In this episode of The Mergers, Rory and Ken sit down with Jonathan Palmer (JP) — a cybersecurity pioneer who’s worked with elite intelligence units, Fortune 500 firms, and accidentally acquired the patent for secure internet transactions.

With a journey spanning decades — from setting up his first tech company on a pasting table in Putney to running global encryption deals across most of the world — JP unpacks the gritty reality of cyber risk, organised crime, AI threats, and why so many CEOs are still flying blind.

🔐 What we cover:

• How JP found his way into encryption and sold it back to the US wholesale
• The untold story of acquiring a global internet security patent… by accident
• Why cybercrime is now the 3rd largest economy in the world
• How Russia and North Korea are weaponising organised crime for cyber disruption
• Why cyber due diligence is the next blind spot in PE and M&A
• How AI is accelerating fraud, impersonation, and vulnerability at scale
• What it takes to keep UHNW individuals and leadership teams physically and digitally secure

From dark web intel to Hereford kidnap training, this is one of our most gripping episodes yet.