Risk advisory firm Sibylline wins prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020

Founded back in 2010 by military veteran and serving British Army reserve officer Justin Crump (pictured), Sibylline is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the prestigious award despite the current tumultuous operating environment. The business boasts an enviable track record of success, growing without external investment at over 100% year-on-year and now employing 75 analysts in locations from Singapore to San Jose.

Indeed, the firm continues to recruit in the face of COVID-19. It has recently opened a new Latin Americas operation in Brazil and is expected to exceed 100 members of staff by the third quarter of this year.

At least in part, Crump attributes the firm’s success to lessons learned from his military experience, including front line operational tours in Iraq and the Balkans: “Operating in the world’s toughest environments means that we've built a fantastic team with a great ethos, always going the extra mile for each other and our clients,” asserted Crump in conversation with Security Matters. “Our work is very trust-based. We advise some of the biggest organisations in the world at a very senior level. In addition to teamwork, this means that integrity, professionalism, flexibility and innovation are key. These are all things I learned in the military.”

Risk advisory services are much in demand as organisations do their level best to cope with COVID-19, although budgets are clearly under pressure and clients are now being highly selective. On that note, Crump commented: “Despite COVID-19, our annualised revenue has increased by a third in the last month with a series of notable multi-year contract wins. We've always prided ourselves on close relationships with our clients and being true partners. This has set us apart as organisations seek to rationalise their suppliers and necessarily focus on the most impactful risk advisory support at this critical time.”

Free assistance for businesses

Crump went on to explain to Security Matters precisely why Sibylline took the decision to offer its predictive analysis and reporting service around COVID-19 entirely for free: “The virus has brought forward about ten years of global change in just a few weeks, in turn posing unparalleled challenges. The team unanimously felt that it was far more important and, indeed, ethical to help those trying to mitigate risks and seize opportunities in this difficult market than it was to capitalise on the apparent opportunity. This underpins our core values and our firmly-held view that it's long-term relationships that count, not just seeking to make a quick buck. After all, everyone wants your business when you have money, but how many firms are there for you when you have nothing, yet really need the help the most at that point?”

The stream of COVID-19 reporting is available via registration on the company's website at https://www.sibylline.co.uk/

Instead of the planned celebration at the company's central London headquarters, the team will instead be drinking a toast from home. “As a small but global firm from Day One, we've always had to work flexibly,” said Crump. “This time of great challenge underscores our entire purpose. Making complexity simple for decision-makers is why we exist. I feel strongly that everything over the last decade has just been leading to this point. Now we have to work out what the next ten years will bring. Any corporate intelligence specialist who doesn’t appreciate that particular predictive challenge is in the wrong business.”

Armed with degrees from the University of Durham and King’s College London, Crump was initially a corporate finance analyst at an investment bank before being called up for military service post-9/11. This kick-started a security-focused career that led to the founding of Sibylline.

Crump continues to serve as a Challenger 2 tank commander with the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and is on the Board of the Association of International Risk Intelligence Professionals. His 2015 book entitled 'Corporate Security Intelligence and Strategic Decision-Making' became an Amazon best seller and continues to be regarded as the main reference work focused on this emerging field.

Focus on Heropreneurs

Crump concluded: “I would like to thank those who have made this award possible – not only our fantastic team worldwide, but also friends and advisors who've given us so much support. In particular, I’d like to highlight Heropreneurs, the leading charity for military entrepreneurs, and specifically its founder Peter Mountford. He has always championed just how much veterans bring to the table. I think this accolade really honours that trust and vision.”

Sibylline's services include quantitative and qualitative geopolitical analysis, corporate investigations and due diligence, consulting on how to embed intelligence approaches in a client organisation, the training of intelligence analysts and managers and the supply of fully-embedded teams operating in-house.