Threats towards company bosses soar amid rise in activism, warn security chiefs

The threat of violence towards company executives in Britain has surged over the past two years amid a rise in activism and misinformation campaigns, according to a report.

The latest World Security Report from G4S found that more than a third (34%) of UK-based security chiefs at large global companies believe the threat of violence towards company executives has increased since 2023.

More chief security officers (CSOs) in the UK than anywhere else in Europe are providing chief executives and chief financial officers with close protection officers, protection for their family members, personal protective equipment, online threat monitoring and enhanced security procedures, the report shows.

It comes amid a rise in threats by activist groups across Britain, with 81% of UK security chiefs saying they increasingly pose a risk to company sites and bosses – the highest level of concern of those surveyed in Europe.

It also follows recent high-profile cases of violence towards executives in the US, such as the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last year.

In the US, nearly half (49%) of security chiefs report rising threats towards bosses of listed companies, the report found.

Tim Kendall, president of G4S Secure Solutions in the UK and Ireland, told the PA news agency that in the US in particular there has been a spate of “copycat” attacks.

He said: “Certainly incidents of disgruntled individuals choosing to take actions against company chief executives is more prevalent.”

“It’s a bit of copycat and people feeling emboldened,” Mr Kendall added.

The report shows that half of UK security heads believe threats from company insiders are down to financial stress or personal debt, which is the highest in Europe and the second highest in the world.

Other motives include a toxic workplace or revenge against an employer or management, according to 40% and 36% of those polled respectively.

The report also claims that misinformation and disinformation is now “commonplace in the UK”, suggesting that 69% of companies have been targeted by such a campaign in the past year.

And 45% of security chiefs in the UK say this has been the motivation behind at least half of “threat actors” targeting their businesses, which is above the global and European average.

Mr Kendall said: “We have entered a new era where the rise of false information amid increasing polarisation is impacting corporate security and much more robust protection measures, monitoring and intelligence gathering is being done to protect senior executives.

“The threats to both company executives and their businesses are changing at an unprecedented pace.

“The prevalence of activist groups in the UK is also a major concern and security leaders are seeking to stay ahead of threats before they escalate.”

He told PA that the water sector has seen an increase in requests for increased protection for executives, with the industry coming under heavy fire in recent years over rising bills and poor environmental performance.

In the UK, the threat towards companies is largely from activist groups looking to damage or vandalise property in the first instance, Mr Kendall said.

“They want to spray paint and break windows more than they want to do anything else, but that escalates very quickly,” he said.

“Many more activist groups now operate in London than there were two years ago and they’re more aggressive.”