About International SOS: Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS (http://www.internationalsos.com) helps organizations manage the health and safety risks facing their travellers and global workforce. Its services range from consultancy and planning services to 24-hour medical and security advice and assistance. It also provides emergency medical and security evacuations when there is a critical illness, accident or civil unrest. In 2007, the company handled over 850,000 assistance cases, including more than 16,000 evacuations. On average, International SOS handles 1 evacuation every 33 minutes and receives more than 3.85 million calls per year.
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About Control Risks: Control Risks (www.controlrisks.com) is one of the world's leading global business risk consultancies. As a trusted adviser to almost three quarters of the Fortune Global 500, we enable our clients to succeed in complex and hostile environments. We provide the information, advice and practical support they need to manage the political, security and integrity risks that come with doing business internationally.
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Alex Puig, Regional Security Director, Americas, Travel Security Services, International SOS Assistance, Inc.
Alex Puig, Regional Security Director, Americas, is responsible for managing security assistance and consultancy services, including the monitoring and analysis of political and security events, the provision of security advice and the coordination of security assistance and evacuation operations. In addition, he oversees a regional team of security specialists who conduct security risk assessments, crisis management plans, and security and crisis training for a joint venture between International SOS and Control Risks.
Prior to this role, Mr. Puig was the Manager of International Assets Protection at Target Corporation, where he was responsible for standards and oversight of Target's international traveler and expatriate security program as well as all physical security standards covering the company's international locations and employees.
Mr. Puig has also worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, serving as an operations officer in the Clandestine Service, and has held positions at various multi-national corporations and a security consulting firm managing crisis situations.
Mr. Puig holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Operations Management from Thunderbird's Global School of International Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. Presently, he is completing the International Security Management Association (ISMA) Leadership Program at Georgetown University. Mr. Puig speaks Spanish and Portuguese.
Patrick Deroose, Group General Manager, Corporate Assistance Division and Director of Assistance Operations, Americas, International SOS Assistance, Inc.
As Group General Manager, Corporate Assistance Division, Patrick Deroose is directly responsible for managing corporate medical assistance and working with all International SOS alarm centers to ensure the smooth running of the company's operations worldwide. In this role, he has responded to a number of disaster situations, including: landslides on the Island of Flores, Indonesia and Caracas, several airline crashes and the Hoover Dam bus crash involving a group of Chinese tourists.
Mr. Deroose has been with International SOS since 1986 as flight nurse and joined the company in 1993 as Operations Manager for the company's Singapore Alarm Center. He was later promoted to Regional Operations Manager, Asia, and in 1999 held a global function. He moved to his current position in September 2008.
Prior to joining International SOS, Mr. Deroose spent five years with Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore. He also held various nursing and administration positions in Gleneagles Hospital and Heal International in Singapore. Mr. Deroose received a great deal of his medical and nursing experience in Belgium where he was born. He is a flight nurse with Clinical Considerations in Air-medical Transport (CCAT) certification and extensive experience in air ambulance and commercial carrier medical transports, including transport of patients on Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump. He has been involved in several mass casualty responses.
/PRNewswire -- Jan. 14/
WHO: Alex Puig, a security specialist with regional expertise, and Patrick Deroose, an international expert in disaster response, are available to comment on the earthquake in Haiti. Both are members of an International SOS crisis management team assisting clients affected by the disaster. WHAT: In the immediate wake of the earthquake, International SOS activated a crisis management team in its Philadelphia alarm center to begin coordination operations. The global team, made up of medical, security, aviation and logistics experts, has secured assets and providers and is considering options for evacuations, has provided the other 25 International SOS alarm centers around the world with information to help their members locally and is continuing to prepare and implement action plans that address the fluid nature of the situation. An incident management team deployed by International SOS arrived in Haiti yesterday. The team consists of two security specialists from Philadelphia who are part of a joint venture between International SOS and Control Risks, one of the world's leading security risk management consultancies. Additionally, a medical team also from Philadelphia has been deployed to support ongoing evacuation efforts and today a logistical expert team is traveling to the area to further assist with coordination and travel arrangements. International SOS estimates its alarm center has received more than 200 calls for assistance since the crisis broke and currently has 100 active cases with 60 clients who have various employees, students or others involved, with some requesting evacuations. The company continues to provide support to a combination of non-profit and humanitarian organizations seeking advice and assistance as they deploy their staff to Haiti, as well as multi-national corporations with employees living and working in the region. TOPICS: Puig and Deroose are available to discuss: -- Current situation in Haiti --Medical, security and transportation challenges facing relief workers, others trying to get in/out of Haiti --The assistance International SOS is currently providing to clients including humanitarian and government organizations, colleges and universities, corporations and others --Anticipated additional medical and security risks as situation plays out -- Advice for those headed to or currently in Haiti
SOURCE International SOS
