From a global risk perspective, how are the nature and drivers of security threats changing for organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions today?

Operating across borders in 2026 means navigating a security-first global economy where geopolitical rivalry has replaced local instability as the primary driver of risk. We are seeing a total convergence of threats: state-led competition between the US, China, and Russia now manifests as sudden ‘economic weaponry’, such as sanctions, tech blockades, and export controls, that can paralyse a supply chain faster than any physical breach.

This is compounded by the blurring of kinetic and economic warfare, where regional chokepoints like the Red Sea are leveraged to trigger global logistical shocks. When you layer in hybrid threats, specifically state-linked AI-driven cyber disruption and disinformation, it’s clear that traditional security is no longer enough. For the modern multinational, resilience is no longer about hardening the gates; it’s about strategic agility in a landscape where political, economic, and cyber pressures have permanently fused.

SPS, the global assistance arm of Concentric Group, sits at the intersection of security, intelligence, and investigations – how do partnerships enhance your ability to deliver effective risk mitigation for clients?

At SPS, we don’t believe in working in a vacuum. Being at the intersection of security, intelligence, and investigations means our partnerships are the force multiplier that turns raw data into actual protection. Having worked so closely with the world’s leading special risk insurers, we’ve built a global infrastructure that doesn’t just monitor threats; it anticipates them. When the unexpected hits, we aren’t starting from scratch, we’re wrapping our investigative reach into a seamless emergency assistance net. Whether it’s a sudden evacuation or a complex crisis, these deep-rooted networks ensure we have the boots on the ground and the insurance backing to move the second a client’s risk profile changes.

We monitor for the moment a risk gains velocity, the transition from background noise to specific intent

When supporting clients in high-risk or rapidly evolving environments, what are the key indicators you monitor to determine when an issue moves from background risk to an active security concern?

We monitor for the moment a risk gains velocity, the transition from background noise to specific intent. This usually manifests in three tripwires: when political rhetoric turns into concrete executive orders or sanctions, when we see unusual security or military movements on the ground, or when local infrastructure begins to flicker without explanation.

Our goal is always to provide the early warning that allows for a proactive exit or a strategic pivot before a situation peaks. However, if proactiveness isn’t an option and a response is required, we are positioned to step in immediately. We are essentially monitoring the gap between a threat existing and a threat being activated to ensure our clients are either out of the way or fully supported if the environment shifts.

How do you balance the use of human intelligence, local expertise, and technology-driven insights in security and investigative operations?

We don’t see technology and human intelligence as competing forces; we see them as a fused capability. All our clients use GEAR, our integrated platform that feeds real-time data directly into our 24/7 operations room, providing global ‘eyes’ at scale. However, data without context is just noise. While GEAR flags the ‘what’, our human analysts and local experts provide the ‘why’.

This combination ensures we aren’t just reacting to an automated alert, but delivering a nuanced, human-led response. In a crisis, that blend of high-tech oversight and boots-on-the-ground intuition is what allows us to move from an insight to a proactive solution in seconds.

How do global risk trends – such as geopolitical instability, organised crime, or insider threats – shape the investigative priorities you’re seeing from clients?

Global trends have shifted investigative priorities from reactive clean-up to proactive vulnerability mapping. Today, geopolitical instability doesn’t just disrupt logistics; it creates a compliance minefield where we’re tasked with ensuring partners aren’t falling under foreign state influence or circumventing sanctions.

We’re also seeing a spike in insider risk, as organised crime and economic pressures make ‘trusted insiders’ prime targets for exploitation. This is where we lean on our Concentric DNA, taking the deep vetting and behavioural intelligence expertise used for ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals and applying that same rigour to our corporate clients. The goal has moved from proving what happened to identifying who is vulnerable before a global trend becomes a local incident.

For multinational clients, how do you ensure consistency in security standards while remaining sensitive to local legal, cultural, and operational realities?

I would say that the simple answer is: centralised standards, localised execution. We set a global ‘floor’ for security so the quality never wavers, but we don’t use a rigid manual. A strategy for a London high-rise is useless in a remote logistics hub, so we use our on-the-ground partners to translate our standards into the local legal and cultural reality. It’s about ensuring the SPS and Concentric standard is met, but in a way that actually works in that specific jurisdiction.

Today, geopolitical instability doesn’t just disrupt logistics; it creates a compliance ‎minefield

Looking ahead, what role do you see security and investigations playing in broader organisational resilience and duty-of-care strategies?

In the next few years, security and investigations will become the backbone of duty of care. True resilience in 2026 isn’t just about surviving a crisis; it’s about having the intelligence to avoid one entirely. As ‘insider’ and compliance risks grow, deep-dive vetting and internal intelligence are becoming non-negotiable for maintaining trust.

Ultimately, this is a defensive necessity. Traditional insurance is often reactive and doesn’t cover every ‘grey space’ or operational nuance. That’s why SPS and Concentric are launching a security-focused membership model later this year. It’s designed to fill those gaps, providing the specific skills and immediate support that insurance isn’t built to handle. We’re moving from ‘locking the doors’ to providing an elite, proactive safety net that gives clients the total confidence to open them.