Vismo - Experts & Thought Leaders

Vismo has been appointed a commercial partner of GISF – the Global Interagency Security Forum for aid worker safety - and will demonstrate its personal security apps at GISF’s Global Security Risk and Policy Conference 2026, London, May 26-28th. The theme of the conference is ‘Collective Strength Against Emerging Threats.’ Founded in 2006, GISF is a network connecting NGOs, UN agencies and donors to improve security risk management (SRM) of aid workers including duty of care, secure access to them, and other enhancements to their safety in complex operating environments. Complex operating environments As a partner, Vismo will work with GISF members to help improve the safety of aid organisations’ employees, volunteers and contract workers through its smartphone apps and assistance via satellite devices, with a focus on at-risk areas and while they are travelling. Says Vismo CEO Tom Cowling, “NGOs operate in an environment of escalating and increasingly complex security risks. They include targeted violence, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, disinformation and threats from emerging technologies such as drones - alongside tighter budgets and reduced enabling support.” Security risk management “We are therefore delighted to join GISF’s partner programme and help GISF to support greater transparency and collaboration across the entire security risk management field for aid workers, while also providing direct assistance via our technology.” Cowling continues, “NGOs don’t manage security risks in isolation. Effective security risk management depends on a wider ecosystem of specialist services, from insurance, legal advice, and medical evacuation to risk analysis, training and crisis support. Many NGOs navigate all this alone and under time, human resource and financial pressures. The result is limited transparency, increased costs and greater difficulty in accessing appropriate support. That’s where we come in with invaluable help and innovation.” Event management company At the conference, and as a tier-one critical event management company, Vismo will demonstrate its Locate & Protect and Monitor apps, which between them give users enhanced protection 24/7, and their employers the ability to monitor the wellbeing of users and rapidly communicate with them if necessary. Vismo’s platform goes beyond its locate and protect functions, also providing active monitoring, mass communication to users in critical situations – and integration with workflow software.      The apps utilise intelligence streams and precise tracking data to mitigate risks by alerting users in real time to emerging and expected critical events, and to any events as they suddenly happen. User are advised via multiple communication channels on how to stay safe or be safer, and given details of any evacuation procedures that are being put in place to bring them to safety if necessary.

Vismo, the tier-one critical event management company, has appointed Tom Cowling as CEO. He arrives from Ernst & Young, the multinational professional services partnership, where he was a business development director. With a focus on expanding the customer base of the Vismo Locate & Protect App, which has more than 450,000 users, Tom says, “I’m very excited to have joined such a talented team, which has built a number of innovative products, all centred around the crucial purpose of keeping people safe at work.” Developing new routes Chairman and founder of Vismo Tim Williams comments, “Delighted to welcome Tom to the team. Tom's arrival comes at an exciting time for us, as Vismo and the lone worker sector continue to expand rapidly both in the US and UK, our key markets. Management in the private and public sectors, and NGOs, are increasingly aware of the need to keep employees safe while traveling and working. Tom is well placed, alongside his team here at Vismo, to address their security concerns.” Before joining Ernst & Young, Tom worked in fast-moving B2B environments like Vismo’s, in the UK and internationally, where he gained knowledge and experience in growing businesses through developing new routes to market and expanding existing customer bases. Public sector organisations He says, “My experience at Ernst & Young in deal origination and the development of key strategic partnerships, has given me an excellent foundation for moving into the role of CEO at Vismo - and building new relationships with private and public sector organisations in and North America and the UK.” Tom, who gained a BSc at the University of Edinburgh and lives locally, adds, “Critical event management is an exciting space to be involved in and help develop. With its best-in-class event management admin platform for supporting clients and their employees in emergencies, Vismo is in a strong position to grow in breadth and depth to meet existing and emerging threats to employer organisations and their staff.”

At GSX 2025 –Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre, New Orleans, September 29 to October 1, booth #3619 - Vismo will demonstrate its new “Checkpoints”, which uses QR codes at key points in a building or venue to create timestamped logs of presence. Not requiring a GPS location, Checkpoints’ QR code readings are automatically recorded in Vismo’s secure portal immediately the codes are scanned by phone. Vismo Protect App’s panic button “Checkpoints enables employers to know exactly where their staff have been - and when,” says Vismo Director of Global Sales, Colin Dale. “That’s critical for ensuring safety and maintaining operational oversight - including where security companies’ clients require verification for ensuring accountability and attendance by security personnel as legally agreed." “Checkpoints also raises the bar for safety of personnel, who can use the Vismo Locate & Protect App’s panic button on their phone if in danger. That will alert admin teams, who will contact emergency services if necessary.” Webinar: Prior to GSX 2025, Vismo will run a 30-minute free webinar, on Teams, about Checkpoints on September 24 with Colin.  Supports new laws Checkpoints will support the Terrorism Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, when it comes into effect Checkpoints supports Intro. 0991 - the Safe Hotels Act - a new law of New York City for stronger standards for safety and staffing, including when cleaning on their own in hotel rooms.   Similarly, the tool can also be used for supporting lone healthcare workers, a sector shocked by the murder of nurse Joyce Grayson during a scheduled check at a Connecticut halfway house in 2023. In the UK, Checkpoints will support the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, when it comes into effect. The act is designed to improve security and preparedness for potential terrorist attacks at public premises and events, following the attack. It’s named after Martyn Hett, who died in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorism attack.  mSafety smart watch Also on booth #3619, Vismo will demonstrate Sony’s mSafety smart watch that can be used for addressing the needs of workers in specific roles and industries.  Vismo is integrating mSafety with its own backoffice operations, secure portal included, to ensure that mSafety’s location tracking, panic button and “man down” detection are supported by Vismo.