Our latest panel in partnership with Global Situational Awareness brought together experts from across the security and intelligence community to explore how shifting geopolitical risks are reshaping the way organisations protect their people.
The discussion focused on understanding the evolving risk landscape and identifying practical strategies to keep personnel safe.
The evolving threat landscape
The panel opened by exploring how global instability has made threats to personnel increasingly complex. Civil unrest, organised crime, and hostile state activity are familiar challenges, but the pace and interplay of these threats is now unprecedented. Cyber attacks can amplify physical threats, disinformation can erode trust instantly, and disruptions in one country can ripple through global supply chains.
“It’s like playing football, but suddenly someone’s picked up the ball and started running with it. The rules have changed,” one panellist said. Another added that today’s battlefield often exists in people’s minds, where social divisions and misinformation can be as dangerous as physical attacks.
While high-profile threats such as terrorism or armed conflict often dominate attention, the panel stressed that the most dangerous gaps are subtler and harder to spot. Insider threats, third-party exposure, and overlooked local dynamics such as tribal rivalries, political undercurrents, or cultural norms can all create vulnerabilities that standard assessments miss. Predictable routines, neglected back doors, and everyday habits can all be exploited.
Supply chains were also highlighted as a particular concern. “If you look at all the major attacks in recent years, what’s the common thread? It’s not the big brands themselves. It’s the supply chain. That’s where the weakest links are,” one panellist observed. This discussion highlighted that small, often invisible details including local routines, relationships, and human behaviour are often where risk hides.
Understanding everyday patterns, local nuances, and the broader networks on which people rely is essential. Threat assessments that focus solely on data risk overlooking the human and organisational factors that matter most.
Intelligence, networks and AI
Managing these risks requires more than awareness. It demands timely, verified, and actionable intelligence. “It’s not about how much information you collect. It’s whether you can turn it into something operational,” a panellist explained. Security professionals increasingly act as change managers, applying agility and decisiveness to emerging threats. “You can have all the intelligence in the world, but do you have the capability to act on it and respond quickly?” another warned.
Artificial intelligence can process large volumes of information rapidly, but it cannot replace human judgment. Misleading or unverified data can create false confidence.
Trusted networks, including peers, industry contacts, and cross-organisational collaboration, can help to provide useful context, advice and insight that raw data or AI alone cannot. The panel emphasised that human judgment remains critical.
Adapting protection strategies across borders
One common mistake is applying the same security programme in every country. Each operating environment has unique political, legal, and cultural factors, and a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.
The panel recommended a layered approach. Global principles such as duty of care, minimum safety standards, and respect for privacy provide the framework, while local teams decide how these outcomes are achieved. Surveillance tools may be legal and accepted in one country but prohibited or mistrusted in another. Standardising outcomes rather than methods allows organisations to remain flexible without compromising safety. Cultural competence is critical, and local leaders must review protective measures to ensure they do not inadvertently increase risk.
“Standardise outcomes, not methods. Global consistency in goals, local flexibility in execution,” one panellist summarised.
Building resilience for sudden shocks and slow-burn instability
Resilience is about preparing for both immediate crises and ongoing instability. Sudden events can include coups, kidnappings, ransomware attacks, or infrastructure failures, while slow-burn challenges may involve inflation, civil unrest, pandemics, or regulatory change.
Practical strategies focus on simplicity, redundancy, and rehearsal. Crisis playbooks should be concise, clearly defining escalation thresholds, authority lines, and funding mechanisms. Pre-positioned support, such as safe havens, medical providers, and pre-paid travel options, ensures readiness without last-minute scrambling. Cross-training staff across functions prevents single points of failure, while scenario exercises reveal blind spots. Financial resilience measures, including emergency funds and pre-approved credit lines, allow swift action. Redundant communication channels ensure information flows even if primary systems fail.
“Resilience is not about being unshakable, it’s about bending without breaking,” one panellist reflected.
Prioritising protection under resource constraints
Most organisations work with finite budgets, which makes prioritisation essential. Life safety comes first. Measures that prevent loss of life or serious injury are non-negotiable. The next priority is protecting critical business continuity, ensuring that the systems, sites, and personnel whose failure would halt operations are safeguarded. Low-cost, high-impact interventions, such as travel check-ins, staff awareness training, and buddy systems, can significantly reduce risk. Pooling security contractors or partnering with peer organisations can extend protection efficiently when budgets are tight.
The panel was clear that spreading resources too thinly is counterproductive. Focus on measures that deliver the highest risk reduction per pound “Save lives first, protect continuity second, then get creative,” one panellist advised.
Converging security and breaking silos
Cyber, physical, and people security must work together. Operating in silos leaves gaps for attackers. Interoperability across teams is essential. A single incident in one location can quickly affect the wider organisation if teams do not respond cohesively. Convergence requires shared understanding, strong relationships, and aligned priorities. Breaking down silos ensures risks are addressed holistically and responses remain agile and effective.
“The risk you think you have covered might impact other areas if teams are not talking to each other,” a panellist emphasised.
Culture, leadership and communicating to the board
Strong leadership and a security-aware culture are foundational. Boards must understand risks in operational, financial, and reputational terms, not just technical jargon. “If you cannot talk in commercial language, do not go to the board to talk risk and resilience,” one panellist emphasised. “Security is always too expensive until it is not,” another added. Embedding a culture of security requires consistent messaging, clear accountability, and top-down engagement. When leadership champions security, resources align, messaging sticks, and organisational resilience is strengthened.
Key takeaways
From the discussion, the following priorities emerged for organisations aiming to safeguard their people:
- Intelligence must be actionable, verified, and shared across teams
- Build resilience for both sudden crises and long-term instability, keeping playbooks simple and rehearsed
- Converge security functions, break down silos, and prioritise coordination
- Pay attention to small details, including local routines, human behaviour, and third-party exposure
- Leverage trusted networks, peers, and industry contacts for context and insight
- Communicate risk to boards in operational and financial terms
- Embed a culture of security with strong leadership, accountability, and consistent messaging
- Maintain transparency to build trust, particularly when using technology to monitor personnel
Final thoughts
Protecting people in today’s complex geopolitical landscape requires more than technology or procedures. It demands practical, grounded action that prioritises life safety, builds resilience, and integrates cyber, physical, and people security seamlessly. Small details, trusted networks, and thoughtful prioritisation under resource constraints can make the difference between success and failure.
Ultimately, transparency, rehearsed plans, and empowered local teams form the foundation of protection in volatile environments.
A huge thank you to our panellists and moderators
Panel 1 – Understanding the evolving geopolitical risk landscape and its impact on people protection
- Panellists – Andy Miller, Stephen Smith, Gavin Wilson
- Moderator – Peter Connolly
Panel 2 – Practical strategies for safeguarding people in a dynamic geopolitical environment
- Panellists – Matt O’Hara-Lythgoe, Christian Earl, David James-Role,
- Moderator – Tarquin Halse