How can Family Businesses Stay Safe in the Digital Age?

Giles Kenningham is an expert in crisis communication. A former journalist who honed his skills at the sharp end of politics as the strategic advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron shares his thoughts on the relevant issues. In this podcast, we look back at his time in politics, and the Covid pandemic. We then discuss how his consultancy, Trafalgar Strategy, advises their clients, understanding the traps and opportunities, guiding them away from a crisis or helping them avoid one in the first place.

Some of the key questions Giles answers include.

What do you do in a crisis?

How do you respond?

Can you get ahead of the game and pre-empt a crisis?

What impact does Social Media have and how do you use it for positive effect?

How do you manage fake news?

Giles Kenningham MBE is a former Head of Press at Number 10 Downing Street and spokesman to the Prime Minister. He was the Director of Communications for the Conservative Party’s general election win in 2015 leading a team of 40 people. Prior to this he was a special adviser/ press secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities, Local Government and Housing.

​He started his career as a journalist in national radio reporting on business and consumer issues for a variety of stations including Classic and Magic FM. He is a former ITV News producer having worked for 3 years on their three main flagship programmes.

​Few people entering the sector have his level of experience and insight of dealing with every crisis imaginable. From political scandals to sex scandals, to privacy issues, he has dealt day in day out for 6 years with the issues that have led the TV news bulletins and dominated the newspaper front pages.

​Giles regularly appears as a political and media commentator on BBC, Sky & CNN. He also writes for various national publications including the Times and Spectator.

​Contact Information: gkenningham@trafalgar-strategy.co.uk

 https://www.trafalgar-strategy.co.uk/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-kenningham-mbe-96515a2/

Being wealthy, prominent, and successful doesn’t mean all your problems disappear. A study co-funded by the Gates Foundation published in the Wall Street Journal found that many of the ‘Ultra-rich’ turn out to be a generally dissatisfied lot whose money has contributed to deep anxieties involving love, work, and family. Being the subject of reputationally harmful and sometimes untrue media stories, harassed by trolls and stalked by fixated people causes paranoia and hypervigilance, which can harm decision-making and drive people towards unhealthy behaviours. When that occurs, they turn to Tracey Jones. Tracey is a mind management coach, language alchemist, and a trusted and respected confidante to numerous high-profile individuals, UHNW, and their families. In this podcast, Tracey shares her experience working in this space and the tips and tools she uses to help her clients through some of their darkest times, using the bespoke PAT methodology she has designed.

 
BIO
Tracey has been a mind management coach for about nine years. She began her career as an educator, giving a solid foundation to this part of her chapter. In 2013/2014, she went through a challenging period and sought support. She quickly recognised that this support was compelling and decided not only to build herself back up but also to transfer the skills to others. Since then, she has worked around the clock on mastering various skills and techniques and now dedicates her time to teaching others the language of their unique life. Being known for her discretion and privacy makes her clients feel safe while working through their problems.

 https://tjlife.net/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-jones-212a8248/

 https://www.instagram.com/thelanguagealchemist/

In this podcast, the first of 2024 we delve into what It really takes to be an elite performer with Guy Batchelor.

Guy is the CEO and founder of Minerva Elite, an elite global risk management service.

Minerva Elite is a highly professional and effective risk management and resilience consultancy formed to provide clients with a competitive advantage and bespoke solutions to their security needs.

Guy founded Minerva Elite having left the British Army, having served for 18 years in the world-renowned and elite 22 Special Air Service, the SAS.

In this podcast, Guy shares his thoughts on what makes a unit, organisation or person elite. Having spent 18 years at the ‘tip of the spear’ he is well equipped to talk about how to maintain that level of performance over such a period. Guy talks about the challenges of leaving behind that career and how he forged a new one running one of the UK’s most respected Close Protection and Surveillance businesses, the role education played, and how he sees the UK security industry evolving over the next 10 years.

This is one of the most inspiring podcasts I have had the good fortune to record.

Minerva Elite can be contacted at https://minervaelite.com/ or by telephone at +44 01432 678126

Guy can be contacted via https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-batchelor-076a9632/

This month's very special guest is Gabrielle Thompson, PI, CPP. 

I am delighted to have Gabby as our Christmas guest. Gabby has recently announced that after a glittering 25-year career at Gavin de Becker & Associates (GDBA), she has decided to move on and seek new opportunities.

During her time with GDBA,  Gabby acted as the firm's subject matter expert on threat assessment by handling high-risk and critical cases, including inappropriate pursuit, stalking, threats, and harassment, and overseeing threat assessment programs for at-risk individuals. She also led the firm's threat assessment training, influencing thousands of others' careers. 

Gabby's career was in part initiated by her own experience of being a victim of stalking. In this podcast, we discuss how this has influenced her management of stalking investigations, with some great insights into how to manage the initial phases of a complaint.

We also discuss what keeps prominent people awake at night, issues of threat management, investigations, the impact of AI and technology and women in the security industry.

This is Gabby's first podcast since leaving GDBA and is not to be missed!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thompsongabrielle/

The Defuse Podcast with Benjamin Barrontine –  Social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting.

 In an increasingly digital age staying safe requires an understanding of how adversaries operate in order to build an operational system that works. 

In this podcast we hear from an expert who has used social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting offensively when targeting enemy forces and terrorists in covert combat operations and now uses his expertise defensively when protecting his global clients.

 Benjamin Barrontine spent 15 years in the US military. He initially served in the infantry soldier before moving into the Special Forces specialising in intelligence, social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting. He's has also worked with the NSA National Security Agency, the US Marshals Service, and NASA.

This month’s podcast is all about doing business in the Gulf region. For many people, the Gulf region is an unexploited opportunity. It is a culture that is perceived to be at odds with the West. Corina is an expert in the region and shares with us her wisdom in unravelling the perceived complexities and making doing business more approachable. 

What is it like doing business in the Gulf region as a woman? Is it even possible? 

Do you need to speak Arabic?

I’m not in the oil business so what are the opportunities?

Where and how do I connect with potential partners or clients?

Corian will answer these issues and much more.

Corina Goetz is a Middle East Strategist and Keynote Speaker who helps companies and professionals to succeed in the Gulf region. We have been trusted advisors to many HNW clients from the Gulf and we now teach others how to build these relationships.

Corina founded Star-CaT Ltd in 2015 which stands for five-star service and consulting and training.

Corina, and her team help companies and professionals to succeed in the Gulf region. We have been trusted advisors to many HNW clients from the Gulf and we now teach others how to build these relationships.

Their services include:
 Training
 Advisory
 Middle East Membership for ongoing support (for companies and individuals)
 Speaking
 Online Resources

www.star-cat.co.uk

In this podcast we speak with Jameson Ritter, there are only 200 individuals globally that have the same level of qualifications as Jameson when it comes to threat assessments.

Jameson has recently published his excellent book titled “This Book Saves Lives: 10 Steps to Building a Threat Management Program in Your Organization, Prevent Workplace Violence, and Take Care of Your People”

We discuss what Jameson has learned from the qualifications he has acquired, in particular ATAP’s Certified Threat Managers, the CTM and how what he learned is relevant to those of us outside the USA.

Jameson shared his thoughts and experiences on managing threats with faith-based communities, small businesses and global corporations with the human element and the issues and triggers that are common throughout.

Jameson Ritter

CTM, CPP, PCI, PSP

Jameson is an experienced security consultant who specializes in workplace violence prevention, behavioral threat assessment and management, physical security and training and awareness programs. He is an active contributor to XR, VR and software developer Deep Attic, where he works to provide impactful and scalable training technology designed to prevent violence and save lives.

Currently serving as President of the Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), Jameson has also held several senior security roles in the private sector. As Director of Security Operations and Violence Prevention at US Foods, he led the company's workplace violence prevention and physical security programs. At UnitedHealth Group, he led the Global Threat Management team, developing and implementing threat management programs and training for the company's operations worldwide.

Jameson is a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and is one of just over 210 professionals certified as a Certified Threat Manager (CTM) within ATAP. He also holds the "triple crown" of ASIS International certifications: the Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI).

Jameson is a sought-after speaker and has presented to a wide range of public and private sector organizations on topics such as workplace safety, prevention and response to school and business violence, terrorism, active assailant protocols, and internet safety for children and young adults. He has also worked with private sector organizations to assess their vulnerability to internal and external threats and has assisted in the planning and execution of a variety of security protocols during special events in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.

Jameson graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a bachelor's degree in Sociology of Law, Criminology and Deviance in 1999 and received his master's degree from American Military University in Homeland Security in 2011. He is also an active duty veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having spent time in both the enlisted and officer ranks and is a graduate of the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School and the Air Force Air Battle Manager training course.

Jameson is the author of the book “This Book Saves Lives: 10 Steps to Building a Threat Management Program in Your Organization, Prevent Workplace Violence, and Take Care of Your People”  available from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2S59TF6?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_H4ZSWRMD1JK1Y545C1CB

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameson-ritter-ctm-cpp-psp-pci/

In an increasingly unpredictable and sometimes divisive world how do we help the workplace be a safer place, not just physically but psychologically?

 It is one thing ensuring that your workplace, place of worship or education is safe, it is quite another making it a place where you feel safe.

 Do mass shooter drills at schools make students feel safer or make them feel anxious and scared?

 In this masterclass, Bryan Flannery, President of Foresight Security Consulting based out Portland, Oregon shares his significant experience and expertise.

 Bryan shares his wisdom on how behavioural threat management achieves this through education and practice. Recognising that understanding the baseline behaviour of a person of concern is the key, and how it’s the deviation away from that baseline that is the key.

 Bryan explains that by adopting this non-punitive caring practice organisations benefit from increased reporting and a proper management process that seeks to keep everyone safe, including the person of concern.

Bio:

Bryan Flannery:

Bryan is the Founder and President of Foresight. His passion for keeping people safe inspired the development of Foresight’s robust, holistic approach to security and safety. Bryan’s deep experience with personal and executive protection, risk mitigation, security vulnerability assessments, and behavioral threat assessment and management underpin Foresight’s collective subject matter expertise and client services. Bryan’s background includes:

​

·     Twenty-two years of military and law enforcement experience, specializing in Behavioral Threat Assessment, Physical Security, and the Protection of elected officials.

·     Seventeen-year member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, and currently  serves as President of the NW Chapter Board of Directors.

·     Graduate of the California Highway Patrol Protection of Public Officials course.

·     Certified Defensive Tactics Instructor. 

·     Medal of Valor recipient from the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

·     Dynamic speaker having presented to international audiences in Personal Safety and Security, Threat Assessment, and Targeted Violence detection and response.

https://www.foresight-sc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-flannery-b8388354/

In this podcast HR and Threat Management specialist Melissa Muir discusses

• How grievances drive issues at work.
• How to say goodbye to employees leaving an organisation.
• The power of multi-disciplinary teams
• How to overcome the issue of confidentiality.
• The power of feedback and rewards in reducing hostility
• Communication between HR and security – what goes wrong?

 And much more which you’ll have to download and listen to learn more about.

Melissa Muir has been an HR professional in the U.S. courts for 25 years, more than 2 decades with the federal court in Western Washington. She is currently the HR Director for her hometown of Shoreline, just north of Seattle. Informed by threat management principles, Melissa is passionate about bridging the gap between security and human resources to improve the safety and health of our organizations.

Melissa has been thinking about ways to “go upstream” and prevent the harm of problematic personalities in the workplace by not hiring them in the first place. And managing problematic personalities better when we do find them in our organizations.

Melissa is the Past President of the Northwest Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and serves on the national sponsorship committee. Melissa holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a law degree with a focus on employment law and mediation from Seattle University School of Law. Melissa is an Instructor at Gavin de Becker’s world-renowned Advanced Threat Assessment Academy, a four-day course on advanced threat assessment concepts held twice a year.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamuir/

In this podcast, we speak with Rory Steyn. Rory has a unique story having gone from an officer investigating the ANC to the one chosen to protect Mandela on his release from prison and election to lead South Africa. During the next 5 years, Rory developed a close relationship and knowledge of Nelson Mandela protecting him in South Africa and abroad from different and emerging threats. He recalls how Mandela’s unique personality won him over, and how he interacted with world leaders and Royalty in the same way he did with children and local people in the townships.

Bio

Rory is recognized as a highly experienced and independent leader, with extensive experience in security and personal protection.

 Prior to establishing NSA Global Security Consultants as CEO of Africa Operations, Rory served as a served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the South African Police Service where he specialised in various fields of expertise. Including investigations. Intelligence. VIP protection and bomb disposal.

In 1996, Rory was appointed as a Team Leader for former President Mandela's personal protection team, looking after operations on both a national and international level. Rory is an internationally recognised security specialist, speaker, commentator and regularly presents papers at conferences around the world.

https://nsa-global.com/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-steyn-b4a44938/?originalSubdomain=za