CORPGUARD, FRANCE

David Hornus, Founder and CEO of Corpguard, based in Lyon, France. He was elected to the ICoCA Board of Directors in November 2019. We asked David about his Company,  the significance of his election to the ICoCA Board and about his aspirations as a Director of ICoCA.

 

Can you tell us a bit about Corpguard?

Founded in 2006 and based in Lyon, CORPGUARD offers its customers transversal security services through its subsidiaries “Corpguard Intelligence“, “Corpguard Defense” and “Corpguard Protection Unit“. The range of our services is very wide: corporate investigations, business intelligence and lobbying, risks mitigation, international mobility security, crisis management, close protection and Defense services for the benefit of States. Very committed to respecting international standards, we have joined various professional organizations such as ICoCA, ISOA and the GICAT. We also became one of the first three French ISO 18788 certified entities since July 2018. Beyond the regulatory aspect, we are also very attentive to the transfer of knowledge between veterans or war wounded – who constitute most of our pool of consultants – and young graduates working in the back office.

 

You were recently appointed to the ICoCA Board, which is the first time a French company has been represented on the Board. Why is this significant?

I was pleasantly surprised to be elected, especially because a representative of a large Anglo-Saxon group – Control Risk Group – was also running. I interpret my election as the desire of small or medium-sized structures to be more represented within the industry pillar. Being elected to this position, even though the French government is not a member of ICoCA, is even more significant for me and I hope that France will be able to realize the importance of getting involved, following the example of Switzerland which recently recognized ICoCA as an international organization. Moreover, considering the current security (terrorist attacks since 2015) and social climate in France, I think that our responses and our security processes would benefit from relying on the Code. Given that the country will host the next rugby world cup in 2023 and the 2024 Olympic Games, it seems essential to me that French security companies initiate ICoCA labeling requests to guarantee high-quality services that respect operating standards, as the smooth running of these future sporting events will necessarily be watched from the outside.

What are your objectives on the Board over the next three years?

As as Board Director, I would like to convey the message contained in the International Code of Conduct, which should not be understood as an obligation but rather as a source of global inspiration for all the companies of the security industry. I want to work towards a better recognition of the Code’s principles to my professional network in France and in Europe, which I built thanks to 15 years of activities in the sector. I hope that my voice will participate in engaging not only French and European companies, but also French professional organizations such as the “Groupement des Industries Françaises de Défense et de Sécurité Terrestres et Aéroterrestres” (GICAT) or the “French Federation of Private Security”, and international actors like the “Security in Complex Environment Group” (SCEG). In order to raise awareness of the Association among a multitude of similar entities, I would also like – by the end of my mandate – to decentralize the General Assembly by organizing it in Lyon, a major city which is not a capital, but which nevertheless has an international posture. It is not a hazard if Lyon hosts many private security companies and the National Police School (ENSP), as well as the headquarters of INTERPOL and various international NGOs, including Handicap international.

ICoCA has a five-year Strategic Plan 2019-2023, but if you had to pick out one priority for the Association over the next twelve months, what would that be?

To my mind, one very important line of action is to develop and protect the credibility of an international ICoCA label in order to obtain a global recognition of the Association leadership on the international stage. Personally, I will pour all my energy during the three years of mandate to make sure ICoCA becomes a distinct label which reflects the excellence of ICoCA’s members expertise in the field of private security. To achieve this, I commit myself to endorse the role of ambassador of the ICoCA on the international stage but mostly in front of my peers, service providers and clients. The strategic importance of the clients for ICoCA is undeniable: they are the ones who can exercise an educational role towards entrepreneurs by choosing to collaborate with ICoCA labelled companies.