As companies and their boards scramble to protect their executives after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, erasing biographies and photos from company websites, they face one big problem: are.
Many executives don't want to deal with the major lifestyle changes that come with hiring a bodyguard.
“Unless they're ex-Mossad, they probably won't be all that useful,” one senior official who has shunned security told NYNext. “I don't want to walk around with bodyguards.”
This person explained that he was around a lot of people with security guards to see how it affected his life. The annoyance of someone invading your personal moments and never feeling truly alone. In fact, he believes, “that way you can stand out more.”
In fact, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management says, “Most CEOs don't want security.”
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they are keen to strengthen safety measures by taking security into their own hands. These range from applying for concealed carry permits to purchasing pepper spray pistols (Varna guns advertised as a “less lethal weapon”) to wearing bulletproof vests.
Another person, who admitted to worrying that disgruntled shareholders might target him, said he has been more aware of his surroundings when walking around since the Thompson shooting. . But he would rather protect himself than outsource his safety.
“I’m too influenced,” he explains.
But security is a top priority for boards, as failure to properly protect executives could expose them to shareholder lawsuits.
“It's not the first thing on the agenda…but it's pretty high on the list,” Sonnenfeld said.
“Corporate America is in a panic. If something happens to the CEO of a publicly traded company, it will affect the stock price,” said Mac Segal of AHNA Group, which provides security to high-net-worth individuals and corporations. I am doing it. “We've seen a 30% increase in interest and requests.” [for security] Over the last week. ”
Meta spent about $25 million on executive security last year, dramatically more than most other large companies, and the direction of what board members feel obligated to do. another security expert explained.
“Without a doubt, that number is already increasing. It's on the minds of all the big companies right now,” said the former CEO of Eventbrite, who recently launched Sauron, a high-end home security monitoring company. said Kevin Hertz.
While bodyguards are the most obvious sign of protection, security experts quickly realized that there are other, less obvious ways to keep executives safe.
“This is not about a guy in a dark suit and glasses,” Segal said, noting that in some fields they “often can be a status symbol.”
Instead, it's about “risk monitoring,” keeping an eye out for threats on social media and, in some cases, sending advance teams to investigate locations before executives arrive, company events, This means securing the entrances and exits to an office or even a person's home. .
“You can also choose a discreet approach,” he added, noting that he always offers his clients a wide range of options. “Security is like medicine. Security companies shouldn't prescribe anything.” [like bodyguards] If they don't know what's right for the company. ”
What about the pro-bodyguard group? So-called “cryptonaires” fear being targeted because their digital assets can be accessed with just a password and transferred online to anonymous users.
Tadas Kasputis, founder of virtual currency exchange Exmarket, said: told CryptoNews After being kidnapped in his native Lithuania in 2015, he was given a bodyguard.
“They came out of nowhere, forced me into a van, and drove around town trying to get me to give up my Bitcoin wallet password,” he recalled.
This article is part of a new editorial series called NYNext, which focuses on innovation across various industries in New York City and the people leading the way.
