John Kirkwood
John's long and distinguished career spans nearly four decades and includes work in both the public and private sectors. He began his career as a police officer in Lincoln, Neb., before joining the U.S. Secret Service as the Special Agent in Charge and the Ramsey County (Minn.) Sheriff’s Office as the Chief Deputy Sheriff.
Today, he is one of the nation's top security professionals, serving as Director of Global Security for a Fortune 200 company based in the Twin Cities metro.
Senior Advisor
John Kirkwood is a senior advisor with The Axtell Group specializing in corporate and executive security.
His long and distinguished career spans nearly four decades and work in both the public and private sectors. He began his career as a police officer in Lincoln, Neb., before joining the U.S. Secret Service as the Special Agent in Charge and the Ramsey County (Minn.) Sheriff’s Office as the Chief Deputy Sheriff.
Today, he is one of the nation’s top security professionals, serving as the Director of Global Security for a Fortune 200 company based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro.
In addition to executive and corporate security, John offers business partners a wealth of experience and expertise in fraud prevention, internal and external investigations, threat response, and corporate security design.
His ability to help organizations shape across-the-board security programs aimed at efficiently detecting, deterring and defending against threats has made him one of the most sought-after security professionals in the country.
John currently serves on the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Foundation and the Ramsey County Sheriffs Foundation. He earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science from the University of Nebraska – Kearney and is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management Senior Executive Leadership Program.