Global Risk Advice
As the need for higher levels of security and crisis management for INGOs has increased, so has the need for training and consultancy on that front. Over the last decades, (I)NGO security has become a serious industry, including industrial prices – affordable for major brands, but unattainable for many smaller European initiatives or local partners of bigger NGOs. Being a part of that industry for over a decade, it became our dream to reach out to those specific groups and be(come) their partner in their beautiful missions.
Making high-quality security standards and services accessible for passion-driven people is the core of the DNA of Global Risk Advice. This directly results in organizing our services lean and keeping the margins small. Reaching your dreams comes with a price and as a team, we agreed on keeping our costs low in order to achieve more!
As a home-base, we found an ancient monastery – ‘Nieuw Sion’ – at the quiet perimeter of the city of Deventer, the Netherlands. A beautiful place, not known for its luxury, but for its impressive history of reflection, dedication, and preparing people to serve others. Our team consists of accredited, experienced advisors and facilitators, whose main objective is to equip, enable, and empower humanitarian staff and raise their confidence in operating safely in challenging circumstances. We may cut on luxury, but never on quality!
Founders
Jacob van ‘t Slot
Jacob van ‘t Slot has spent over two decades in the field of psychology, security management, and crisis communications, as well as training in crisis response on behalf of governments or as a private consultant. In 2000, he took the first steps in supporting INGOs, supporting staff of local NGOs in Indonesia. A new career was born. Combining the roles of civil servant, hostage-negotiator and INGO security consultant, Jacob decided in 2008 to commit full-time to his role as security and crisis management expert for INGO clients all over the world.
Jacob initiated and supported several Dutch initiatives to enhance INGO security from the ground-up. Alongside this, he has advised the crisis management teams of numerous INGOs, human rights organizations, governmental and corporate clients during critical incidents and the recovery process after. Faith-based initiatives drew more of Jacob’s attention, in particular because of the extra layer of special ethical dilemmas INGOs face and the dedicated and unique attitude of their staff. Over the years, this increasingly became his focus group.
Besides supporting INGOs, Jacob gives lectures on operational security, crisis management, and crisis communication at the Harvard Humanitarian Academy. He is a Certified Protection Professional (CCP), Crisis Management Expert (S-CMO), and accredited Anti-Terrorism Officer.
Roderik Sommerdijk
Roderik Sommerdijk started his career as a global nomad in 1986, trekking from the Netherlands to Calcutta, India on a moped. Experiencing crime and corruption, he learned through experience how to handle, and later, to avoid, security challenges. Once he returned to the Netherlands after his adventures, Roderik obtained his bachelor’s degree in Educational Science and studied theater at a performance school of arts in Amsterdam. A short career as an instructor in role-playing for the Ministry of Defense, allowed him to discover his passion: learning, playing, and protecting/serving others. He combined these three elements when he joined several NGOS, using theater in slums and poor communities for education and raising awareness. Working with juvenile criminals in those areas allowed him to discover and learn about their thinking and behavioral patterns.
Since 2008, he has supported initiatives to improve the safety of INGO staff, initially as role-play actor, followed by his accreditation as facilitator and trainer. Roderik is trained and certified as an Anti-Terrorism Officer (cATO) through the S2 Institute in the United States.
“I discovered many security and safety lessons in life. Learning by trial and error is a tricky process, and I am grateful that no great damage occurred to me. I grant others to learn in a safe and supportive environment how to take care of themselves whilst reaching out to vulnerable groups around the world,” says Roderik.
