The Defuse Podcast: Risk in Private and Public Life

The Defuse Podcast – Family Office Risk Management with Edward V Marshall

From December 2023 to January 2024, Dentons, led by Edward Marshall, surveyed over 200 family office respondents from 33 countries worldwide, comparing the findings to the earlier research published in 2020. This survey went further than before by examining various types of family offices based on region, net worth, organisation, and maturity.

Participants included family members, C-suite executives, investment professionals, and other family office staff, providing a comprehensive overview of how family offices manage risk in their operations and investments.
This podcast discussed the findings of that survey with Edward. We delve deeper into the reasons behind the findings, how the identified gaps and vulnerabilities can be mitigated, and the challenges that Family Offices experience when seeking security providers.

Download the Dentons report here:
https://www.dentons.com/en/services-and-solutions/the-evolving-risk-landscape-for-family-offices-a-dentons-survey-report

Edward’s Bio:
Edward V. Marshall is the Global Head of the Dentons Family Office and High Net
Worth (DFO) sector. Edward is a family office insider and a renowned family office
researcher, advisor, and author. He is regarded as a thought leader in the family office space, distinguished by his service to complex families worldwide.  He is also a risk and threat management specialist, working with families to reduce their cyber, physical, financial, operational, and reputational risk profiles.

DFO is a global cross-practice group that services the firm’s clients, who are family
businesses, investors, family offices, or high-net-worth individuals. The team works closely with families considering a family office, families with an existing family office, and advisors to families. The group curates a program of insights, advice, and connections to advise the firm’s clients and relationships across the globe.
Before joining Dentons, Edward held leading family office roles at Credit Suisse, Citibank, and Boston Private (now Silicon Valley Bank). He joined Credit Suisse from Booz Allen Hamilton, where he was an engagement manager in their Organization and Strategy practice.

Edward is a core member and senior advisor to the UHNW Institute. This think tank
organisation supports family offices and UHNW individuals by promoting best practices, professional development, and positive change in the family office and family wealth field. Edward is a board member at the Defense Intelligence Memorial Foundation (DIMF), a non-profit focused on providing full scholarships to the families of Defense Intelligence officers killed in the line of duty. He is also an advisory board member for Americas Warrior Partnership (AWP), a non-profit based in Detroit that focuses on reducing veteran suicide.

Before AWP, Edward was a board member and treasurer at Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW), a capacity-building non-profit in Detroit focused on improving the impact and performance of fellow nonprofit organisations.
Edward earned his MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a BS in human biology from Michigan State University. He is also a guest lecturer on family office and wealth management at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-v-marshall/

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In this episode, part 2 of the series, we expand on the discussion of the psychological terms and learn about psychopathy, how high functioning psychopaths become CEOs, politicians and leaders, the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths, the impact that social media and the internet has on mental health.

Caroline Logan is a Consultant Forensic Clinical Psychologist. For nearly 30 years, she has worked as a researcher and honorary senior lecturer at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, as a lead clinician in secure forensic mental health services in the north of England and Norway, and as a consultant/contractor with law enforcement services in the UK and elsewhere. Dr Logan has ongoing clinical and research interests in personality disorder (including psychopathy), risk, violent extremism, and forensic clinical interviewing, and she has a special interest in gender issues in the range of offending behaviour. She has published five books and over 70 articles on these subjects, including Violent Extremism: A Handbook of Risk Assessment and Management [uclpress.co.uk], co-edited with Randy Borum and Paul Gill, published in November 2023, and a second edition of Managing Clinical Risk: A Guide to Effective Practice [routledge.com], co-edited with Lorraine Johnstone, published in December 2023.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-logan-31656b9a/

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In this episode, the first of a two part series, we learn about what exactly a psychologist is and the differences between a Clinical and a Forensic Psychologist.

Dr. Caroline Logan, who is a Consultant Forensic Clinical Psychologist, talks to us about the meaning of psychological terms such as personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, whether they are the product of nature or nurture and how those affected behave.

Dr. Caroline Logan is a Consultant Forensic Clinical Psychologist. For nearly 30 years, she has worked as a researcher and honorary senior lecturer at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, as a lead clinician in secure forensic mental health services in the north of England and Norway, and as a consultant/contractor with law enforcement services in the UK and elsewhere. Dr Logan has ongoing clinical and research interests in personality disorder (including psychopathy), risk, violent extremism, and forensic clinical interviewing, and she has a special interest in gender issues in the range of offending behaviour. She has published five books and over 70 articles on these subjects, including Violent Extremism: A Handbook of Risk Assessment and Management [uclpress.co.uk], co-edited with Randy Borum and Paul Gill, published in November 2023, and a second edition of Managing Clinical Risk: A Guide to Effective Practice [routledge.com], co-edited with Lorraine Johnstone, published in December 2023. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-logan-31656b9a/

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Bill Zimmerman has spent over 35 years analysing and managing threats. He started out in the fledgling Threat Assessment team of the US Capital Police shortly after its creation and, having spent over 20 years there, moved into the private sector on his retirement from law enforcement, where he continues to be a leader in the field of Behavioural Threat Assessment. Despite his long career, Bill is one of the humblest men you will have the pleasure of meeting. He is a fountain of knowledge and expertise, and in this podcast, he shares some of that wisdom.

Key Points:

• Behavioural threat assessment has evolved to focus more on identifying concerning behaviours early on rather than just reacting to direct threats. This allows for more options to address issues.
• Practical threat assessment requires communication and information sharing between different protective teams and agencies that may deal with the same individuals.
• The rise of social media has made it easier for people with extreme views to find communities that validate those views, which can encourage more dangerous behaviours in some cases.
• Workplace violence and threat assessment are recognised concepts in the US, but there is no agreed terminology for these issues in the UK and Europe yet. This hinders the recognition of toxic behaviours like bullying as serious problems.

Bio:

Bill Zimmerman was assigned to the Threat Assessment Section (TAS) of the U.S. Capitol Police. The mandate of this section is to investigate threats against Members of the U.S. Congress, their families and other statutory protectees. As a TAS Investigator for over 25 years, he conducted thousands of investigations into individuals concerned with the Congressional community. He collaborated with other Government agencies, local law enforcement, private security, and members of the private sector, who were integral parts of the investigations.

As the senior investigator, his responsibilities included traveling regularly to conduct security awareness seminars for the Senate and House staff throughout the United States and protective intelligence teams for congressional leadership and other congressional events. He helped create and develop guidelines for investigations with input into procedures currently used by the TAS and other Agencies throughout the United States and Great Britain. His experience was solicited for input into developing numerous publications on threat research and risk assessment.

Today, he incorporates that knowledge and experience to help conduct violent risk assessments and assist in creating threat assessment and threat management teams.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-zimmerman/

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Giles Kenningham is an expert in crisis communication. A former journalist who honed his skills at the sharp end of politics as the strategic advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron shares his thoughts on the relevant issues. In this podcast, we look back at his time in politics, and the Covid pandemic. We then discuss how his consultancy, Trafalgar Strategy, advises their clients, understanding the traps and opportunities, guiding them away from a crisis or helping them avoid one in the first place.

Some of the key questions Giles answers include.

What do you do in a crisis?

How do you respond?

Can you get ahead of the game and pre-empt a crisis?

What impact does Social Media have and how do you use it for positive effect?

How do you manage fake news?

Giles Kenningham MBE is a former Head of Press at Number 10 Downing Street and spokesman to the Prime Minister. He was the Director of Communications for the Conservative Party’s general election win in 2015 leading a team of 40 people. Prior to this he was a special adviser/ press secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities, Local Government and Housing.

​He started his career as a journalist in national radio reporting on business and consumer issues for a variety of stations including Classic and Magic FM. He is a former ITV News producer having worked for 3 years on their three main flagship programmes.

​Few people entering the sector have his level of experience and insight of dealing with every crisis imaginable. From political scandals to sex scandals, to privacy issues, he has dealt day in day out for 6 years with the issues that have led the TV news bulletins and dominated the newspaper front pages.

​Giles regularly appears as a political and media commentator on BBC, Sky & CNN. He also writes for various national publications including the Times and Spectator.

​Contact Information: [email protected]

 https://www.trafalgar-strategy.co.uk/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-kenningham-mbe-96515a2/

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Being wealthy, prominent, and successful doesn’t mean all your problems disappear. A study co-funded by the Gates Foundation published in the Wall Street Journal found that many of the ‘Ultra-rich’ turn out to be a generally dissatisfied lot whose money has contributed to deep anxieties involving love, work, and family. Being the subject of reputationally harmful and sometimes untrue media stories, harassed by trolls and stalked by fixated people causes paranoia and hypervigilance, which can harm decision-making and drive people towards unhealthy behaviours. When that occurs, they turn to Tracey Jones. Tracey is a mind management coach, language alchemist, and a trusted and respected confidante to numerous high-profile individuals, UHNW, and their families. In this podcast, Tracey shares her experience working in this space and the tips and tools she uses to help her clients through some of their darkest times, using the bespoke PAT methodology she has designed.

 
BIO
Tracey has been a mind management coach for about nine years. She began her career as an educator, giving a solid foundation to this part of her chapter. In 2013/2014, she went through a challenging period and sought support. She quickly recognised that this support was compelling and decided not only to build herself back up but also to transfer the skills to others. Since then, she has worked around the clock on mastering various skills and techniques and now dedicates her time to teaching others the language of their unique life. Being known for her discretion and privacy makes her clients feel safe while working through their problems.

 https://tjlife.net/

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-jones-212a8248/

 https://www.instagram.com/thelanguagealchemist/

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In this podcast, the first of 2024 we delve into what It really takes to be an elite performer with Guy Batchelor.

Guy is the CEO and founder of Minerva Elite, an elite global risk management service.

Minerva Elite is a highly professional and effective risk management and resilience consultancy formed to provide clients with a competitive advantage and bespoke solutions to their security needs.

Guy founded Minerva Elite having left the British Army, having served for 18 years in the world-renowned and elite 22 Special Air Service, the SAS.

In this podcast, Guy shares his thoughts on what makes a unit, organisation or person elite. Having spent 18 years at the ‘tip of the spear’ he is well equipped to talk about how to maintain that level of performance over such a period. Guy talks about the challenges of leaving behind that career and how he forged a new one running one of the UK’s most respected Close Protection and Surveillance businesses, the role education played, and how he sees the UK security industry evolving over the next 10 years.

This is one of the most inspiring podcasts I have had the good fortune to record.

Minerva Elite can be contacted at https://minervaelite.com/ or by telephone at +44 01432 678126

Guy can be contacted via https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-batchelor-076a9632/

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This month's very special guest is Gabrielle Thompson, PI, CPP. 

I am delighted to have Gabby as our Christmas guest. Gabby has recently announced that after a glittering 25-year career at Gavin de Becker & Associates (GDBA), she has decided to move on and seek new opportunities.

During her time with GDBA,  Gabby acted as the firm's subject matter expert on threat assessment by handling high-risk and critical cases, including inappropriate pursuit, stalking, threats, and harassment, and overseeing threat assessment programs for at-risk individuals. She also led the firm's threat assessment training, influencing thousands of others' careers. 

Gabby's career was in part initiated by her own experience of being a victim of stalking. In this podcast, we discuss how this has influenced her management of stalking investigations, with some great insights into how to manage the initial phases of a complaint.

We also discuss what keeps prominent people awake at night, issues of threat management, investigations, the impact of AI and technology and women in the security industry.

This is Gabby's first podcast since leaving GDBA and is not to be missed!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thompsongabrielle/

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The Defuse Podcast with Benjamin Barrontine –  Social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting.

 In an increasingly digital age staying safe requires an understanding of how adversaries operate in order to build an operational system that works. 

In this podcast we hear from an expert who has used social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting offensively when targeting enemy forces and terrorists in covert combat operations and now uses his expertise defensively when protecting his global clients.

 Benjamin Barrontine spent 15 years in the US military. He initially served in the infantry soldier before moving into the Special Forces specialising in intelligence, social engineering, digital exploitation and cyber targeting. He's has also worked with the NSA National Security Agency, the US Marshals Service, and NASA.

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This month’s podcast is all about doing business in the Gulf region. For many people, the Gulf region is an unexploited opportunity. It is a culture that is perceived to be at odds with the West. Corina is an expert in the region and shares with us her wisdom in unravelling the perceived complexities and making doing business more approachable. 

What is it like doing business in the Gulf region as a woman? Is it even possible? 

Do you need to speak Arabic?

I’m not in the oil business so what are the opportunities?

Where and how do I connect with potential partners or clients?

Corian will answer these issues and much more.

Corina Goetz is a Middle East Strategist and Keynote Speaker who helps companies and professionals to succeed in the Gulf region. We have been trusted advisors to many HNW clients from the Gulf and we now teach others how to build these relationships.

Corina founded Star-CaT Ltd in 2015 which stands for five-star service and consulting and training.

Corina, and her team help companies and professionals to succeed in the Gulf region. We have been trusted advisors to many HNW clients from the Gulf and we now teach others how to build these relationships.

Their services include:
 Training
 Advisory
 Middle East Membership for ongoing support (for companies and individuals)
 Speaking
 Online Resources

www.star-cat.co.uk

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