Prescient’s Travel Intelligence service represents a full-spectrum, bespoke risk management solution tailored specifically for corporations and their executives, as well as private clients and their families, traveling at home or abroad. The service will leverage expertise from the firm’s Due Diligence, Investigations, Cyber, and Intelligence practices, as well as decades of in-house experience in federal law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community. Prescient is also supported by Senior Advisors who have served as Heads of Security for multinational corporations such as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and The Walt Disney Company.
International travel poses a unique set of risks and considerations for any U.S. traveler because of the unfamiliar environment and threat landscape, varying cultural norms, and local laws. This risk is even greater for corporate executives and high net worth individuals who are often targeted for their wealth, status, or company affiliation. They often face a range of security threats, including physical harm, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, ID theft, as well as the increased risk of reputational damage. Prescient’s Travel Intelligence service ensures that our clients feel safe and secure before, during, and after their travels.
Over the last year, Prescient has continued to provide research and security support to its growing client portfolio, including multinational hospitality brands, financial institutions, and law firms, among others. Today, the firm is excited to formally integrate Travel Intelligence into its growing suite of risk management services. This fully customized, white-glove service identifies and mitigates travel risks for corporate HR and security departments, family offices, and private travelers before and during their trip. These offerings are also designed to assist corporations ensure they meet their Duty of Care obligations. Among other offerings, Travel Intelligence can include:
- Pre-Travel Intelligence (Travel Briefings & Threat Assessment Reports)
- Threat Monitoring (Before & During Travel)
- Transportation & Security Services
- Cybersecurity Consulting for Travel
With this offering, Prescient’s Intelligence Practice identifies potential threats at both the country- and city-level, such as general crime and safety, medical issues, terrorist activity, social and political unrest, volatile traffic patterns, and other concerns specific to the destination. Researchers then analyze the client’s itinerary in the context of these identified threats. This analysis is built upon a fluency of relevant languages, customs, laws, cultural norms, and health concerns specific to the region. The team also augments its research and analysis with physical security, emergency response capabilities, and cyber support.
Experts across Prescient’s four practices tap into each other’s respective areas of focus daily and produce high quality intelligence products as a result. Michal Vintr, Travel Intelligence Lead, comments: “Due to the in-depth and multi-source research element, this service is led by Prescient’s Intelligence Practice, but we absolutely lean on team members from other practices— for regional expertise, language capabilities, crisis management experience, and so on.”
Robert Panella, a Managing Director with years of travel intelligence experience in the government and private sector who is currently building out the firm’s New York presence, adds: “It’s been great to join Prescient and immediately assist clients with their travel risk management needs. I look forward to contributing to the expansion of these services, which will benefit a wide array of clients by significantly helping to protect their physical, cyber, and financial security when traveling or planning travel.”
Prescient President & CEO Jack McKenna has been working closely with the firm’s Intelligence Practice to ensure that the capability is fully optimized for current and future clients: “Our goal has always been to offer an enterprise-wide solution to risk management challenges, whether they involve global investment, compliance, or cybersecurity” he noted, adding that “it’s incredibly exciting to see Travel Intelligence come to fruition as an entirely new service that leverages the team’s varied research and security backgrounds.”
Prescient is a global risk management and intelligence services firm with four practice areas: Due Diligence, Investigations, Cyber, and Intelligence. Our team helps Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and financial institutions mitigate risk and uncover mission-critical information. Headquartered in Chicago, IL with offices in McLean, VA, and Dublin, Ireland, as well as a forthcoming office in New York City, Prescient’s team is proficient in multiple foreign languages and has conducted intelligence operations in over 110 countries.
