Washington, DC, July 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Control Risks, the global specialist risk consulting firm, today announced the appointment of Andre Simons as Director in its specialist Threat Management team. Based in Control Risks’ Washington D.C. office, Andre will focus on workplace violence, active shooter and life safety threats, specializing in providing critical incident threat assessments, crisis response and risk mitigation strategies for clients navigating the wide spectrum of potentially violent threat actors.
Andre is internationally recognized across the public and private sectors as a leading expert in threat management, behavioral analysis and violence prevention. He recently retired from the FBI as Unit Chief and Supervisory Special Agent having devoted over 12 years to developing and advancing the FBI’s behavioral threat assessment program within the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) in Quantico, Virginia.
Andre’s arrival enhances Control Risks’ industry-leading critical incident threat management offering at a pivotal time, when organizations are under increasing pressure to adequately prepare for, respond to, and recover from a variety of complex crises and threats.
The hire follows those in recent years of Shawn VanSlyke, another former leading expert at the BAU, as well as Gary Coffey, a former FBI crisis negotiation and crisis management coordinator from the Boston field office, and reflects Control Risks’ continued commitment to supporting its clients with best-in-class expertise in the critical areas of high-risk threat assessment and mitigation and workplace violence prevention. John Lane, founder of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), continues to support the team as a Director out of the Los Angeles, CA office.
In recent months, the team has been immersed in requests to address client concerns around insider threats and the potential for active assailant incidents, and Andre’s experiences will provide unique insights on these issues.
"Andre is an incredible addition to Control Risks’ Threat Management team. He brings unmatched expertise in the area of prevention of targeted violence, having worked on hundreds of matters involving workplace violence, insider threats and homegrown violent extremists during his tenure at the FBI,” said Jacqueline Day, Senior Partner and head of Control Risks’ Crisis & Security Consulting business for the Americas region."
While at the FBI, Andre designed and developed an interagency multi-disciplinary task force dedicated to the prevention of targeted violence—the Behavioral Threat Assessment Center—a first-of-its-kind security solution for the US federal government that successfully managed over 900 high-risk persons of concern across the United States and enhanced the FBI’s leadership in this area.
He also managed the operations of the groundbreaking Cyber Behavioral Analysis Center, a unique multi-agency center of excellence that provides agile and comprehensive insight into evolving state-sponsored, terrorist and criminal enterprise cyber threats.
Andre brings extensive operational experience and skill in expertly navigating crisis situations, particularly in leading behavioral threat response and assessments of mass casualty events. He is also the author of several published articles on threat assessment and was a primary co-author of the FBI’s Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the US.
"Driven by the continuing increase in targeted violence attacks, workplace violence prevention remains a top priority for corporate and community safety stakeholders," said Simons.
"I’m very excited to join Control Risks, a company with a rich history of innovative thinking that has demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of threat assessment, risk management and critical incident response," he concluded.
About Control Risks
Control Risks is a global specialist risk consulting firm that helps clients create organizations that are secure, compliant and resilient in an age of ever-changing risk and connectivity. Our experts across 36 offices provide the insight and intelligence companies need to realize opportunities and grow. From the boardroom to the remotest location, we have developed an unparalleled ability to bring order to chaos and reassurance to anxiety. Learn more at controlrisks.com.
Attachment