From PA to CEO: How Kate Bright climbed the ladder to transform the security industry

Kate Bright, bodyguard and founder of elite private security office UMBRA International Group, on her rise from PA to CEO – and how she is radically changing the face of the industry for the greater good

As a certain wise man going by the name of Albert Einstein once said, failure is success in progress. And, for business founder, CEO and all-round trailblazer Kate Bright, it was an early failure that led her on the road to success that she is travelling down today transforming the face of the modern security industry.

Having not gained the A-Levels needed for her university and course of choice, Bright pivoted into a French degree – the first in her family to study at that level – and, from there, with no real idea of what she wanted to do for a career, found work as a PA for wealthy families and individuals across the world.

Bright, now 44, spent 15 years working for high-net-worth captains of industry and royals. She says: ‘I always worked with high-profile families that needed security, and I went from PA to Chief of Staff, which meant I was managing the security function more closely. The security head suggested I do bodyguard training to really understand how the function works – I thought, ‘But I’m not from the military, and I’m a woman,’ and he said, ‘Your difference is your strength’. So, I did 160 hours of close protection training, which included planning, Israeli martial arts, first aid and languages, including a basic grasp of Russian. And then I realised how unique my background and insight were.’

Security isn’t just about physical protection

Bright recognised that security was no longer about the rich and famous being physically protected by burly bodyguards but about protecting people digitally, reputationally, and emotionally, particularly with social media’s rise. Bright oversaw all aspects of their lives, from digital to physical safety, providing a service where her company covered all of those needs.

In 2015, Bright’s company, UMBRA International Group, ‘basically set itself up’, with three clients she had already worked for becoming her founding clients. ‘The security industry needed some positive disruption. The average age of our clients is now 38, and they want different things from a secure lifestyle,’ she says.

“I’m more of a security concierge than a bodyguard”

Bright doesn’t see herself as a female bodyguard but describes her role as more of a security concierge. Her services encompass everything from recruiting private security staff for her clients to helping them navigate and problem-solve in any crisis.

The company’s projects include supporting armed forces and veterans transferring to the private sector, funding ex-sports professionals to join the security industry and launching an apprenticeship scheme for young people from diverse backgrounds.

In addition, UMBRA now has global partnerships, a sister office in Geneva, a database of thousands of operators, and clients all over the world. ‘It’s really exciting. We have the ability to work with a broad range of people, including everyone from those listed on the Sunday Times Rich List to people that want our help to stay away from it,’ says Bright. ‘We deal with multi-generational families and the exposure, complexities and risks of having a certain name.

‘I don’t see myself as an entrepreneur, really. I saw a gap in the market; the golden thread of female security is very much a part of the fabric of the business. If there’s anything entrepreneurial about me, as a legacy, I want it to be that the business had a meaning. That we didn’t just work for the super-wealthy, but we helped wealth leaders to do good things for society.’

Bright says she is living the Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’, finding life’s purpose and true meaning through her talents and passions and how they can give to the wider world. ‘I feel lucky because I get to live around that every day, and it gives me such a sense of achievement. Of course, there are always challenges, but it’s amazing that we can be a business that is going to change things.’

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