Illustration of a person in a teal suit holding an umbrella, deflecting multiple large arrows pointing downward. Symbolizes protection or resilience against external pressures. — Illustration by iStock, *Security Management*

When High-Profile Means Danger, Security Must Change Tactics

By Claire Meyer

29 September 2025

GSX Daily 2025

The Game Changer sessions at GSX are designed to get you thinking about how emerging threats will affect your work and your approach to risk management for years to come. It’s no surprise, then, that this year’s Game Changer lineup kicks off with a close-up on executive protection (EP).

Incidents of targeted violence—including political assassinations, attempted assassinations, and the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—have dominated global headlines. In the months since Thompson’s death, the alleged killer has been lionized in some online communities, spawning the creation of merchandise, memes, and fan clubs, as well as a rising risk of copycat behavior. Shortly after the killing, 41 percent of young voters ages 18–29 told one Emerson College poll they found the killing acceptable.

One U.S. Homeland Security report obtained by ABC News earlier this year warned, “Within days of the late December murder of a health insurance CEO, we observed online threats targeting high-profile executives. In the past several weeks, some threats citing similar grievances and referencing the CEO’s murder as inspiration are now targeting federal, state and local government officials.”

In the wake of the UHC killing, social media posts listed the names and salaries of high-profile health insurance executives. In Manhattan, multiple “Wanted” posters featuring corporate executives were posted on walls.

Spending on EP skyrocketed in the months afterward, with an emphasis on close protection and advance security, as well as intelligence management. Corporations tried to retract public-facing executive profiles and photos, but the genie was out of the bottle.

Now, security professionals have been grappling with how to navigate this new reality, which has been building for years. Whether the executive is an activist CEO or is assumed to hold the viewpoints of his or her organization, executives are open for public scrutiny and potential attack.

In the Monday GSX Game Changer session, “When High-Profile Means Danger: Protecting Executives from Public Threats,” attendees will learn how to differentiate an organization’s branding from its perceived reputation, analyze the impact a change in perception can have on an organization’s risk, and reevaluate executive security measures and protection service needs in the current climate.

“Elevating the global practice of executive security is more important now than ever,” says Chuck Tobin, CTM, president of AT-RISK International and president of the International Protective Security Board (IPSB). “The risks facing key personnel have changed as a result of how targeting threats have evolved. So too must our protective programs mature.”

Tobin and Chuck Randolph, senior vice president of strategic intelligence and protection at 360 Privacy and chair of the Sam Houston State Critical Infrastructure Research Forum, will discuss these issues at GSX to help attendees reassess how to make EP more proactive, intelligence-driven, and sustainable. Both panelists will bring their personal experiences as senior security executives to the session to provide actionable guidance and thought-provoking analysis that attendees can put to good use.

This Game Changer session will be hosted on Monday, 29 September, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CT in room 260-262.

Want more content about executive protection? Check out this selection of GSX sessions, as well as these other ASIS International and Security Management resources.

GSX Sessions