Throughout my career, I have been entrusted with the protection and movement of assets that carried exceptional financial, cultural or reputational value. I served as guardian and custodian of the CFL Grey Cup as it travelled across Western Canada to various public events. I also managed an asset protection team moving the Van Gogh art collection—valued at over $1 billion—across North America, and coordinated and safeguarded high-value transfers for Michael Hill Jewellers and BlackBerry. Other assignments involved overseeing the safe transit of narcotics and firearms.
One of the most challenging assignments began when we were asked to develop a strategic plan to safeguard the movement and public display of Paul Henderson’s iconic 1972 Team Canada jersey. We understood that the jersey was more than a valuable object. It was a Canadian treasure—and protecting it also meant protecting something equally irreplaceable: our client’s reputation.
The central challenge was to make the jersey accessible to the public while keeping it secure. We worked with a contractor to develop a secure mobile trailer that could travel to each display location. The plan combined physical safeguards with technology, object tracking, including AI-enabled cameras designed to detect and track behaviours, proximity sensors and alarms.
The result was a security approach built around the realities of a travelling exhibition: enabling people to experience an important piece of Canadian history while supporting the protection of the jersey, the display and the client’s reputation.
When considering what makes your business valuable, what steps do you take to safeguard your assets, intellectual property and, most importantly, your reputation?
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