For the past 12 years, Margaret Levine has been VP of Corporate Security at Bridgestone Americas, a leader in tire and rubber technologies, in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to leading an enterprise-wide security program in identifying risks, reducing vulnerabilities and responding to crises across national and international locations, she also chairs Bridgestone Corporation’s Global Working Group on Risk Management and Business Continuity. At Bridgestone, the C-suite relies on Levine and the Corporate Security team to be an integral part of enhancing the company’s brand and protecting its employees, as well as physical and intellectual assets. To meet those expectations, Levine relies upon in-house resources, in addition to outsourcing in areas such as her guard force, technology design and certain investigative work. She also relies on colleagues and data from the State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)and the FBI’s Domestic Security Alliance Council.
Outside of Bridgestone, Levine is a board member of the International Security Foundation and Chairs OSAC’s Women in Security Council. She is the first woman to have served as president of the International Security Management Association.
Levine has had previous roles as deputy director of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and as senior advisor, Business & Operations Support and technical services manager at Mobil Oil. There, she managed executive protection, crisis management, risk and threat assessment, and security support to operations in high-risk non-U.S. locations.
After Mobil Oil, she moved on to Capital One as director of global security and also led corporate security at Georgia Power Company, focusing on business strategy and proactive risk management. While there, she designed and implemented the company’s first enterprise crisis management program.
From redesigning the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report to building a global security department to leading security for Bridgestone Americas at the Rio Olympics, Levine has been part of many initiatives that have made a difference in the profession and the well-being of teammates and corporations where she has worked.
“One that stands out in particular is my role leading the design team for Mobil Oil’s Shared Services business strategy for expertise functions. Our team created the process through which the security, medical, aviation, EHS, legal and government relations departments sold and delivered their services to company business units worldwide. At the time, I had worked at Mobil for only a couple of months – this was my first job in the private sector,” Levine notes. “The assignment forced me to quickly learn the oil and gas industry, understand how Mobil operated its business and run a staff function like a business. I’m proud to have been a part of the effort that put Mobil in the forefront of companies transitioning to a shared services operating model.”
To be successful, she believes that security professionals should understand the culture and the C-Suite of their organization, now and as it evolves, and have the flexibility to adapt. “It doesn’t matter how talented you are, how much experience you have or how successful you’ve been. If you don’t have the awareness and ability to change, your credibility and track record may be tarnished because the programs, problem-solving and communication style that worked in one organization or under the leadership of one CEO may not work in the new paradigm,” she says.
