Executive Protection Plan

Executive Protection Plan

Introduction

“Being a high-powered executive may not be financially risky, but it's certainly dangerous.” (Lerer, 2007, p. 1)

Executive protection has become an essential asset of corporate, because a threat to the executive is actually a risk to the business. Executive protection refers to measures taken as a precaution to make sure the safety of individuals who may be endangered by elevated personal risk due to their status, employment, associations and wealth (Zelvin, 2011). Threats that are encountered by Executives include, but are not limited to: assassination, robbery, kidnapping, assault, vandalizing, and injury. Executive protection facilitates the business by keeping a key asset of company (i.e. CEO) safe and sound. It lets the company to take advantage of that asset by letting the executive free from worry regarding his and his family safety, enabling him to concentrate entirely on the business.

Protection of executives, in the past, was muscle. Nowadays, brains are as important, or even more important than brawn (Zalud, 2008). Instead of sheer muscle, an effective EP program has to be rooted in research, intelligence, and preparation. It is noted by The Art of Executive Protection's author Robert L. Oatman that executive protection is more about protective intelligence, threat assessment, choreography, transportation, resources, advance work, technology, and support. True executive protection is an around-the-clock operation. This paper seeks to discuss key components of a comprehensive executive protection program.

Background

I have been tasked by the Chief Security Officer with developing an executive protection program for the CEO of a Fortune 100 company. His company is involved in the mining of materials in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The CEO has a wife and two school-age children who both attend private schools. The CEO's net worth is in excess of $100 million. The CEO does not do many interviews and is not recognizable by the general public. I have been assigned to develop a protection program for the CEO for the sake of providing him correct level of protection at his work as well as when he travels overseas.

Discussion

Since carrying out a threat or vulnerability assessment is the first step in providing protection, therefore at first, I examine the risk-attracting characteristics of CEO, daily and travel habits, frequency of travel and places where he travels, security of home and office, the crime rates in places frequented, intimidations made against his organization, etc. Risk assessment allows me to know what protection level is required by the executive and to what extent. The plan is then prepared keeping in view the following questions:

Is his premise secure?

Is his vehicle equipped with various types of attacks defectors? And does a trained driver operate it?

What are the safest routes and the most secure form of his traveling? Are there any variation in routes and times or are they always the same?

What potential threats are faced by the CEO at other locations? (For instance, he has to travel to Latin America most often. Latin American countries have the highest rate of kidnapping, ...