Business
Prevalence of CEO Personal Security Perquisites Continues to Rise
The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 brought renewed attention to executive security programs and prompted widespread
About this update from Unitedhealth Group Incorporated
[{"type":"text","content":" The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 brought renewed attention to executive security programs and prompted widespread discussions among boards and compensation committees regarding whether to introduce or enhance security protections for senior executives. While the incident intensified these discussions, proxy disclosures suggest that the upward trend in CEO personal security perquisites was already underway and has continued at a similar pace. Executive security programs are not new. Many public companies have long provided security-related perquisites—such as residential security systems, personal security personnel, and secure transportation—as part of broader risk-management practices. These programs also frequently intersect with policies governing personal use of corporate aircraft, as companies may require or encourage CEOs to use the company plane to reduce exposure to public travel environments and provide more controlled transportation. Evaluating how companies have responded presents a timing challenge, as most 2025 proxy statements reflect compensation provided prior to the incident. To obtain an early view of emerging practices, CAP analyzed companies with fiscal years ending between March and November 2025, whose fiscal periods included several months following the UnitedHealthcare incident and therefore provide an initial indication of how boards are approaching security-related perquisites in the aftermath. Key Findings CAP’s analysis suggests several notable trends: CEO personal security perquisites continue to become more prevalent among large-cap companies The increase in prevalence following the UnitedHealthcare incident is broadly consistent with the prior upward trend Personal use of corporate aircraft remains a common CEO perquisite and is frequently linked to executive security programs While year-over-year changes in security-related perquisite values are volatile, broader measures suggest an overall increase in spend among large-cap companies Study Methodology CAP reviewed proxy statements from 90 large-cap U.S. public companies with fiscal years ending between March and November 2025. For each company in the sample, CAP assessed proxy statement disclosure over the past three fiscal years covering: CEO personal security perquisites CEO personal use of corporate ai...