Rachel Briggs OBE has spent more than two decades helping to shape how corporate security is understood, communicated and delivered. As Founder and CEO of The Clarity Factory, she works with security leaders and multinational organisations to strengthen corporate security, resilience, intelligence and executive decision-making, while contributing research intended to move the profession beyond traditional protection models.
Her career has crossed corporate security, national security, policy, resilience and hostage support. She was the first Director of Hostage International and Founding Executive Director of Hostage US, has held senior roles within organisations including RUSI and Demos, and is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. She was appointed OBE in 2014 for services connected with supporting hostages and their families.
Giving security leaders evidence to make better decisions
A defining element of Briggs’ contribution in 2026 has been the Annual Chief Security Officer Survey, which she authored through The Clarity Factory. The research draws on responses from 118 senior security leaders at multinational organisations employing more than 3,000 people, giving the profession benchmark data across areas including geopolitical risk, governance, intelligence, AI, technology investment, talent and enterprise risk management.
Rather than simply documenting industry concerns, the research provides practical recommendations around how security functions can become better integrated with the wider business. It examines the changing role of the CSO, increased collaboration with cyber security and other risk functions, the impact of AI, and the growing importance of intelligence as a business decision-support capability.
Briggs presented these findings extensively during GSX 2026, delivering three separate sessions covering next-generation security leadership, critical priorities for CSOs in 2027 and the development of effective security cultures.
Building a stronger security profession
Her work in 2026 has also focused heavily on security culture. Briggs researched and authored Security Culture: A Strategic Capability That Builds Resilience in a Volatile World for the ASIS Foundation, developing a practical framework covering attitudes, knowledge, behaviour, communications, compliance and empowerment.
The work provides security professionals with a structured approach to an area that can otherwise be difficult to define or measure, helping organisations connect employee behaviour with resilience, preparedness and security performance.
Briggs continues to publish, speak and engage directly with security leaders on subjects including communication, intelligence, organisational resilience and the future role of the CSO. Her contribution is therefore not confined to advising individual organisations. Through research, benchmarking and professional education, she is helping the wider industry understand where corporate security is heading and providing practitioners with evidence they can use to improve their own programmes.
