• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”

3

The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
LeadershipC-Suite

Exclusive: Here’s how companies are protecting their top executives after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a new survey

By
Sara Braun
Sara Braun
Leadership Fellow
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sara Braun
Sara Braun
Leadership Fellow
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 24, 2025, 4:00 AM ET
Antonio Diaz—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Last month’s assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson sparked a new wave of anxiety for corporate leaders, prompting many executives to think twice about their safety and reevaluate their existing security protocols. 

Recommended Video

Some data does exist about how much money companies spend on protecting their top people, especially when it comes to the most famous CEOs in the world. But how lower-profile companies think about security is still relatively mysterious. 

A new survey conducted shortly after Thompson’s killing, and shared exclusively with Fortune, sheds some light on how what security steps major companies are taking towards and growing trends within the corporate world.  

Around 73% of companies have specific security arrangements for their executives or senior leaders, according to a new report from HR Policy Association, based on 180 responses from CHROs from large public companies spanning a variety of industries between Dec. 16, 2024 and Jan. 2, 2025. Of companies that do provide security to executives, 76% use third party vendors or consultants to do so. 

“Even if you’re not extremely in the public eye, you can still be a target,” Ani Huang, senior executive vice president and chief content officer of HR Policy Association, tells Fortune.

When it comes to who these companies are protecting, a surprising number think about more than just the chief operating officer. Around 37% reported having security measures solely for their CEO. But 68% reported providing security arrangements for all C-suite executives, 51% said they provided security to board members, and 12% said they provided security to “other senior leaders.” 

As for what triggers even thinking about security in the first place, around 91% of companies said their choices were based on a given job role. Another 75% said it was based on a risk assessment, and 66% said decisions were based on a specific incident or other threats. 

Experts have previously told Fortune that exploring corporate security options should begin with a risk assessment, which is a general analysis about threats to the organization, often conducted by a third party. Around 64% of companies surveyed by HR Policy Association said they conducted these assessments on an “as-needed” basis but a significant amount (19%) do them annually, followed by quarterly (4%) and monthly (5%). 

When it comes to the toughest challenge implementing and maintaining their executive security plans, 70% of CHROs said it was the evolving threat landscape and 30% blamed budget constraints. But ironically, 30% of CHROs said executive buy-in or compliance was the biggest obstacle to protecting these same executives.   

“Executives often underestimate the threat,” says Huang. “Some executives can be very humble in feeling like ‘I’m not a target, like nobody’s going to come after me.’” 

Moving into 2025, companies say they’re prioritizing travel security (54%) and physical security (53%) this year. That’s followed by cybersecurity measures (39%), residential security (38%) and personal use of private jet (16%). 

But Huang believes that Thompson’s death has been a wake up call for executives and companies that previously thought they were immune to violence—something she doesn’t expect to wear off anytime soon.  

“I do think it will probably have a longer tail,” Huang says. “It may be more similar to what we’ve seen with elected officials, where there’s just been a gradual increase in required security that has really gone up.”

About the Author
By Sara BraunLeadership Fellow
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sara Braun is the leadership fellow at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Leadership

nyse
CommentaryEconomics
AI doesn’t end scarcity. It relocates it
By François Candelon, Paul-Louis Andres and Augustin ManchonJuly 24, 2026
56 minutes ago
European travel platform Omio raises $10 million and buys Rail Europe as it chases Asia’s tourism market 
Asiatourism
European travel platform Omio raises $10 million and buys Rail Europe as it chases Asia’s tourism market 
By Nicholas GordonJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
Meet SLB: The $70 billion oil services giant poised to cash in on AI data centers and the post-Strait of Hormuz oil exploration boom
Magazineoil and gas
Meet SLB: The $70 billion oil services giant poised to cash in on AI data centers and the post-Strait of Hormuz oil exploration boom
By Jordan BlumJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
tokens
AIAI agents
‘You just hired a million bad employees’: How the brief tokenmaxxing era delivered the opposite of what it promised
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 24, 2026
3 hours ago
bots
AIAI agents
Turns out Dead Internet Theory was right: AI agents are eating the Web, growing by nearly 8,000% and rewiring the Internet’s business model
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 23, 2026
14 hours ago
Alphabet’s SpaceX stake fuels a $98 billion gain, beating estimates
Big TechMarkets
Alphabet’s SpaceX stake fuels a $98 billion gain, beating estimates
By Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressJuly 23, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
Personal Finance
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
By Joshua HongJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
Economy
The $39 trillion U.S. national debt isn’t as high as Japan’s and Singapore’s relative to economy size—and yet it's still worse somehow
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 23, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
Economy
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 22, 2026
2 days ago
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
Big Tech
Jensen Huang made his $172 billion fortune on AI chips. His family's $75 million gift to Vanderbilt argues art decides what technology is for
By Sydney LakeJuly 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.