The journey to and beyond the role of the chief security officer

Author's Biography

DBA, is the Chief Resilience Officer for Sigma7, and has held several senior leadership roles within Sigma7. He has a Doctorate in business administration (focused on organisational resilience), a master’s in security and emergency management. He is also a lecturer at Portsmouth University. His books ‘Security and Risk Management: Protecting People and Sites Worldwide’ and ‘Business Continuity Management: Building the Incident Management Plan’ were published by Wiley and Sons. A former Major in the Royal Marines Commando, Mike has worked or lived in more than 50 countries and directly supports strategic resilience and crisis response efforts across a diverse cross-section of industries.

DSyRM, is currently Vice President of Global Safety, Risk and Resilience at the Associated Press, where he oversees efforts to minimise organisational risks at one of the world’s largest news agencies. He began his career as a Royal Marine, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military service, Mark transitioned into managing security programmes for various non-governmental organisations before intentionally shifting his focus to supporting media organisations. He has led major programmes across organisations including the BBC, CNN and Netflix. In 2023, Mark received an International Emmy Award for his support of coverage related to the Ukraine war. He holds a master’s degree and a professional doctorate in security risk management.

MSc, CSyP, is Global Head of Security and Emergency for Norsk Hydro, a leading aluminium and energy company working to build businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. He is a chartered security professional with a master’s degree from Loughborough University focused on security and risk management, and has proven experience working in the government, non-profit, oil and gas, mining and metals sectors. He delivers crisis and emergency preparedness strategies across personal security, compliance and operational planning who builds capability and resilience at all levels of an organisation across the fields of personal security, standards compliance and operational planning.

Andre Laliberte is a seasoned security and risk professional with over 20 years’ experience in risk and security. Currently, as Director of Enterprise Risk Management and Security at CEMEX USA, he oversees strategic risk assessments, crisis management, business continuity and asset protection across US operations. Previously, at Halliburton, he managed global facility security for over 600 locations, where he developed global security operations and supported crisis management. Andre holds a BS in Business from the University of Phoenix and multiple advanced security certifications.

Greg Leimone is a seasoned security executive with more than 25 years of experience. As Head of People Security and Crisis Management for a global agriculture company, Greg established the Global Security and Crisis Center, co-developed an insider risk programme and modernised executive protection and travel security. He leads organisational responses to major security and reputational crises, and his background includes founding a security consultancy, law enforcement and human resources. Greg holds a degree in criminal justice, completed an Executive Crisis Management course.

Lawrence Clinton is Chief Operating Officer at Castor Vali Group. Since joining Castor Vali in 2013, he has been instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic direction, while unifying policy, process and people. His career includes over 20 years in the Royal Marines. Lawrence’s educational background includes a Level 8 qualification in advanced management from Alliance Manchester Business School. He oversees strategy, culture and operations to deliver high-quality security and risk management solutions worldwide.