Former Bank of England Head of Security Don Randall MBE Joins Pilgrims Group

19 Mar 2015

Don Randall MBE, the Bank of England’s former Head of Security and Chief Information Security Officer, has joined global security and risk management specialist Pilgrims Group Limited as Senior Advisor.

An internationally renowned figure in the fields of security, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, cyber crime and fraud, Randall will be applying his vast and varied experience in a number of sectors to further develop Pilgrims business strategy and offerings to clients.

Pilgrims provides strategic to operational security risk management services, including award-winning training solutions, to government bodies, NGOs and private companies operating in a wide range of countries. The company has experienced between 15 and 30% growth annually over the last sixteen years and built an impressive track record of enabling clients achieve their business goals in challenging security environments, whilst maintaining a 100% safety record globally.

Randall comments: “My role with Pilgrims is as senior strategic advisor advising on areas for development and opportunity. I will be drawing on my experience in several areas, including economic crime/fraud, counter terrorism and a broad breadth of security knowledge at senior management level. To date, I’ve pioneered various public/private sector initiatives, including Project Griffin and Cross Sector Safety & Security Communications (CSSC) and will also bring international reach from my experience in law enforcement at JPMorgan and, latterly, through my understanding of cyber crime.

I’ll be helping to develop in-house abilities as well as the use of affiliations and will also be advising on key issues relating to the current international threat of terrorist activity, cyber-related issues and balancing the need for greater private security as a consequence of austerity measures facing policing in this country. From a local, national and international perspective, I will use my experience to further increase Pilgrims reach. One of Pilgrims core strengths is its skill in protecting business overseas to counter the terrorist threat.”

He continues: “I’ve always seen Pilgrims as a company of high integrity and quality with a superb work ethic.. The fact that the former UN security head, Sir David Veness, joined them in April last year was a huge endorsement of their reputation and outstanding track record. I am very pleased to be working with them. Whilst they have a strong reputation in the industry, they are not widely known and I’d like Pilgrims end users to be fully aware of what the company can actually do for them and how they carry out their roles. I want to emphasise their high standard of professionalism and the fact that in locations like Africa, Afghanistan, the Middle East and elsewhere the company has immense local and international reach and expertise.”

Pilgrims Managing Director, Bill Freear, says: “We are delighted that Don is joining us. We live in fast moving times, where the risks and opportunities faced by the public sector and businesses large and small are complex and ever changing. His knowledge and experience in so many vital areas that affect the world today will be of great benefit to us, to our company’s development and to our clients here and across the world.”

Don Randall began his career serving with the City of London Police, with specific emphasis on fraud and counter terrorism, rising through the ranks to spend four years as Deputy Head of the Fraud Squad. He was Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase before joining the Bank of England in 2008 and was elected Chairman of the Global Banks Heads of Security Group in June 2013. Randall holds a number of other official positions, including Chair of the City of London Crime Prevention Association, and is cofounder and Vice Chairman of the Cross Sector Safety & Security Communications initiative, which created the law enforcement private/public sector partnership successfully used in advance and throughout the Olympic Games. In October 2013 Randall was awarded a Security Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Security Profession.

Randall continues as the Cyber Ambassador for the Bank of England in a consultative capacity. He is also senior consultant to Bivonas Law, a City of London based law firm which specialises in high value and complex disputes.