Antonio Michel is in charge of guaranteeing the protection and response to emergencies in the Panama Canal, a not easy task that he has managed to face supported by his training as a CPP.
by Alejandra García Vélez
The Panama Canal is one of the most important infrastructure works in the world, and its importance for world trade is indisputable; that is why it is not surprising that among the workers in charge of its correct operation there is a very experienced CPP.
This is the case of Antonio Michel, executive manager of protection and emergency response of the Panama Canal. Michel has more than 22 years of service and 17 years in the area of security, during which he has worked as a technical manager in companies of installation and maintenance services of alarms, closed circle of television, surveillance and telephony.
This 47-year-old Panamanian is an electronic engineer from Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua (USMA), has a Master of Science with Specialization in Industrial Engineering from the same university and completed the Executive Master of Business at INCAE Business School.
Alarms and cameras
Michel confesses that from a young age he was interested in electronics and all its areas, but he had a special passion for the use of security support tools such as alarm and surveillance systems; that is why it is not surprising that his first work experiences were precisely in the fields of alarms, cctv and surveillance.
His first approach to this world came when he worked with a company that provided installation and maintenance services for electronic security systems. That was the first step, of many, to get to where he is currently at a professional level.
But, for his current position, being a CPP more than a requirement is an obligation, as explained by the guest of this edition when stating that becoming a Certified Protection Professional is a high distinction that brings together security and emergency management experts.
In addition to highlighting the high range of knowledge and skills that this type of professionals must have, they must handle issues such as protection practices, emergency management, personal and information protection, administration, investigations, systems security, risk management, principles and business practices.
"Being a CPP is not only about achieving certification through accreditation and passing the exam, it involves staying updated, researching new solutions in a changing world, where the challenges are not only traditional or emerging threats, they are also the natural phenomena against which we must prepare ourselves to achieve the objective of protecting assets and staying in business, "- Michel pointed out.
The work of a CPP
As a dynamic process Michel describes the analysis process that a CPP must perform to select the strategies to be used in a place in terms of security. The first step is to know the business or activity that is going to be protected, even if it is a person or an intangible good.
This knowledge is essential to assess vulnerabilities and perform the analysis of the threats faced by the activity, business or person to be protected. It also allows to identify what is critical, what are the impacts in order to estimate the risks, design plans and actions to manage them, while mitigating the identified threats.
Similarly, Michel pointed out that "the CPP certification is an achievement that concludes when it is obtained, rather a status is initiated that must be maintained with validation every three years."
In the same sense, he declared "in addition to being a professional achievement, it distinguishes the one who possesses it by placing it in a category within the protection industry, superior to the other protection professionals who do not have it, due to the demanding requirements that must be met in order to be eligible to take the certification exam".
Michel also assures that the accreditation process is very complete, rigorous and with little time to prepare. "The same day of the exam is an experience on its own, it feels very pleasant to receive the news of obtaining the certification," he said.
In the same way, he ensures that whenever he meets with local and international security experts when presenting his card with the CPP ID, those interested are always calmer and more confident because they know they are talking to an expert in the field.
Your work
Working in a structure as large and complex as that of the Panama Canal is not easy, according to our guest in addition to being responsible for the protection and emergency response operations that occur day by day, he must also be in charge of all the managerial facets that include the direction, organization, planning, control, communication and leadership.
In his opinion, these activities must be managed, so that they are effective and fully implemented; in parallel, it is necessary to obtain the resources, and the returns of these investments, minimizing losses while protecting the assets to provide a profit to the shareholders. In short, "you have to provide value to the customer, satisfying or exceeding their expectations," he said.
Having the support of a good work team, as well as the interpersonal skills necessary to establish bridges of communication and cooperation are also key factors of success.
In the same sense, he stressed that the objectives of the CPP are: to prevent threats from occurring; anticipate, protect and respond to situations that may affect people or assets, be prepared to recover quickly from any adversity and thus maintain the continuity of the business or main activity.
Finally, he does not hesitate to highlight the importance of training, on which he indicates that the level must continue to be raised. "Self-improvement is fundamental; we must invest in education, but this must start from ourselves we cannot expect others to do it for us," he said.
