“Company executives face soaring threat of violence” warn UK security chiefs

More chief security officers (CSOs) in the UK than anywhere else in Europe are now providing senior executives such as CEOs and CFOs with close protection officers, protection for executives’ family members, personal protective equipment, online threat monitoring and enhanced security procedures to mitigate the threats being posed.

The escalating risk is underscored by global institutional investors, with 97% saying it’s important companies invest in protecting their executives and seven in every ten agreeing that senior executives’ contributions to strategic decision-making, leadership and innovation represent 30% or more of the value of the companies in which they invest.

Activist groups are also viewed as a significant threat to corporate security, with 81% of UK security chiefs saying such groups increasingly pose a risk to facilities and executives. This is the highest level of concern of those individuals surveyed in Europe.

“We have entered a new era where the rise of false information amid increasing polarisation is impacting corporate security,” explained Tim Kendall, president of G4S Secure Solutions UK and Ireland. “More robust protection measures, monitoring regimes and intelligence gathering are now required to protect senior executives.”

Kendall continued: “The threats posed to company executives and their businesses are changing at an unprecedented pace. The prevalence of activist groups in the UK is also a major concern, with security leaders now seeking to stay ahead of threats before they escalate.”

Misinformation and disinformation

The World Security Report was commissioned by Allied Universal, the security and facility services provider, and G4S (the former’s international business). 2,352 CSOs (or those in equivalent roles) working for medium and large global companies in 31 countries were surveyed. 58 CSOs in the UK and 468 in Europe were questioned as part of the survey.

The final report also incorporates the crucial perspectives of 200 global institutional investors. Misinformation and disinformation, which can put executives at greater risk of harm, is commonplace in the UK and 69% of companies have been targeted by such a campaign in the last 12 months.

What’s more, 45% of security chiefs in the UK say misinformation or disinformation motivates at least half of threat actors targeting their businesses (there’s a 41% global average and a 41% regional average). According to 50% of UK security chiefs, the top driver of intentional insider threats is financial stress or personal debt. This is not only the highest rate in Europe, but also the joint second highest rate in the world.

More UK security chiefs than anywhere else in Europe also note that a toxic workplace and revenge against the employer or the employer’s management are contributing factors when it comes to intentional insider threats.

In terms of measures to mitigate the threat of violence posed to company executives, 60% of security chiefs are conducting enhanced security procedures. This is the highest rate in Europe (the global average being 49% and the European average 39%).

Security risk assessments 

53% of security chiefs provide business leaders with personal protective equipment (eg body armour and emergency escape masks). That’s the highest rate in Europe. 43% provide risk assessment for leaders, which is the second-highest total in Europe after Belgium. Further, 40% are monitoring online threats such as social media and The Dark Web. That’s the highest rate in Europe. 40% provide business leaders with personal/close protection, while the same percentage deliver training and preparedness for leaders (ie self-defence, awareness or de-escalation training).

According to the G4S report, 40% of security leaders outline that a toxic workplace has significantly contributed towards intentional insider threats in their environment and 36% say that revenge against the employer or the employer’s management has significantly contributed to intentional insider threats in their environment. 26% say fraud is the top external threat anticipated next year and 69% believe their budget will increase over the next year.

Interestingly, 52% of respondents to the survey note that Artificial Intelligence-powered video surveillance and analytics is the cutting-edge security technology that’s going to be most crucial for their operations across the next two years.

The research was carried out between 21 March and 16 April. The selected group of 200 global institutional investors also took part in an anonymous online survey between 8 and 14 April.

*Download the World Security Report 2025 by visiting the G4S website