For the fourth issue in our Executive Protection Organizations Worldwide series, we talked with Chuck Tobin, a Member Board Of Directors of the International Protective Security Board (IPSB).
When was the IPSB formed and why?
The International Protective Security Board (IPSB) is a non-profit organization and it was founded in 2016 with the vision of bringing the protective community together and creating opportunities for education that raise the professional bar.
The group of founders saw a need in the community, independent teams and practitioners were not collaborating to discuss best practices. The board consists of volunteers, who work tirelessly and passionately to elevate the profession.
How does the IPSB intend to address this weakness in the community?
The IPSB is driven to connect professionals around the globe. This profession is quite often performed discreetly and while many protectors cross paths in the market, their ability to benchmark and improve the professional practice is limited.
One of the first objectives the IPSB board pursued and fulfilled was to create a large forum where protectors could meet, exchange ideas, and hear from various thought leaders. They achieved this through the annual Close Protection Conference which hosts hundreds of professionals and to date is the largest gathering internationally of protection professionals.
How does the IPSB intend to continue to reach the broader international community?
Over the past two years, the IPSB has begun hosting symposiums and seminars outside of the United States. For two years in a row, we have hosted the London Protection & Intelligence Symposium and this year the Mexico EP Summit. The IPSB intends to continue to develop a series of events annually that will allow us to bring these broad global communities together across all of the continents.
Is the IPSB taking any other action to bring these communities together besides hosting these events?
Yes, we have outlined a strategy which we are currently executing on. Focusing on communities, consumers, and peer organizations, we hope to elevate this conversation. This year the IPSB signed a Memo of Understanding with ASIS International to facilitate exposure of our mission & vision to a much larger security community.
ASIS International is the world’s largest membership organization for security management professionals, with hundreds of chapters across the globe. We are also in the final stages of establishing a similar memo of understanding with the Corporate Protection Leadership Council (CPLC), a private group of protective service leaders.
These leaders oversee the protection programs of some of the largest corporations globally. Our relationship with them will further our ability to bring the consumers of protective services to our events so they can clarify their professional requirements and expectations of the industry.
Are there any other steps you are taking to bring this community together?
The IPSB, as a non-profit organization, is also investing in local grassroots executive protection community events. For many years, we hosted the Close Protection Conference in Las Vegas, NV, but we realized after many years that we were not able to reach all of the markets by being static.
We embraced the idea that the Close Protection Conference needs to move every year. We took our first daring step by moving to Dallas, TX last year and are in Nashville, TN for 2024. We have secured space in Charlotte, NC for 2025 and San Diego for 2026. This roadshow will allow us to engage with more local providers and consumers.
We hope that groups such as the Texas Executive Protection Professionals (TEPP) will evolve in each region as a result of our grassroots efforts. Over time, these communities will be able to organize themselves and share insights into localized industry practices, as well as create more opportunities for providers to identify partners.
You mentioned a few times the desire to elevate the profession, aside from seminars, symposiums, summits, and conferences, what are you doing to raise the bar? Not every protector has the time to travel to these events.
Several years ago, the IPSB, ASIS, and the University of Nebraska conducted a study of core competencies of the protection field. One of the striking findings that came from our work was that while there were many books written by authors about the various aspects of our industry, a body of knowledge that was peer-reviewed was not available.
Validation that what we were doing was right, was missing. The IPSB determined we needed to publish a journal. Now going into its second year, the Close Protection Journal, fills that void.
This journal receives pieces from the community. These pieces are edited, reviewed and published for the industry with the goal of building best practice guidance. Additionally, the IPSB has partnered with ASIS to create recommended practices in protective services. These two groups have been meeting for many years to author this recommended practice and are excited to see its publication in the coming year.