Global Crisis Management Assistance
Crisis Management Team (CMT) profiles
Head of Special Risks
Jack Cloonan (based in the USA)
Jack Cloonan, a retired FBI Special Agent, joined red24 after five years as President of Clayton Consultants;
as Head of Special Risks he heads up red24’s kidnap response team. He has substantial experience in crisis
management, law enforcement, and anti-terrorism. He was the Senior Case Agent on the New York Office Bin
Laden Squad, as well as participating in the investigation and response to the bombings at Khobar Towers, the
US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole and 9/11.
Since entering the commercial arena Jack has cemented his position as one of the foremost kidnap for ransom
experts in the world. He has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards including the FBI Director’s
Award for Outstanding Counterterrorism Investigation, and in 1999 was the Federal Law Enforcement Officer of
the Year. Jack frequently makes commentary as a Terrorism Analyst and Consultant for ABC News.
Special Risks Client Relationship Manager
Suzy Simonsz (based in the UK)
Suzy is red24’s Special Risks Account Manager and assists Jack Cloonan on the day to day management of
the crisis management and KRE teams. Suzy has an Honours degree in International Relations and has been
with red24 for 7 years, working in both the Cape Town and London offices in a range of roles. She joined the
KRE Management team in 2009 and looks after the commercial aspects of the Team and red24’s Special Risks
clients.
Head of Crisis Response
Neil Thompson (based in the UK)
Neil Thompson, a global security specialist, is red24’s Operations Director, responsible for delivering the day-today service to members. He sits on the Executive Management Team of red24.
Neil has over 30 years of UK law enforcement experience. He retired as Detective Superintendent in Charge
of Operations for the National Crime Squad (NCS) where he was responsible for the planning and coordination
of both overt and covert police operations against major organized criminal elements. He is a trained hostage
negotiator and has substantial expertise in kidnap for ransom and extortion operations. In addition, he is a skilled
surveillance operator and crisis commander. Neil has extensive experience of working abroad, having worked
closely with a number of foreign governments and foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Prior to joining red24 in 2004, Neil spent six years as Head of Corporate Security Operations for Orange Group,
where he was responsible for the planning and implementation of all their global security operations, including
executive protection, crisis management and corporate incident response.
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Global Risk Analyst
Frances Nobes (based in the UK)
Frances is red24’s global risk analyst and is responsible for producing timely and accurate security and
intelligence reports on a variety of issues for red24’s corporate clients and insurance partners. Frances has a
Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of St Andrews and a post-graduate Masters in
Intelligence & International Security from King’s College London. Before joining red24, Frances worked as a
researcher for the National Defense University in Washington, DC, and as an intelligence analyst for a security
consultancy firm. Through these positions, Frances gained valuable experience and insight into security issues
in the Middle East and North Africa as well as writing a variety of issue-specific reports.
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Special Risks Team
Christopher Schramm (based in Germany)
As a former Company Commander in the German Armed Forces, Christopher Schramm has extensive
experience working in hostile environments. Prior to joining red24, he was a senior consultant for Clayton
Consultants in Europe. He has over ten years of crisis management experience, including kidnap cases in
countries such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Honduras and Kenya. Christopher also has experience with several
cases of maritime hijacking in Somalia. He has managed malicious product tampering and extortion cases in
countries such as Denmark, Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Slovakia.
Fluent in German and English, Christopher is a consultant at the Schranner Negotiation Institute in Zürich,
Switzerland, and university lecturer for communication, negotiation and conflict management at the
University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Dale Bulkley (based in the USA)
Prior to joining the red24 Special Risks team, Dale lived and worked for over 35 years in Latin America and
Spain. As a retired Federal Special Agent from the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Dale
is a recognised expert in providing international security-related consulting and training, crisis management
planning, and kidnap for ransom resolution services globally.
Fluent in Spanish, Dale has trained and provided high-risk mitigation consulting to government
professionals, private sector executives, non-profit organisations and family clients in the Middle East, Africa and
Latin America.
Involved in scores of cases worldwide, Dale has been instrumental in the supervision and resolution of
incidents such as kidnappings in Africa and throughout Latin America, extortions in Europe, Africa, Mexico, Venezuela and China, as well as in the resolution of wrongful detentions in Libya, Iraq and Kenya, among others.
Daniel Moser (based in Switzerland)
Prior to joining the red24 Special Risks team, Daniel Moser spent 16 years with the Zurich Police as a
detective and later as the team leader of the Organised Crime Task Force.
Operating throughout Europe and Latin America, Daniel has provided a range of pre-incident and response
services to banks, multinational corporations and private individuals, including compliance, training and
investigations. Fluent in German, English and French, Daniel has worked with American and European law
enforcement agencies.
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Garry Vardon-Smith (based in the USA)
Garry has had a long and successful career of over 26 years with the British Police Service, reaching the
rank of Chief Inspector. Working at the local, regional and national level, Garry was responsible for developing
national doctrine, strategic planning, direct management of UK police crisis management teams, critical incident
command training and national emergency mobilisation issues.
During the UK G8 Summit, Asian tsunami and London bombings, Garry was a key advisor to the UK Strategic
Command at the UK Police National Coordination Centre. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Garry was
also the Hostage and Crisis Management Advisor for the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, where he worked
closely with many international and US agencies, as well as the US military.
During the past four years, Garry has been actively consulting in high-threat environments in the Middle East
and South Asia, primarily for NGOs, providing planning, intelligence and security advice, enabling such groups
to operate in hostile and / or non-permissive environments.
Greg Rodriguez (based in the USA and Mexico)
Before joining red24’s special risks team, Greg Rodriguez spent 26 years with the FBI working as a special
agent in the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico. During this time, he was based primarily in Chicago, Illinois; San Juan,
Puerto Rico; San Antonio, Texas and at the United States Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico (1996 to 2000).
After leaving the FBI, Greg worked as a security consultant for several large multi-national corporations and
manufacturing plants in Mexico and the US. He also assisted in compiling a security assessment of the major
issues in Mexico City, led by former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, in 2003. In addition, Greg has worked
as an investigator and trainer throughout Mexico and Central and South America.
Greg has undertaken numerous investigations in Latin America including over 100 cases of kidnap for
ransom and extortion. He has conducted security surveys, executive protection, compliance audits and
assessments of and for multi-national corporations.
Greg holds a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where he graduated with a
degree in education.
Jan Kestner (based in Germany)
Jan Kestner is a former Lieutenant Commander in the German Navy’s specialised forces, with a specialty in
anti-terrorism and boarding operations. He has extensive experience as a vessel protection team leader, and
more than 20 years of experience in the kidnap for ransom, extortion and piracy fields. He has been involved
in cases in a number of regions, including Europe and Africa, and has extensive case experience. Jan is currently involved in organisational development, crisis management training, contingency planning and anti-piracy projects.
Previously a consultant with Clayton Consultants and fluent in German and English, Jan has provided security
management, contingency planning and consultancy services to clients worldwide. He has handled multiple
prevention and crisis management consultancy and training courses and has responded to kidnap for ransom,
extortion and piracy cases worldwide.
He has been involved in numerous Ship Security Assessments, as well as being deployed in the Horn of Africa
area as a ‘bridge advisor’. He specialises in HEAT and SPAR trainings and has qualifications in psychological
first aid and people assessments.
Currently a Naval Reserve Officer (with the rank of Commander), Jan is part of worldwide Naval Coordination
and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) organisation and trains soldiers and sailors in anti-piracy tactics. Jan has
a Masters of Economics from the University of the Federal German Armed Forces.
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Laurent Combalbert (based in France)
A former Clayton K&R consultant and President of the National Union of Crisis Negotiators, Laurent has
recently been special advisor for international security and homeland security at board level of a major
multinational company in the energy sector. He has played crisis negotiating roles in range of corporate roles
since 1998 and has extensive experience in Europe, Latin America and Africa. A native French speaker, he
speaks fluent English and Spanish and lectures in negotiation, crisis negotiation, and crisis management for
HEC, one of Europe’s most prestigious Business Schools.
Leslie Edwards (based in the UK)
Les has over 13 years of experience in the KRE and piracy negotiation sector and has developed substantial
and wide-ranging expertise, managing some 40+ KRE and piracy cases throughout the world. Prior to joining
red24, Les was retained by Clayton Consultants and was the lead negotiator in KRE cases in Afghanistan, Iraq,
India, Guatemala, Kenya, Venezuela and Yemen. Les has also acted as the lead negotiation advisor for several
ship hijackings and kidnap events in the Gulf of Aden and on the Somalia mainland since May 2008.
Les also acted as an advisor to a number of corporate entities and humanitarian organisations, carrying out
security assessments, piracy mitigation strategies and kidnap prevention and training worldwide. Formally an
officer with the British Army, Les also has significant operational experience in a number of conflict theatres.
Michael Danvers (based in Latin America)
Michael served with both the British Army and the British Police service, undertaking exercises and operations
in support of HM Government, NATO and the United Nations. Within the Police Service he served in the general
police duties role and participated in crisis management planning, public order and counter narcotics support
operations.
An asset protection and contingency planning specialist he has supported clients in over 35 countries across the
globe including Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Trinidad, Venezuela and Yemen.
A leading Risk & Crisis Management consultant operating in complex environments and responsible for
undertaking Threat & Vulnerability Surveys, Protective Program Design, Crisis Response and Contingency
Planning of high value assets in hostile locations. Michael is also an experienced investigations case manager,
previous projects range from Executive Pre-Employment Screening to Litigation Support and FCPA related
investigations. Possessing sound knowledge of the Latin American region and the associated business risk
implications for investing foreign bodies he regularly compiles strategic & tactical reports and conducts
presentations for senior corporate executives and the diplomatic community.
Michael is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese and, prior to joining the red24 team, was a former Crisis
Response Senior Consultant for Clayton Consultants.
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Michael May (based in the UK)
Michael has over 26 years of law enforcement experience and has served with the UK National Crime Squad,
the National Criminal Intelligence Service, as well as the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Prior to
joining the police, he was an officer in the British Army, serving in Northern Ireland.
Michael is a nationally accredited Hostage Negotiator, Kidnap Negotiation Commander and Senior Investigating
Officer (SIO). He has led or been involved with the pro-active and reactive investigation of over 25 kidnap, extortion and product contamination cases in the UK and abroad. And, prior to leaving the police, Michael spent four
years as a SOCA Overseas Liaison Officer in Spain. He is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Between 2008 and 2010, Michael was the SIO of a team carrying out cold case reviews of terrorist-related
murder/sudden death investigations. The team carried out over 30 successful reviews, one of which led to the
prosecution of a terrorist for a murder committed in 1973. More recently, Michael was contracted to assist as a
consultant on terrorist extortion threats in Europe, the Far East and Africa as a consultant on ship hijack cases.
Michael is currently undertaking a part time degree in Modern Languages (Arabic and Spanish) at the University
of Glasgow.
Mike Belcher (based in the USA)
Mike Belcher, a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, specialised in kidnap and ransom risk mitigation
in Latin America and the Caribbean. As a founding member of the CIA’s first Counter Terrorism Centre (CTC)
and with over ten years in a multinational corporate environment, Mike has extensive experience in specialist
training, on-the-ground risk management and KRE negotiation and mitigation.
Neil Fergus (based in Australia)
Neil heads up Intelligent Risks, arguably the number one K&R prevention and response consultancy in East
Asia. He has spent more than 20 years in a variety of operational, analytical and management positions with the
Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
In 1997 he was appointed Director of Intelligence for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games with
responsibility for the establishment and management of the Olympic Intelligence Centre (OIC). Neil also
managed the development of the counter-terrorist and dignitary protection project plans for the Sydney Games.
He has developed and delivered Kidnap Prevention & Response Training for a number of corporate clients,
including large multinationals in Papua New Guinea.
In recent years he has responded to attempted, foiled or actual kidnappings in the region including Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea (several) and Timor Leste. He is the recipient of a number of professional awards, including
commendations from ASIO, the New South Wales Police Service and the US Department of State.
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Nick Thomas (based in the UK)
Before joining red24, Nick served with the SAS for 20 years, rising to become the Chief Instructor of the
Regiment’s Training Squadron. He saw extensive operational service during the Falklands Conflict, where he
was part of an intelligence-gathering patrol deployed weeks in advance of the main Task Force; in the Gulf,
where he operated behind enemy lines as the mobility expert of his squadron; and in Latin America, where he
made a significant contribution to the UK military assistance programme to the Government of Colombia in its
fight against narco-terrorism. Additionally, Nick worked extensively with a number of government agencies,
largely in the field of counter-terrorism.
After leaving the British Army, Nick worked as the Security Director of a major US-Mexican banking consortium.
As well as managing all aspects of corporate security risk, his role included the operational direction and training
of personal security staff for the group’s senior executives and their families. Fluent in Spanish, Nick has worked
extensively with high net worth individuals in Mexico and many other areas of the world and understands their
specific and bespoke requirement.
Using his extensive experience in the personal security field, Nick presents on the subject of the threat posed by
kidnap, specifically counter-measures against it and personal conduct should it occur.
Robert Macpherson (based in the USA)
Robert has extensive experience in the non-governmental sector dealing with crisis management issues. He
spent 14 years with CARE International, a large non-governmental organization with 15,000 staff in 72 locations
throughout the world, where one of his responsibilities was the training and supervision of large, interdisciplinary,
multi-cultural teams in complex geographical settings. He is the author of several relevant publications including
Experienced Advice - Crucial in Response to Kidnappings (Monday Developments, March 2008)
Thomas Brandacher (based in Germany)
Prior to joining the red24 Special Risks team, Thomas spent 13 years as an officer in the German Army.
Thomas continues his army service as a reserve officer, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Over the years, he
has worked in countries around the world, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria,
Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Guyana, Trinidad and the United Arab Emirates.
Fluent in German and English, Thomas has been involved in operations, contingency planning and political,
social and cultural analysis, as well as in global KRE and piracy operations. Working with NGOs, multinational
corporations and governments, Thomas has provided a range of risk and crisis management services to clients
worldwide.
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Training
Peter Young MBE (based in the UK)
Peter spent 36 years in the London Metropolitan Police and the UK National Crime Squad. In addition to many
covert police operations he was also involved in countless high profile kidnap and extortion cases. He was the
first UK police officer to initiate and promulgate a UK wide training course for police negotiators whose duty
involved them assisting, supporting and liaising with kidnap or extortion victims who were subject to ransom
demand or otherwise required to communicate with the offenders.
He was one of the longest standing members of numerous Kidnap and Surveillance National and International
Working & Policy Groups and the author of many training manuals on the subject, which provide a point of
reference for Law Enforcement both in the UK and some other parts of the world. He then joined UK National
Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), Kidnap and Extortion Section helping to develop it to become the Serious
Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) Anti Kidnap and Extortion Unit (AKEU).
Dr Rob Kennett MBE (based in the UK)
In May 2009 Rob retired after over 30 years with the British Police at the rank of Chief Inspector increasingly
specialising in Hostage, Crisis and Kidnap Negotiation. He influences national doctrine within Hostage and
Crisis Negotiation and has been the Strategic Training Manager for the Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit
(HCNU), responsible for both UK and International training. He has delivered International Crisis Management
and Counter Terrorist Negotiation courses to a wide range of delegates including Kazakhstan Law Enforcement
Agencies, the Maltese Police and Armed Forces and The Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation
(JCLEC) on behalf of the British Government.
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Additional Subject Matter Experts
Steven Thompson - Head of Consultancy (based in the UK)
Steven has over 20 years of experience in the military and 11 years of experience in the commercial sector.
Since 2000 he has worked both as a security consultant and as a security manager, operating at a strategic level
for international corporations and organisations.
Prior to joining red24, Steven worked in a global telecommunications company, where he used his knowledge
and expertise to facilitate the implementation of corporate security policies and procedures. While operating at
this level, Steven has developed an understanding and appreciation of the complex regulatory environment in
which corporate entities operate.
Steven has produced and delivered several bespoke training sessions for companies and NGOs, covering crisis
management and product recall scenarios. He has also reviewed security policies, product recall policies and
travel procedures for numerous companies, as well as assisting our food safety experts on site visits. Over the
last two years, Steven has directed over 70 security-related responses for red24.
Andrew Baud – Crisis Communications Consultant (based in the UK)
Andrew has 15 years of PR experience and is a crisis communications expert, combining robust strategic
consultancy with a hands-on approach. In 2001, he secured a Public Relations Consultancy Association Award
for his work with the automotive manufacturer Vauxhall. He has also advised multinational corporations such as
Barclays Bank, Axa and Motorola. Andrew provides consultancy and training on crisis communications and is
highly experienced in handling the media.
Shane Russell – Malicious Tampering and Extortion Specialist (based in the UK)
For over 20 years, Shane has been providing crisis prevention and response advice to food, drink,
pharmaceutical and beauty product companies worldwide, covering incidents of deliberate and accidental
product contamination, and extortion. Her prevention expertise includes reviewing crisis management plans,
devising and implementing bespoke training exercises, PR training and training of other consultants.
Her response expertise focuses on avoiding or minimising damage to the company’s reputation and financial
loss; including threat assessment, liaising with authorities, devising a positive PR strategy and decisions on
recall. Shane has also presented papers at conferences, published articles and provided expert witness reports
on these issues.
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