Martin Franks
Director of Protection Service Operations
Mr. Franks has a wealth of tactical and corporate close protection experience from team leader to project manager across the military, British Foreign Office, diplomatic and corporate sectors. He is a seasoned professional with an exemplary military and corporate career with more than 20 years experience in the security, high-threat environment, VIP protection and risk management industries.
His military service spanned over ten years with the Royal Military Police learning investigative skills before devoting his career to close protection duties both operationally and as an instructor at the Royal Military Police close protection training school in Longmoor, United Kingdom, which is regarded as the premier protective services training establishment in the world.
He served as a close protection officer in Northern Ireland during the conflict, where he provided protective services to a number of high profile VIPs (senior military officers and politicians) and was subsequently assigned as the personal protection agent to the Commander of the Ulster Defense Regiment for 18 months in the province.
He was later attached to the British Foreign Office as the personal protection agent to the British ambassadors and their families in Kampala (1985-86) and Beirut (1990-91) responsible for planning and coordinating all close protection operations in an arduous and hostile environment. While in Beirut he was also assigned as the protection detail leader for the Rt Hon Robert Adley MP, who was negotiating with Hezbollah leaders in efforts to securing the safe release of British hostages Terry Waite and John McCarthy.
His varied protective service assignments also included being personal protection agent to the Prince and Princess of Wales during their royal visit to Hong Kong in 1990 and personal protection agent to the Commander British Forces, General, Sir Peter de la Billiere, CBE, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar, Legion of Merit (USA) during the first Gulf War in 1990-91.
After leaving Her Majesty's Armed Forces he undertook various protective service assignments in the UK and Europe, which included being a Member of the Sultan of Oman protection team, protection team member for the Saudi royal family, and the primary protection agent to Mr Al Fayed, Chairman of Harrods, both in the UK and overseas.
He was also responsible for the security management reviews of Bank of America branches throughout London as a result of the 9/11 terrorist action.
Between July 2003 and May 2006 he was the project manager leading a 16-person protection team in Iraq tasked with ensuring the personal safety of the program director and engineers of a US-based Fortune 100 telecoms specialist, as well as overseeing all aspects of the physical security and local guarding services on a reconstruction project in the extremely high threat environment outside the Green Zone of Baghdad.
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