Things Fall Apart

While prominent and highly paid executives might be the most tempting targets, threats to corporations extend all the way down the organization chart.

The sudden breakdown of the security situation around a corporate location requires preparation and response measures more extensive than those for an attack targeting a single executive.

“When local security conditions worsen, corporate leaders must choose whether to reduce operations to a skeleton crew or execute a total operational shift, moving employees to safer domestic regions or extracting them from the country,” explains Andrew Taylor-Preston, head of crisis management advisory at the Ascot Group.

In making this decision, Taylor-Preston emphasizes that effective corporate risk management must focus on safety. The corporate impulse is to extract employees quickly, but having them shelter in place could be safer in certain situations, he says.

To determine the best way forward, strong safeguards must be established long before an emergency unfolds. “When a crisis does strike, planning must account for logistical realities,” Taylor-Preston says. “Before moving personnel onto volatile roads, organizations must evaluate whether families include children or elderly relatives with specific needs, and determine if the operation requires land, sea, or helicopter transport.” Engaging specialized crisis consultants early in the planning process is vital to managing these complex variables.

Organizations must also prepare for the long-term aftermath of a security crisis. While emergency services handle the immediate physical threat, companies face a long tail of operational risk, Taylor-Preston notes. Months of disruption follow, requiring leaders to manage psychological trauma, execute return-to-work protocols, and repair compromised supply chains.

Ultimately, the response must extend beyond the immediate target to preserve the stability of the broader organization. If one company facility is attacked, leadership must immediately deploy security guards and grief counselors to every other corporate location to prevent secondary incidents and calm panicked staff.

“True duty of care requires protecting personnel not just through the initial flashpoint, but across the entire operational recovery,” says Jonathan Gregory, Ascot’s head of special risks.