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Industry News

 

Security Firm Offers Advice for Traveling Executives

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New York — March 11
One of the most important items on any executive’s itinerary should be time spent learning how to stay and remain safe while traveling. Americans traveling throughout the world have been targets for some time. What comes as a surprise are the growing numbers of unseen dangers in seemingly safe areas. The number of places a high-profile executive can venture on their own is dwindling rapidly. So traveling outside your comfort zone, which can change all the time, needs a strategic approach.

“Many of the executives we work with are surprised to learn how many unforeseen dangers lurk in unexpected locations,” explained William McGuire, president and CEO of New York-based Global Security Associates. The company has worked with executives at every level with security protocols for attending sporting events around the world and political functions.

Global has programs tailored to meet every possible scenario in order to keep executives safe. For Global Security Associates the executive safety plan begins the moment executives leave their comfort zone. “We design an entire safety protocol which addresses everything from who will drive them to their destination, the cars they will be riding in, the planes they will be taking and the multiple layers of security that is built in to protect them,” said McGuire. Executive safety is all about doing your business in an unpredictable world. You do not have to be attending a world event to be at risk. Business meetings take place in areas prone to violence and executives need to pay special attention to this.

One of the biggest documented fears for executives traveling is kidnapping. Most companies are surprised to learn of the countries on the list that have a higher incidence of kidnapping than others. But it is important to know the risks ahead of the time to make important planning decisions. “There is a lot of planning that goes into keeping executives safe and this is why executive safety programs work,” said McGuire. The world’s most dangerous places include: Columbia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Spain and Venezuela, especially for businessmen living there or spending a great deal of time there on a regular basis.

So prevalent is kidnapping that insurance agencies write kidnapping and ransom policies on the various aspects of getting an executive released with services offered from ransom payment, medical, security services to assist in your release, interpreters and other expenses related to your abduction. Companies such as Global Security Associates, work with executives to make sure that this doesn’t happen and while an insurance plan is great, it should be a backup plan, at best.

“Insurance policies are good to have as part of the overall security plan, but it should not be the only part of you executive security plan. Planning, understanding the political landscape and crime analysis of the area are important add-ons for an executive’s security team,” said McGuire. Global will often be brought in to consult and work with on-staff security personal to enhance security efforts and close any loop holes.

The threat of terrorism is well-known in many parts of the world, but often is an overlooked danger that exists on our own shores is gang-related activities. “Gangs are making their way into every aspect of our lives and where they pop up often doesn’t make the news, but executives should be well away of their intentions to also seek to make money off theft and kidnapping,” stated McGuire. Gang-related activities account for the nation’s rise in violent crime rates in our nation’s largest cities such as Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Omaha, St. Louis and many other Midwestern cities. Oversees, gang violence is on the rise in New Zealand, and in Germany, U.S. military communities are being threatened by gang membership from within their own ranks.

Executives shouldn’t live in a bubble. “Just because you can walk down the street and buy a sandwich doesn’t mean you can do that when you are traveling. Knowledge is an executive’s best weapon against being a victim.”

For more info: http://www.globalsecurityassociates.com

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