The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 and the later lionization of suspect Luigi Mangione have led to corporations to reassess security and how they can protect their executives.
Despite receiving death threats, Thompson had no security detail, when he was gunned down en route to an investors meeting in Manhattan. This starkly contrasts with the billions of dollars Google and Meta spend on staff security.
Risk advisory firm Kroll says while threats have risen across diverse sectors, there has been a noticeable spike against the healthcare industry.
Thompson’s assassination has galvanized anger with the American healthcare industry, as a bureaucratic system linking healthcare providers, insurers, and drug companies often leaves patients facing huge medical bills and poor service despite paying an average cost of $12,000 a year—50% higher than in any other developed nation.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, healthcare insurance firms began removing executives’ biographies and images from their websites; some issued work-from-home instructions while others decided to switch to virtual investor days.
In a chilling turn of events, “wanted” posters of other healthcare, banking, and finance CEOs and executives have begun appearing in New York. This has prompted Alert:24, the in-house Special Contingency Risks arm of corporate risk and broking solutions firm WTW, to issue a “new risk landscape for corporate executives” special crime alert.
Alert:24 notes that “the general anti-corporate sentiment aired in the aftermath of the shooting could result in anger being directed to other sectors”—namely, oil and gas, tobacco, defense, technology, banking and finance, pharmaceuticals, and real estate.
While this could result in reputational damage and a slump in share prices, Thompson’s death underscores that staff should not be overlooked. Alert:24 recommends that companies review corporate risk management procedures, operational practices, publicity, contractual rights, employee directives, insurance coverage for executives, the wider workforce, and the business’s potential liability. Finally, it is recommended that executives consistently monitor all available reporting about their company and the wider industry to understand current public opinion accurately.
