Humans of Sentinel Part 7 of 10
- Constantine Ioannou
- Oct 11, 2016
- 3 min read
Over the last few weeks we have been giving you an insiders looks into the people that make Sentinel Security such a successful professional company. Without these select hand picked individuals, we would have no edge amongst our competition as our people are the starting and end point to your experience.
To have this edge, as a company we need to ensure that we not only lead by example from the top down, but that we have the right leaders in place to be able to teach and mould our personnel into the best they can be,
Sentinel is extremely blessed to have some incredible professionals representing our brand. As a company we are very invested within our people and we love to boast how great they are. With that said, we introduce Retired RCMP officer Joe Balz.
Joe has been conducting Close Protection workshops regularly for Sentinel personnel since 2014. Not many people may know just how extensive Joe's background is or why his intimate CP workshops are so vital to protecting VIP's, but today we take a trip back in time to show you how it all began.
Joe joined the RCMP in 1974 and was stationed in Saskatchewan, Canada where he started off performing uniformed and plain-clothed duties. By 1989 with over a decade under his belt Joe was relocated to Toronto with new opportunities within the RCMP as a Security Analyst.
In 1997 Joe was selected by the RCMP's National Bodyguard Team for H.M. Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Canada. From here, Joe was promoted to Operational Commander in the Executive Diplomatic Protection Section where he managed and co-ordinated all personal and physical security for International Consul Generals and Consulates in Ontario.
In 1998 Joe moved up the rankings to Sgt. VIP Unit Commander where he was responsible for organizing, managing and co-ordinating V.I.P. visits of National and International V.I.P.’s to Ontario, including the Prime Minister of Canada, Foreign Heads of State and the Royal Family. Some of the notable people that Joe also met and provided personal Security for included Mikael Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, George Bush, George Bush Jr., Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, and Salman Rushdie.
With over two decades with the RCMP and a wealth of experience in the RCMP's VIP unit, Joe was not only co-ordinating personal security teams for major Summits, but was also responsible for the identification and selection, training and implementation of the security teams providing security for the attending Heads of State.
As a member of the National RCMP instructional Team for 11 years, Joe provided the national V.I.P. Personal/Executive Training Course for the RCMP across Canada.
By 2001 under the RCMP's division in protective Services training, Joe managed, budgeted organized and developed the training of the RCMP Protective Services/V.I.P. Security Section members as well as RCMP members across Canada. In this division , Joe facilitated career development and training, including the members of the Joint Forces Protective Task force which included Toronto Police Services, Ontario Provincial Police and Peel Regional Police.
In 2005 with over 31 years with the RCMP, Joe retired and decided to move into the Corporate Sector working with Scotiabank where he was responsible for Scotiabank Personnel and Physical Security in over 50 countries. There he conducted Physical Security consultations, evaluations and surveys of Government, Corporate and Private facilities domestic and internationally as well he developed and reviewed Emergency plans, policies, procedures and directives as well as established viable and realistic options for security deficiencies noted.
In 2009 Joe’s experience led him to at CTV/Bell Media as the Director of Security. His responsibilities included the safety and security of Personnel and Physical Security of all facilities and assets across Canada as well as the responsibility of assisting with security of all Foreign Correspondents. This included co-ordinating and managing the security of major corporate events such as the JUNOS, Much Music Video Awards.
In 2014, Joe founded GloProSec Preventative Services a service that centered around Personal and Physical Security, Threat/Risk Assessments and Major Event Planning. In this same time frame, Joe was brought on by Sentinel Security as the Chief Instructor to oversee all their Close Protection Training
With his most memorable work years behind him, Joe loves to travel and has had the opportunity to visit all major continents of the world with his family.
Joe loves to golf and enjoys following F1 racing with his son along with Hockey and Baseball. Joe is happily married to his wife Rhia and is probably at this very moment getting ready to book his next cruise.
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