The Ackerman Group

What The Ackerman Group does

The Ackerman Group is a privately held crisis management and security services firm founded in 1977 by former CIA Clandestine Services officer Mike Ackerman and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm provides multinational corporations with kidnap and extortion response, executive protection, security audits, workplace-violence mitigation, due-diligence and fraud investigations, crisis-management training, and maritime and yacht security. Its operational backbone is Risknet®, a proprietary intelligence platform that delivers daily-updated analysis of terrorism, crime, and political stability across 100 countries through Executive Digests, Country Summaries, City Guides, and Customized Surveys. The firm has a 48-year exclusive retainer with Chubb Corporation to provide emergency response to holders of Chubb's Kidnap/Ransom & Extortion and Workplace Violence Expense Insurance policies, with Risknet® provided gratis to those insureds. It serves approximately 65 of America's top 100 multinationals alongside European and Japanese corporations.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored by Chubb's insurance channel and direct engagement with corporate security and C-suite buyers. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based across professional-services engagements, with a recurring subscription layer for Risknet® outside the Chubb-insured base. Operations span five offices — Fort Lauderdale, Salt Lake City, Melbourne, Cape Town (EMEA regional headquarters), and Taipei (Asia regional headquarters) — supported by senior personnel with backgrounds in the CIA, FBI, US Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, and Marine Corps special operations, working in more than 20 languages. Strategic content marketing, including event-tied security assessments for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2026 Winter Olympics, supplements referral-based client acquisition. The Ackerman Principles, a codified set of 10 corporate security and counterterrorism guidelines, and the firm's published operational track record (300+ kidnappings and 800+ extortions resolved) form the intellectual and reputational core of its value proposition.

Name

The Ackerman Group

Legal name

Ackerman Group LLC

Website

https://ackermangroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ackerman Group is a privately held crisis management and security firm, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, that provides kidnap response, executive protection, security audits, investigations, training, and maritime security to multinational corporations and Chubb insurance policyholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Security & Crisis Management Services

NAICS

Investigation and Security Services (5616), Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services (56161)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive/Board Security Advisory & Risk Briefings (BPAKADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Crisis Management & Evacuation Services (BPAIAIAK), Corporate Executive Protection (Workplace / Office) (BPAKABAB), Security Assistance & Executive Protection (THACANAF), Fraud Risk & Financial Crime Controls Advisory (BPAKADAL)

Keywords

• Crisis management services
• Executive protection services
• Corporate security consulting
• Kidnap response services
• Global risk intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Crisis Management Services: Immediate response services for kidnappings, extortions, threats, wrongful detentions, and evacuations. Services include strategy proposal, law enforcement liaison, negotiation handling, ransom protection and delivery, and detailed incident reports.
2. Risknet® Subscription: Annual subscription service providing global security intelligence. Provided gratis to Chubb K&R insurance holders; available for yearly fee to other end-user corporations with free two-week trial available.
3. Training Programs: Half-day and customized training seminars including Crisis Management Team Training, International Travel Security Awareness, Personal Security/Kidnap Prevention, Hands-On Assault Survival, Workplace Violence/Active Shooter, and Protective Driving training.
4. Security Audits: Physical security audits of corporate facilities including office spaces, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, mining complexes, executive residences, with detailed reports including maps, photos, and recommendations.
5. Executive Protection: Protective details for high-risk areas and visitors, including security drivers, armed or unarmed escorts, advance work, coordination of security/logistics/protocol requirements, and tailored training for client's own protective personnel.
6. Investigations: Due diligence background investigations, fraud investigations including embezzlement and kickback schemes, and conventional theft investigations including inventory erosion, diversion, and hijacking investigations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Ackerman Group is a boutique crisis management and security services firm that protects multinational corporations and their personnel from terrorist and criminal threats worldwide. Its core offerings include 24/7 response to kidnappings, extortions, threats, and evacuations; the Risknet® daily-updated intelligence platform covering 100 countries; security audits; executive protection; investigations; training; and workplace violence prevention.

Product overview

The Ackerman Group is a security and crisis management services firm offering a portfolio of interconnected services rather than a unified software platform. The core offering is Risknet®, a daily-updated intelligence analysis service covering terrorism, crime, and political stability risks across 100 countries. This is complemented by professional services including Training programs (crisis management, travel security, assault survival), Security Audits (physical assessments of facilities), Crisis Management (kidnapping response, extortion, evacuations), Investigations (due diligence, fraud detection), Executive Protection (protective details), Workplace Violence prevention, and Maritime & Yacht Security. The firm has been operating since 1977 and serves multinational corporations with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Salt Lake City, South Africa, and Taipei.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Risknet® Daily-updated intelligence platform providing crystal-clear analysis of crime, terrorism, and political stability risks across 100 countries, featuring Executive Digest, Country Summaries, City Guides, Air Travel guidance, Urgent Inquiries, and Customized Surveys. Available by annual subscription to corporations, provided gratis to Chubb K&R insurance holders, with a free two-week trial for qualifying end-user corporations.
• Training Half-day and customized training seminars for corporate clients covering Crisis Management Team Training, International Travel Security Awareness, Personal Security/Kidnap Prevention, Hands-On Assault Survival, Workplace Violence/Active Shooter, and Protective Driving.
• Security Audits Physical security audits of corporate facilities including office spaces, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, mining complexes, and executive residences; assesses perimeter defenses, exterior lighting, parking facilities, building access controls, and security guard services; deliverables include detailed reports with maps, photos, and recommendations.
• Crisis Management 24-hour response to kidnappings, extortions, threat evaluations, emergency evacuations, and wrongful detentions; includes hostage recoveries, extortion response, threat assessments, contingency plan formulation, strategy proposal, law enforcement liaison, negotiation handling, ransom protection and delivery, and detailed incident reports.
• Investigations Global investigative services including Due Diligence background investigations, fraud investigations (embezzlement, kickback/bribery schemes, conflict-of-interest, bid-rigging), and conventional theft investigations (inventory erosion, diversion, hijacking) for corporate legal and compliance teams.
• Executive Protection Protection services for personnel in high-risk areas and visitors, including security drivers, armed or unarmed security escorts, protective details, transportation arrangements, advance work, coordination of security/logistics/protocol requirements, and tailored training for client's own protective personnel.
• Workplace Violence Workplace Violence Prevention Seminar addressing existing threats and proposing mitigation strategies to keep employees safe, including Workplace Violence Prevention (WPV) Management Plan review and prevention training for client organizations.
• Maritime & Yacht Security Security services for yachts and vessels including physical-security audits of watercraft and moorage locations, security assessments of sea-routes and port-destinations, cybersecurity audits on navigational and communications systems, crew background investigations, and protection for principals and crew.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 kidnappings successfully resolved
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chubb CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978The Ackerman Group has been retained by Chubb since 1978 (48 years) to be available to insured for kidnappings, extortions, threats, and workplace violence concerns. This is the company's longest-standing partnership. Risknet® is provided gratis to holders of Chubb's Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion insurance policy. The partnership provides emergency response services for Chubb's Kidnap/Ransom & Extortion and Workplace Violence Expense Insurance policyholders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Allied Universal: Largest US security services company (formed via G4S acquisition); broad incumbent offering manned guarding plus expanded risk advisory and consulting capabilities relevant to corporate clients.
• Ankura Consulting: Advisory firm with a security and investigations practice (built in part on K2 Intelligence); comparable on corporate investigations, security consulting, and risk advisory for multinationals.
• FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm with a significant investigations, compliance, and security consulting practice; broader portfolio but competes for the same corporate investigations and risk advisory engagements.

Direct peers

• Kroll: Investigations, due diligence, cyber, and security services firm serving corporations and law firms; directly comparable on investigations, executive protection, and security advisory lines.
• Gavin de Becker & Associates: Boutique threat assessment and executive protection firm serving high-profile and corporate clients; comparable on protective intelligence and high-net-worth security work.
• Control Risks: Global risk consultancy providing political risk analysis, security consulting, crisis management, and protective services to multinationals; closest direct competitor in corporate crisis response and political-stability intelligence.
• International SOS: Global medical and travel security services firm serving multinationals with travel risk management, evacuation, and intelligence — overlapping with Ackerman's travel security and crisis response offerings.
• Pinkerton Corporate Investigations: Long-standing corporate investigations, protective services, and security consulting firm; competes directly on investigations, security audits, and executive protection for multinationals.

Emerging players

• Concentric (formerly AS Solution): Executive protection and secure transportation services firm; overlapping niche in corporate executive protection and protective training.
• S-RM: London-headquartered intelligence and cyber consultancy with a growing corporate security and crisis response practice; emerging competitor in political-risk intelligence and incident response.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ackerman_group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ackerman-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ackerman Group