Description

Episode Summary

Dan Richards is the guy to call if you’re stuck – in another country, in a ravine with no one to help, or in a medical emergency. His company, Global Rescue, does just that. Where did the idea come from, why did he bite on it, how did he build it, and how has the whole thing affected his life? Stories from the front line of rescue, on the Sydcast.

Syd Finkelstein

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, whichLinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life. 

Dan Richards

Mr. Richards has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Global Rescue since he founded the company in 2004. He also serves as the President of Crisis Services Company, a Vermont-based captive insurance company. In these roles, he has implemented and led risk management and crisis response services for hundreds of organizations during thousands of events worldwide. Mr. Richards has been a featured speaker on CNN, Fox News, NPR, and other major media outlets regarding crisis response, mitigation and travel risk management topics. Prior to founding Global Rescue, Mr. Richards spent a decade in the private equity and financial services industries. He previously worked at the $1.3 billion private equity affiliate of Thomas Weisel Partners and in various positions at Thomas Cressey Equity Partners, Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette and Deutsche Banc Alex Brown. Over the last two decades, he has been involved in financings and private equity investments for more than 30 companies. Mr. Richards is a graduate of Middlebury College where he played football, rugby, and was a competitive powerlifter. He received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College where he has served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. He currently serves on the board of Global Wildlife Conservation, a science-based environmental conservation organization.

Global Rescue

Global Rescue has been a leader and pioneer in the travel services industry since their founding in 2004. They provide the finest integrated medical, security, travel risk and crisis management services available anywhere, delivered by our teams of critical care paramedics, physicians, nurses and military special operations veterans. Our medical advisory and evacuation services include exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Department of Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations, Elite Medical Group and Partners HealthCare. Their track record has made them the chosen provider to government agencies and some of the world’s largest companies, universities, nonprofits and tour operators. The mission is simple - to be there when it matters most.

Insights from this episode:

• Details on creating the Global Rescue organization, their mission, and recruiting the right people.
• Benefits of a Global Rescue membership and what happens when you need to be rescued.
• Details behind different rescues, including technical aspects of operations.  
• How to become a member of Global Rescue, different memberships they offer, and the types of members they have.
• Strategies on how to be a safe traveller no matter where you travel.  

Quotes from the show: 

• On the unrest in Chile: “It’s another example, in America we don’t know anything that’s going on in the rest of the world.”  – Syd Finkelstein
• “We respond when people are having, in many instances, the worst day of their lives and we try to make it better.”  – Dan Richards
• On meeting with rescues: “That is a special and wonderful part of my job. And, honestly, one of  the best parts of my job.” – Dan Richards
• Referring to one of their rescuees: “He used to call me on the anniversary of his rescue to thank me and just remind me that what I’m doing is important and I need to keep doing it.” – Dan Richards
• On gratitude: “Of course, people appreciate when they are appreciated, but when you share that gratitude with others, you yourself get so much from that.”  – Syd Finkelstein
• “Basically, during a crisis you need to understand what is happening to you or  to your organization so providing that situational awareness is incredibly important.” – Dan Richards
• “While the world has shrunk, or feels like it has shrunk for many of us, it is still a remarkably large, diverse, and sometimes difficult place.” – Dan Richards 
• On receiving government help as an individual: “Sometimes, people make the assumption … that if something really bad happens they’re (the government) going to try to do something … but they’re not set up for that.”  – Syd Finkelstein
• “It’s the worst part of our job, when we have to communicate to a family member that their loved one is not going to make it.” – Dan Richards
• On travelling: “The places that, previously, we might have considered safe or benign from a risk or security standpoint are no longer that way.” – Dan Richards

Stay Connected:

Syd Finkelstein

Website: http://thesydcast.com

LinkedIn: Sydney Finkelstein

Twitter: @sydfinkelstein

Facebook: The Sydcast

Instagram: The Sydcast

Global Rescue

Website: Global Rescue

Facebook: Global Rescue

Twitter: @GlobalRescue

Instagram: @global_rescue

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This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)