Firms turn to security as threats to bosses rise
British businesses are bolstering security measures for their chief executives faster than any other country in Europe, in the face of rising threats to bosses’ personal and cyber security.
According to a fresh report examining rising threats to executives across the world, over a third of the UK’s chief security officers (CSOs) believe bosses in Britain are in more danger than they were two years ago.
More UK CSOs are providing their bosses and other c-suite execs with close protection officers, protection for family members and security equipment than their European counterparts, the study found, due to rising threats from activist groups and cyber attackers.
Some 81 per cent of UK-based security chiefs highlighted activists as posing a risk to their company’s website and bosses – the highest level across Europe – while disgruntled company insiders were also earmarked as a growing threat.
Ashley Almanza, the executive chairman of security giant G4S, which commissioned the study, said business leaders were “increasingly recognising that robust physical security is a corporate value driver”.
“The ramifications of a security incident can be considerable and go beyond taking a short-term financial hit,” he added.
Many City firms have seen their HQs attacked by protesters, including vandalism by supporters of the now proscribed group Palestine Action.
Disinformation campaigns a rising threat to security
The study was released in the wake of several high-profile incidents of violence towards bosses in the US, most notably the assassination of United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in New York last year. The high-profile trial of the case’s only suspect, Luigi Mangioni, is expected to start in December.
Security chiefs also warned that misinformation and disinformation campaigns with the aim of spreading false and malicious statements about companies were on the rise, with three quarters saying their firm was the target of online attacks based on false information in the last year. Over four in 10 said mis- and disinformation was behind at least half of the threats to their firms.
“In a world of increasing polarisation, and when mistruths and untruths can be shared instantaneously, companies and their senior leaders face heightened risks,” said Steve Jones, the global chief executive of G4S’s parent company, Allied Universal.
“As a CEO, this impacts me personally and professionally. Now more than ever, personal safety is on my mind and the minds of my loved ones. Professionally, I’ve seen an increase in our customers’ concern for the safety of their employees.”