Sleuths In Suits: Mission: Intelligence

Since Sept. 11, executives are demanding better information about security risks--and about threats to their competitive edge

During his two decades in international corporate security, Bill Elder designed protection strategies in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, from Iraq to Colombia to Nigeria. Operating in countries where American intelligence was often weak, Elder had to rely on his own contacts. In the mid-1990s, while overseeing construction of an oil pipeline in northern Algeria, Elder learned from local sources of a series of killings committed by the rebel Groupe Islamique Armee. This intelligence scoop--the government didn't announce the killings for several days--allowed Elder to steer employees safely away from the danger zones and keep the project...

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