasons for Executive Protection
✓ Corporate reputations and share prices can be closely linked to an individual CEO’s wellbeing.
✓ Many boards find it prudent and reasonable to meet a certain standard of care.
Threats—Physical as well as Digital
A survey in May 2021 by the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence of 300 senior executives, including chief security officers and chief technology officers at U.S. companies with more than 5,000 employees, found…
58% said their CEO had received physical threats after taking a position on a racial and/or political issue .
Executive
protection has become a necessity to mitigate risks from physical attacks, kidnapping, extortion attempts, and cybercrime.
CEO has a speaking engagement, or it is advertised/known he will be present:
Confidential Communication Protocols
▪ Executive Digital Protection
▪ Mitigate Footprint (Personal Data) ▪ Dark/Regular Web
Social Media
▪ Investigate & Mitigate Exposure
▪ Discreet Advance & Protective Plan
▪ Technical Surveillance Countermeasures
Dynamics of a Corporate EP Team
Part 2
Bridging the Gap
Toughest Obstacle…
Convincing a CEO/principal they need executive protection.
Building Blocks
1. Identified Top Internal Event & Internal Partnerships
a. Event
a. Board of Directors/Shareholder meetings
b. Partnerships
i. Executive Assistants
ii. BOD Corporate Planner
iii. Corporate Travel Planning Team
iv. Physical Security
v. Cyber/Intel Team
vi. Kroger Aviation
vii. Executive Ground Transportation
Building Blocks
2. Attended Executive Planning Meetings
a. Observed to understand business needs, current operation, pain points
b. EP team introductions and backgrounds
c. There to add value to current operation, not take over
3. Gain/Build Trust
a. Slow and steady wins the race
i. Game of inches
ii. Not close protection bodyguards
Building Blocks
4. Get to Know “Teammates”
a. CEO
b. Board Members
c. Senior Officers
d. Executive Assistants
e. Executive Travel Planners
5. Identify Corporate EP Team
a. Internal vs. Off Duty vs. External
Building Blocks
6. Creation of Security Ops Plan
a. Included executive planning team
i. Reviewed/briefed with internal team prior to external team, part of security plan
ii. Started basic with advance, escape plans, hard rooms, etc.
iii. No surprises!
7. Identified Internal & External Intel Support
a. External – Pilot programs
Building Blocks
8. Day of Event/Detail Execution
a. Light touch method
i. Seen vs. unseen; there, but not there
b. Two group comms
i. EP Security team
ii. Executive planning team 9. Post Event/Detail Debrief
Where Are We Now?
1. Support Majority of Business Meetings & Special Events
a. Board & Shareholder meetings
b. Corporate leadership events
c. Company-sponsored community events
d. Conferences
e. International travel
2. Known/Team Presence & Role Expectations
a. First name basis with CEO and senior officers, rapport
b. Understand EP roles and vice versa
c. Recommendations well-received and implemented
d. Briefings
e. Advance travel with corporate planners
f. Routine system established
Where Are We Now?
Considerations/Challenges
Same Principal(s) every day, not detail/event-specific only
Lessons Learned
1. What you think is necessary vs. what they think a. Different acceptance/tolerance and EP experience levels i. Immediate feedback received ii. Implemented changes for next event
“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit.“
~Harry S. Truman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-marzheuser/