Steven Antoine’s impact goes beyond security. He is a valuable thought leadership partner to those at the most senior level and has an experienced background in leading among his peers and others in the security industry.

Currently, Antoine, a member of Security’s Editorial Advisory Board, is Vice President of Global Security at PepsiCo North America, the second-largest food and beverage business in the world, with a product portfolio including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales.

At PepsiCo North America, Antoine drives the implementation of security best practices at facilities across all business lines, advising senior management on insights, implications and appropriate socialization, communication strategies and deployment approaches to programs. In addition to coordinating and implementing PepsiCo security protocols to ensure the protection of employees, brands, reputation and physical assets, Antoine is also responsible for developing and delivering strategies in response to criminal financial loss, privacy breaches, product counterfeiting, crimes targeting employees, sabotage, crisis management, emergencies and matters of workplace violence.

Though new to his current role — Antoine joined PepsiCo’s security program in 2021 — he is responsible for state-of-the-art technology solutions and innovative security management techniques to safeguard the corporation’s assets, conducting security vulnerability assessments of facilities and operations and providing analysis to key stakeholders. As part of his role, Antoine manages and collaborates with local, state, federal and international law enforcement counterparts who can provide immediate and relevant support to PepsiCo’s people and operations.

Prior to his role at PepsiCo, Antoine served as the Director of Global Assets Protection and Chief Security Officer for Yum! Brands, Inc., one of the world’s largest and leading restaurant companies with over 50,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill restaurants and more than 1.5 million employees. There, he was the senior security advisor and executive for three iconic brands spread over 130+ countries and territories worldwide, leading the company’s life safety, duty of care, executive protection, employee travel and physical security strategies globally. He was also responsible for helping educate, advise and support franchise owners and operators to improve their capabilities in this space in an ever-changing marketplace.

Immediately upon arrival at Yum!, Antoine focused on implementing a Workplace Violence Awareness campaign and successfully added it to the company’s compliance requirements, ensuring yearly awareness and training for all company employees. He often led the discussion and implementation of tabletop exercises to test all-hazard risk and improve readiness, preparedness and resilience. His strategic focus on enhancing company risk literacy with a unique and effective style resulted in leadership acknowledgment in the form of an invitation to provide input and guidance to all Brand Crisis Teams and the Yum Crisis Team. Antoine was also sought out for strategic partnership in areas outside of safety and security at the organization.

He frequently executed and participated in decision-making globally and domestically to effect and enhance business continuity and the safety and well-being of Yum! employees, while helping the business move from loss prevention to focus on overall corporate resilience rather than “traditional” security.

Prior to Yum!, Antoine devoted more than 20 years to both local and federal law enforcement. An accomplished senior security executive with a history of creating strategic alliances, directing elite teams, and guiding security policy both domestically and abroad, Antoine spent 15 years serving in varied roles and locations with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State.

Throughout his career, Antoine is most proud of the growth and development of those men and women he has been honored to lead. He says, “We are tent-poles. Risk and resilience are about people, connecting, evolving, understanding and communicating. As they have grown, so have I.”

He is adept at creating and managing dynamic global teams and implementing modern, comprehensive enterprise-wide risk and resilience programs. Antoine is often active in diversity and inclusion efforts as well and is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning and developing leaders who make a difference globally.

“I embrace the challenges and love the ability to accelerate the growth of the business through safety and partnership,” he says. “For me, it is important to always have a growth mindset and be a constant learner. The security industry has to continue to grow and evolve as our respective businesses do. The more in tune we are with the organizations we support, the more helpful we can be in supporting organizational objectives. The world can sometimes be a scary place; what organizations want to know is how to successfully operate in it.”

The best advice he has for future security professionals is to constantly learn from others. He explains, “Whether in your specific field or not, security is a business, a service and a support mechanism; the more you learn about your business partners and engage in what they do, the more they engage with you. It is a journey, not a destination.”

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