Executive Security Spending Shifts From Perk to Priority

Early proxy filings show median spending on security perks increased 36.3% from 2023

April 18, 2025

Joyce Chen

---

---

The unfortunate incident involving Brian Thompson, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UnitedHealthCare, who was fatally shot in December 2024, has caused companies to reevaluate their security protocols. While it was once common for only high-profile executives to be accompanied by security detail, the tragic death of Mr. Thompson, who was without security at the time of the incident, has highlighted the vulnerability of all executives, regardless of their public profile.

In response to heightened security concerns, companies have taken various measures to protect their executives. Companies including CVS Pharmacy and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield removed photographs and biographies of their executives from their websites or took down their leadership pages. Additionally, companies are implementing stricter travel policies for executives. For instance, Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Chief Security Officer has mandated that the CEO exclusively use corporate aircraft for both personal and business travel. Security concerns have escalated beyond executives to include their families—the family members of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also receive security protection.

An Equilar study of S&P 500 companies reveals that an increasing number are offering security perquisites as part of executive compensation packages. The analysis examines 208 companies that have filed proxy statements by April 2, 2025, and finds that almost a third (31.3%) of them provided some type of security perk in 2024. This represents a 27.8% rise between 2023 and 2024, and a 47.6% increase from 2021. Additionally, the median spending on security perquisites has seen a significant increase of 118.9%, increasing from $43,068 in 2021 to $94,276 in 2024. This includes a 36.3% upturn between 2023 and 2024, when the median spending rose from $69,180.

	Prevalence of Security Perquisites (S&P 500)
2021	21.2
2022	23.1
2023	24.5
2024	31.3

	Median Value Spent on Security Perquisites (S&P 500)
2021	$43,068
2022	$40,917
2023	$69,180
2024	$94,276

Intel Corporation expanded its security spending by over 8,000%, from $3,000 in 2023 to just under $250,000 in 2024. According to the Company’s proxy statement from March 27, 2025, this uptick is correlated to a number of factors, including recent trends in the security atmosphere as well as the high visibility and accessibility of their executive officers. Lockheed Martin Corporation also increased its security spending from $149,069 to $1,338,056, a 797.6% upsurge. The Company’s 2025 proxy statement specifically details security concerns and direct threats experienced by its CEO and senior executives, referencing recent publicized security incidents involving executives at other companies. The proxy discloses that $1,194,805 of CEO James D. Taiclet’s compensation is allocated to security, with an additional $928,379 for personal use of corporate aircraft.

As of April 2, 2025, fourteen large-cap companies that did not previously provide security benefits to their executives have begun doing so. One such company, Centene Corporation, even notes in its recent proxy filing that the new security protections are correlated to the security issues experienced by executives within the healthcare industry.

The tragic death of Brian Thompson has sparked urgent dialogue surrounding critical issues of security and privacy for executives. As the 2025 proxy season draws to a close, it is anticipated that more companies will highlight enhanced security perquisites as a part of executive pay packages.

---

---

---