Founder – Susanne Skov Diemer
For over 25 years, Susanne Skov Diemer has been at the forefront of global security, intelligence, resilience and crisis management—dedicated to predicting, preventing and protecting with unwavering discretion and integrity. A Danish national, she is the Founder and CEO of Praesidio Group, headquartered in Copenhagen, and has previously lived in both Washington, D.C., and London.
Guided by Nordic values of trust, resilience and calm precision, she brings extensive expertise in risk mitigation, crisis response, corporate and personal security and intelligence advising. Drawing on decades of real-world experience, Susanne empowers leaders, organisations and families to navigate complex risks with confidence, resilience and strategic insight.
Background and recognition
Susanne has spent her career in international security environments, working with government bodies, public authorities, global companies and high-profile individuals. She has received multiple U.S. government awards for distinguished service with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Her experience spans diplomatic and protective security, crisis management, threat assessments and strategic advisory roles. Over the years, she has contributed to the planning and protection of major international events and high-level visits, where security, diplomacy and public visibility must work together under pressure.
International roles and EU security initiatives
Beyond Praesidio Group, Susanne serves on international boards, advisory councils, and networks, including as an advisor to a global philanthropic organisation focused on global health, viruses, and pandemics. She is a recognised expert for the European Forum for Urban Security (EFUS), contributing to European efforts to improve resilience and security in urban environments.
She has participated in EU projects such as MONICA (crowd security for large open-air events), EMERITUS (developing protocols and platforms for waste-crime investigations), and PACTESUR – Protect Allied Cities against Terrorism in Securing Urban Areas under EFUS, which works to strengthen security in European cities. Together, these roles give her deep insight into how cities, authorities and private actors can work together on security and prevention across borders.
Author and public voice on security and resilience
Susanne is an accomplished author. She wrote Forbered dig bedst på det værste (“Prepare Yourself Best for the Worst”) and its international edition Your Urban Crisis Survival Planner, providing practical guidance for building resilience and preparedness in everyday life and in urban environments.
Her work promotes a stronger culture of awareness and preparedness among both organisations and private individuals. She has been publicly cited as having predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to advocate for a more realistic and proactive approach to risk and crisis readiness.
She is also a media commentator and consultant for film, television, books and documentaries in the security and intelligence domain, helping ensure that depictions of security work, investigations and crisis management are grounded in real-world practice.
Security services to a global clientele
Over the course of her career, Susanne has provided security and advisory services to a broad spectrum of clients, including governments, royal households, public authorities, global corporations, foundations and private individuals. Many of these assignments have been carried out under a high degree of discretion and confidentiality, and specific names or cases are not used for marketing purposes.
Her work has included risk assessments, crisis and security planning and risk-mitigating security services in connection with state visits, international summits and major political and diplomatic events. The focus has consistently been to create calm, clarity and options for action, even when the pressure is at its highest.
Keynote speaking and executive engagement
In addition to her advisory and operational work, Susanne is available for special events, lectures and keynote speaking engagements on security, crisis preparedness and strategic leadership.
Her talks draw on real-world experience rather than theory, combining practical tools with lived examples from international security, crisis management and intelligence work. Typical audiences include boards, leadership teams, public authorities, city networks and organisations working with resilience, safety and preparedness.
If you are interested in engaging Susanne as a speaker or advisor, Praesidio Group can help define a format that matches your context, risk profile and objectives.
Rethinking security leadership
Modern leaders face a different security reality than previous generations. Visibility, digital exposure, polarisation and rapid news cycles mean that incidents, crises and threats can escalate quickly – and often in public. In that environment, security and risk management are no longer separate technical disciplines; they are integral parts of leadership, communication and governance.
Through Praesidio Group, Susanne Skov Diemer works to bridge these worlds: strategic leadership on one side, and operational security and intelligence on the other. The goal is not to create more alarm, but to give leaders, organisations and families a clearer, more realistic and actionable understanding of their risks – and of the options they actually have to influence them.
If you want to explore how Susanne and Praesidio Group can support your organisation, leadership team or family, you are welcome to reach out for a confidential conversation.