Joshua Makari

Responsible for ensuring the safety and security of Airbnb staff, operations, and assets globally. I lead a regional threat team (APAC), assess emerging threats, and partner with global stakeholders to inform strategic safety responses, and mitigate risk.

Key Achievements & Responsibilities:

• Lead regional threat assessments to protect employees, executives, and business partners from criminal and terrorist threats.
• Maintain situational awareness and produce actionable intelligence reports that support security operations.
• Integrate OSINT, law enforcement intelligence, and dark web monitoring to identify credible threats.
• Collaborate across Airbnb’s global safety team to enhance operational readiness and consistent threat mitigation.
• Guide program development, regional SOPs, and workflow enhancements.
• Brief senior leadership on threat posture and incident preparedness regularly.
• Foster trusted partnerships with law enforcement and private intel-sharing groups.
• Deliver cross-functional training to improve threat assessment and emergency response capabilities.

Directed strategic threat assessment operations for high-profile corporate clients across Australia and Asia, focusing on proactive threat identification, mitigation, and incident response.

Key Achievements & Responsibilities:

• Led tailored threat assessment and management planning for regional clients including Fortune 500 firms.
• Produced comprehensive risk intelligence reports for executive protection and site security planning.
• Advised on security readiness for events, business travel, and operations in high-risk regions.
• Provided rapid-response consultation during acute threat periods and escalations.
• Developed internal SOPs, threat mitigation playbooks, and analyst training programs.
• Established regional intelligence networks with law enforcement and government partners.

Summary:

• Lead the development and implementation of crisis management and business continuity plans for clients in various industries, including healthcare, financial services, and retail.
• Conduct Business Impact Assessments (BIAs), risk assessments and gap analyses to identify vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation strategies that feed into broader resilience and business continuity plans.
• Train and coach client teams on crisis management, incident response, and communication protocols.
• Provide innovative and practical solutions to client problems or gaps.

Summary:

• Develop and implement strategic safety and security management systems for Ola drivers, riders and employees in the ANZ region, in compliance with relevant regulations.
• Established a security operations centre and crisis management team for the ANZ region to reinforce the company's security and resilience strategy.
• Conducted investigations into serious safety incidents and provided recommendations for improvements.
• Manage a geographically dispersed team of safety associates, ensuring that they are appropriately trained to meet business demands and provide high-quality customer service.
• Lead regional response to a corporate crisis, ensuring leaders had the resources and tools to keep our teams safe.
• Guarantee the protection of employees, contractors and visitors with the appropriate installation of safety and security equipment at our sites across the region.
• Lead Ola's response to regulator audits of the organisation's safety management systems, including the currency of operational policies, procedures, and systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to effectively manage new product rollouts related to enhanced application safety features.

Key achievements:

• Developed and implemented a COVIDSafe plan for every operational jurisdiction across ANZ that was audited and deemed to be compliant with regulations.
• Strengthened safety posture through the introduction of new application safety features such as the 'Guardian' alert system, in-app safety tile and proactive driver fatigue controls.
• Developed eight driver training remediation modules for our highest incident categories and formally published the courses on the Thinkific learning platform.
• Transitioned Ola's risk management system from being compliant with ISO 31000:2009 standards to the latest 31000:2018 standards.

Summary:

• Managed the day-to-day operations of the Victim and Witness Protection Unit, including case management, security planning, and budgeting.
• Developed and implemented policies and procedures for the unit's operations, in compliance with international standards.
• Liaised with other departments and external stakeholders to ensure effective coordination of services.
• Provide safety and security solutions to clients involved in judicial proceedings, assessed threats and mitigated risks, and participated in regional strategic decision-making and resource coordination meetings.
• Apply refined negotiation skills and flexible problem-solving to achieve harmonious, effective, and ethical outcomes using a risk-based approach.
• Develop security policies, threat mitigation procedures and manage high-risk protection operations to maximize the physical safety and security of witnesses and victims required to testify before the Tribunal in Beirut and The Hague.
• Demonstrate understanding of commercial physical and cyber threat landscape, regulatory oversight, and data protection issues.
• Follow and analyse the socio-political and security situation in Lebanon, including maintaining knowledge of the conditions and infrastructure in the area of operations.

Key achievements:

• Developed and introduced a fortnightly crisis management/security training schedule which required operatives in the team to simulate a response to a real-time security incident in a random region in Lebanon. I managed all training including providing feedback, facilitating security de-briefs, and optimising training scenarios.
• Built positive relationships with key members of the Lebanese Armed Forces, police intelligence units, and other local government officials who assisted with, and helped facilitate covert movements in the region.
• Managed the successful evacuation and migration of a key witness to the Tribunal who was being continuously threatened by members of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation due to the value of the witness' evidence.

Summary:

• Served in general duties, riot squad, intelligence analyst, and victim and witness protection roles.
• Conducted investigations into criminal activities, prepared briefs of evidence, and provided testimony in court.
• Liaised with external venue management teams to assist in formulating risk assessments, evacuation plans and implemented required controls to safeguard assets and personnel.
• Provided security for major events, such as the G20 Summit and APEC meetings.
• Management of small to large teams consisting of 7 - 21 members depending upon operational requirements and risk level; as well as assisting with the identification of training needs, on-the-job training, dealing with staff grievances and the on-boarding of new members.
• Rapid response to urgent, higher risk emergencies requiring a specialized tactical response with the capability to manage risks safely and proportionately in line with policies.

Key achievements:

• Established and managed the Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (C.B.R.N) coordination team across NSW. This was a cross-functional response that required support from other government agencies such as Fire & Rescue, Ambulance, and HAZMAT teams to respond to critical CBRN incidents.
• Played an integral role behind security, risk management and the successful execution of high-profile tactical operations that included visits by HRH Prince William, HRH Prince Harry & HRH Prince Charles, the G20 Summit, Australia day, ANZAC Day, Mardi Gras, NRL Grand Finals, and the Detention Centre Riots at Villawood.
• Developed the working procedures and intelligence package for a special operation established to dismantle a high-profile Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) in Sydney.
• Coordinated and facilitated various high-profile protection jobs for visiting dignitaries for events such as the G20 summit, G20 Finance Ministers Summit, Royal visits, and other NSW Government officials.