Executive Protection Agents Are Not Bodyguards

Just recently I was buying a tailored suit to be worn during an Executive Protection assignment when my seamstress introduced me to a fellow shopper as a security guard. And while I am certified as a security guard, there is a big difference between someone guarding a building/location with people or assets inside verses a body guard verses an executive protection agent. I didn’t take offense at being mislabelled but I did gently introduce myself correctly as an executive protection agent, not a security guard. This article will focus on the differences between a body guard and an executive protection agent. Because the differences may not be as widely known as I had once believed. In a nutshell, an executive protection agent has more training, finesse and discretion than a body guard. Both are needed and have their place but play slightly different roles in the world of protection. Security guards have their own connotations and I’ll discuss their roles in another article.

Let’s examine the differences in the scope of duties between the body guard and an executive protection agent. Typically, body guards are there to provide physical security in the event of threats from kidnapping, assault, and/or harassment while also often offering crowd control measures. Often they are not hidden or discreet but very much in the forefront and meant to be seen.  Executive protection agents also provide protection from kidnapping, assault, and/or harassment and can even provide crowd control but they take it a step beyond by providing a more comprehensive and strategic approach to their protection. Executive protection agents often help develop security plans, coordinate logistics for the entire team and try to manage risks before they escalate into a problem by conducting threat assessments and in-depth advance research. They can appear boldly out front and center but are often discreet and even dressed to completely blend-in with their environment depending on the client’s needs and wants.

Clientele for body guards and executive protection agents overlap but do have some notable differences. Body guards are diverse in helping well known celebrities (movie stars, singers, athletes etc), politicians both domestically and sometimes abroad, and people who have a high net-worth that need/want additional protection. Executive protection agents do all of these (celebrities, politicians, wealthy individuals) but also include dignitaries, corporate executives and those in the highest level corporate positions needing extra protection depending on their corporate roles/duties and security risks.  Families of these executives and dignitaries also often need discreet protection in order to minimize risk to the main client. In essence, executive protection agents provide more comprehensive, full service protection from threats of all levels.

Training for body guards and executive protection also overlap. Both undergo extensive training in tactics, self-defense, firearms training, close-quarter combat, threat assessment and first aid or emergency response. Both fields need these skills. Body guards often (but not always) come from military, law-enforcement and security backgrounds. Executive protection agents can also come from these backgrounds and can have similar training; they also include more advance training on effective communication, risk management, crisis negotiations, conflict resolution, defensive driving, in-depth advance work, clientele etiquette all the while providing more discreet, under the radar but high-level security.

There can be a vastly different level of discretion provided between body guards and executive protection agents. Body guards tend to be seen and more in your face to be seen by all. They are there to provide physical security and their physical presence is meant to be a deterrence. Executive protection agents can certainly beef up the physical presence when needed but generally try to blend in the background to allow the client have as normal a life as possible with as few disruptions as possible. The goal of an executive protection agent is to provide discreet and subtle security measures while minimizing threats. Both approaches can be necessary at times but the executive protection agent offers more finesse and discretion while still providing a high level of security.

Perhaps the biggest difference is the level of personal care the executive protection agent provides because security, comfort and aid all go hand in hand for the corporate and wealthy clients alike. The drivers are taught the tactical aspects of driving but also to be aware of how the passengers in the back seat feel going over speed bumps, sharp turns or pavement shifts going into a driveway. Clients with food allergies can rest assured that their executive protection agent is going to watch the chef in the kitchen and help ensure cross-contamination is avoided. Female executive protection agents can discreetly assist ladies in ways males cannot (dressings rooms, bathrooms, etc). Executive protection agents must be flexible and adapt to unexpected route/venue changes and needs of the client. Executive protection agents  provide in-depth site advances, provide armed and unarmed protection and help the client have peace of mind in their surroundings so they can go about their life in as normal a fashion as possible both domestically and internationally. It is indeed an honor to be tasked with the welfare of another individual and to have that as your career is even better. We train hard in order to get our clients safely home to their families so that we can get home to ours.

Amandalyn Barr