High-net-worth individuals, or those to be perceived as holding high-value assets, such as cryptocurrency, are being increasingly targeted by criminal gangs, writes Luke Westgarth-Taylor, pictured, Global Director of On Demand Services at Healix International, which offers travel medical and security services.
For example, in January 2025, David Ballard, co-founder of $1 billion crypto firm, Ledger, was abducted with his wide from their home in central France. They were eventually rescued via a major police operation, but not before Ballard was seriously injured.
Another prolific example, with a more tragic outcome, was the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed in a targeted attack while travelling for work in 2024. These incidents reinforce the fact that even in low-risk environments, including their own homes, high-profile individuals can be at risk. In these cases, protection must be discreet, if itโs going to be successful. While this example is largely considered an isolated incident, it has exposed the vulnerability or lack of preparedness of High-Net-Worth Individuals and Executives globally. This is considered in line with business continuity risks, impact on organisations, individuals, and families.
The best type of protection goes unnoticedย
High-profile people require close protection, moving away from visibility and force towards subtlety and judgement. The most effective protection is the kind no one ever notices – ideally, itโs invisible. Although this might sound like a โsoftโ, or even lax, approach, it requires high levels of discipline, and intelligence, to execute. The focus is on mitigation of threats and risks, rather than reaction. From initial risk assessment through Open-Source Intelligence gathering and lifestyle audits, to situational awareness training, operational planning, and execution or delivery of executive protection, the necessity and approach to reasonable or best practice solutions should be carefully assessed.
This shift requires CPOs and team leaders to be adept not only in physicalย security, but also in behavioural awareness, social intelligence, and culturally attuned conduct.ย Modern executive protection programmes must integrate seamlessly into luxury environments, providingย securityย that supports, rather than interrupts, the clientโs lifestyle.
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How poor judgement impacts safety
ย Often with the security of High-Net-Worth individuals, the risk to their safety doesnโt come from a lack of physical capability, but by poor judgement in how protection is applied. For example, mis-timed interventions or visibly anxious behaviour can draw attention and unintentionally escalate a situation that was benign. The wrong kind of communications can also be a factor, whether overly directive, poorly judged in tone, or culturally misaligned.
In short, visibility itself can become a cause of risk, or risk multiplier, signalling someoneโs status, or a concern, where there was previously no awareness.
Instead, effective protection must hinge on confidence, restraint and deep situational awareness. Despite perceptions, discretion is anything but passive. It requires the ability to read environments accurately, anticipate change and calibrate situations from moment to moment. Skilled operatives will understand when an intervention is required but also, critically, when itโs safer to hold back. By putting sound judgement ahead of overt presence, and subtle influence over visible control, effective protection teams will reduce exposure rather than add to it. This delivers security that quietly stabilises situations while preserving freedom, privacy and comfort.
Front-ending operational planning within the intelligence phase will lead the Close Protection Officerโs conduct and approach. It is this behavioural awareness, the ability to anticipate whatโs coming and emotional intelligence that differentiates the modern Close Protection Officer from the traditional bodyguard, focused solely on physical protection.
Discretion in practice
In practice, discreet protection must operate across a High-Net-Worth individualโs daily life. From airplanes to secure ground transport, route selection and contingency planning must be organised in advance. The approach must be proactive, not reactive. Working with hotels, venues and events demands coordination with staff and an ability to blend into high-end settings without any disruption. The same levels of sensitivity apply to social, family and informal environments, where the goal is to protect without interrupting normal life. Dress, appearance and behaviour become strategic tools โ guided by context, culture and setting. This proactive mindset reflects a longโheld close protection principle that โtime spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted.โ
In all scenarios, there must be an ability to adapt your plans to a changing situation. This agility – paired with protection teams that look appropriate, behave naturally and avoid unnecessary signalling – make Close Protection Officers better placed to adapt to rapid shifts in environment, including genuine risks. Constant situational awareness, supported by regular intelligence and operational updates, helps mitigate complacency and operational fatigue, both of which pose genuine risks to success.
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Blending in without switching off
A critical component of the continuous adjustment required for effective protection, is the ability to scale presence up or down in response to context. Protection Officers can dial their physical proximity to clients up or down, if distance and observation is required. They can assess when a situation requires firmer positioning, or intervention. Protection is never switched on or off but moderated in real-time. Again, this approach enables protection to remain proactive without becoming disruptive. Risks are managed subtly in the background, and security is only felt if needed.
Blending into the environment and avoiding attention through appropriate dress and conduct in specific settings is key to ensuring a low-profile approach to effective close protection. An experienced Close Protection Officer will understand the need to be โthe grey manโ in any situation and should never be identified as a security professional. This approach also applies to communication, with the Close Protection Officer adapting their engagement to match the tone and expectations of the setting.
The right mindset
Ultimately, at the heart of discreet protection sits a professional mindset defined by restraint, judgement and selfโdiscipline. True discretion demands the confidence to not overreact or dominate a space unnecessarily. We must not equate visibility with value. It is underpinned by high standards of preparation, emotional intelligence and accountability, where every action is intentional.
Close Protection Officers understand that their role is to support the clientโs lifestyle, not to impose themselves upon it. When a clientโs day unfolds smoothly, schedules remain intact and clients move freely without feeling managed or constrained, protection has succeeded. In modern executive protection, discretion is no longer an added extra but a marker of maturity and professionalism.
