How to Vet a Corporate Intelligence Vendor

by Maria Robson-Morrow, Katherine Tucker and Paul R. Kolbe

January 19, 2024

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Summary.

Imagine you’re the CEO of a major technology firm and your chief operations officer is conducting a site visit in Asia to scope out a potential new investment. Your company needs: 1) an on-the-ground security provider to protect your COO during the trip, 2) an assessment of the country, including security and geopolitical conditions that could facilitate or jeopardize business, and 3) better understanding of your potential partners.

Maria Robson-Morrow manages the Intelligence Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She holds a PhD from Northeastern University, where her dissertation research focused on private-sector intelligence. She previously worked as a security intelligence analyst in the Canadian energy industry.

Katherine Tucker is a PhD candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and a research assistant at the Intelligence Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Her dissertation research focuses on the intelligence community and terrorism.

Paul R. Kolbe is the former director of the Intelligence Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Kolbe previously led BP’s Global Intelligence team supporting threat warning, risk mitigation, and crisis response. Kolbe served 25 years as an officer and executive in the CIA’s Operations Directorate.

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How to Vet a Corporate Intelligence Vendor

Summary.

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