Closed circuit screenshots of UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination.
Source: NYPD
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson He was gunned down on Wednesday doing something that many other American CEOs routinely do: walking unaccompanied to an investor event held by his company.
But Thompson’s death this week in the heart of America’s corporate capital has sent ripples across the business world, prompting companies to rethink the risks of even the most mundane of executive responsibilities.
“Everybody’s struggling to say, ‘Are we safe?'” he said Chuck RandolphOntic Security Manager, an Austin, Texas-based threat management software provider. “This is an inflection point where the idea of executive protection is now being brought up to the board level. Everyone I know in the industry is feeling it.”
Threats against corporations have been on the rise for years, fueled in part by the echo chamber of social media and a more polarized political environment, according to security professionals. But Thompson’s death on a Manhattan sidewalk, of the largest private health insurer in the US, is the biggest incident in decades.
Companies worry that their leaders are now at greater risk of being targeted for violence, especially as they host more public investor events in New York in the coming weeks.
The gunman is still at large, and his motivation is unknown. Words written on shells found at the scene can give advice about what prompted the shooting.
One question from security experts not involved in the case was whether the shooter displayed complaints against UnitedHealthcare on online forums and sought information about the incident from investors. Several health care companies have reacted by pulling executive photos from their websites, and health insurer Centene held an investor meeting. the virtual after the murder
Thompson did not have a security detail with him Wednesday morning, despite knowing the threats against him, according to NYPD officials. None of UnitedHealth’s executives received personal security benefits, according to the company signings.
The cups mark the location of shell casings found at the scene where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed on December 4, 2024, in New York City, New York, USA.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
If Thompson had, several key factors would be different. Before he arrived, the staff would go to the hotel to detect threats; in addition, an armed security would have helped to have used an alternative entrance to the hotel, he said Scott StewartVice President of TorchStone Global.
“This is preventable,” said Stewart, who said he has been in the industry for nearly four decades. “I’ve never seen an executive with a comprehensive security program suffer such a casualty.”
However, before this week’s shocking events, it was not uncommon for executives to cut back on security because of the disruption to their lives, or the image it might give, some security veterans said.
“Not every CEO needs a lot of protection,” said the head of security at one tech company, who was not authorized to speak to the press. “Senior executives face threats all day, you need a platform” to analyze them and determine if they are credible and timely, he said.
‘Guns, Guards and Doors’
Since Thompson’s death, he has pursued a wide range of companies exceptional protection for executives, Matthew Dumpert, managing director of Kroll Enterprise Security Risk Management, told CNBC.
In the coming weeks, there are several financial conferences in New York that CEOs are scheduled to attend in person. So far, the main concern of these events has been disruption by environmental activists or other protesters, said a manager at a major bank.
“Everybody is looking and thinking about the safety of people their age,” said an executive at a major Wall Street firm, who declined to be identified out of concern that it would attract attention.
Some corporate security veterans said they are seen as cost centers whose leaders are “buried too deep in an organization to listen.”
“The bias is that security is a pain in people’s ass, and not that important,” said the person, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.
“I hope this is an eye-opener,” he said. “Risk information and assessment are important, and security is much more than guns, guards and doors.”
– CNBC’s Jordan Novet, Bertha Coombs and Dan Mangan contributed to this report
