About Us

Founded after the Sydney Olympics, Truscott Crisis Practitioners are selected for their backgrounds in professional response agencies combined with commercial acumen.

Our Crisis Practitioners operate throughout Asia, Australia and the Pacific. We are competent in Crisis/Emergency and Business Continuity Management and we are economically priced.

Our expertise covers the full spectrum of plan writers, contingency planners, management team trainers, exercise controllers, issues managers, safety and security advisors, transport specialists, scenario-based future planners, training developers, strategic intelligence analysts, journalists, legal and IT practitioners, and ER advisers. Individually and in small groups these Crisis Practitioners have worked for international companies along corporate, business and country lines, and down to sites.

We provide both advice and training involving plan writing and exercises and leadership mentoring. Without exception all Crisis Practitioners have a solid grounding in planning, communicating and implementing plans and strategy under difficult circumstances.

Our Crisis Practitioners are strategic specialists with a tactical reach, and their operations experience coupled with commercial acumen gives them leverage in crisis work.

We represent a collective pool of talent that ought to be tapped in the pursuit of best practices.

Jim Truscott | Dr Akhtar Khan | Albert Tan | Andrew Della-Vedova | Andrew Kilsby

Andrew Watts | Bernard Isherwood | Brendan Egan | Bruce Horsfield | Choo Kwok Leong

Photo of Jim Truscott Jim Truscott is the CEO in Perth. He has been a Crisis Practitioner and Continuity Planner for his entire career, initially in government special operations, where he was intimately involved in coordinating strategic responses to regional and global crises, and now as a consultant and chartered engineer. During his 35 years in strategic and operational environments, he has had a central leadership role within multi-disciplinary teams over a diverse range of high-risk enterprises and emergencies. He writes business contingency plans to deal with an array of issues, threats and risks, and he trains executives and Management Teams in the art of crisis leadership across Asia Pacific. His experience in planning strategy in situation rooms and concurrently managing emergencies in operations rooms allows him to conduct challenging exercises for corporations and businesses across all sectors. He has consulted in 20 countries across multiple sectors including banking, insurance, broking, government, manufacturing, mining, rail, aviation, maritime, energy, water, power, construction, oil & gas, food moving consumer goods, not for profit, hotel and entertainment.

Books Published by Jim Truscott:

Voices from Borneo, the Japanese War (more info and PDF download)
- Information about the Z Special Unit Commemorative Reunion in August 2010
Who Knows Wins – SAS Australia
The Incomplete and Unexpurgated Works of Taipan
Instinct for Dissent - Autobiography

Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan is the MD of Khan Enterprises. He is a medical graduate from Pakistan and holds a post graduate degree in Public Health from UK. He has a vast experience in the Public Sector in Pakistan at senior management level and has served in the USAID program to Pakistan as Provincial Chief for Balochistan Province. He has also assisted many multinationals like UNICEF, WHO, Wold Bank, Asian Development Bank, DFID (UK), Kfw Germany and JICA Japan with feasibility reports, project identification, implementation and evaluation. He has conducted many training courses and health studies across Pakistan and abroad and assisted many hospitals in public and private sectors in Pakistan with their business plans. Dr Khan has assisted the Government of Balochistan in formulating a Disaster Management Program especially mobilizing and involving private sector resources. He has also taken part in the feasibility study for the establishment of provincial training centre for mine workers and Emergency Response training in Balochistan.

Photo of Albert Tan Albert Tan is General Manager, Global Clients, presently based in Singapore. Albert is well traveled and have lived and/or worked in varied environments worldwide. Albert has worked from the boardrooms to the shop floors of a wide range of clients across the region, consulting on strategic and tactical/operational plans in Reputation, Communications, Business Continuity, Emergency & Crisis Management and other related fields; providing management counselling, running training courses and conducting simulation exercises as well as providing media training to key staff. He has also lectured at or conducted conferences and seminars on these fields across the region. His prior corporate experience spanned more than 30 years of commercial and business support experience, mostly with Royal Dutch Shell but also with the Straits Times (Singapore) and General Motors (South East Asia). His varied career at Shell entailed positions having bottom line responsibility for a number of significant product and market segments as well as advising Shell businesses locally, regionally and globally (out of HQ in London) in marketing, marketing communications, quality management and reputation management.

His last substantive corporate role at Shell Eastern was as General Manager, External Affairs, where he focused on issues and stakeholder relations, media relations, social investment, corporate communications and crisis management to protect and promote Shell’s image and reputation for business success and shareholder value. Emergency/Crisis Management and BCP were major country, regional and global priorities for Shell in its wide ranging activities worldwide and Albert played significant roles, working with his team as well as with consultants. Albert holds the Joint Certificate of the UK Advertising Association and the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents as well as the Diploma (DipCAM) of the Communications, Advertising and Marketing Foundation, UK. He is an Accredited Member (AMIPRS) of the Institute of Public Relations Singapore, where he also serves as Vice President. He is active in community affairs, leading and serving in advisory councils and committees in education, the environment and community dialogue.

Andrew Della-Vedova is based in Perth. He has held senior leadership and management roles for the past 15 years, predominantly in Special Operations. He has developed and implemented projects involving offshore operations, training and capability building activities throughout SE Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and has managed several high profile national response capabilities. Andrew is experienced at managing risk to ensure business continuity, reputation superiority and overall advantage from crisis. This experience has been gained in highly uncertain, politically sensitive and volatile environments. Andrew has highly developed diplomatic and negotiation skills, refined through strategic and operational planning with foreign governments, private, public sector and charitable organisations. He has considerable experience in organisational policy development and implementation of management and training standards. Andrew's strengths include leadership and analytical skills, with a proven ability to plan strategically and implement focussed solutions. He has considerable experience in cross-cultural projects and also speaks fluent Italian. He has consulted for Truscott with Origin Energy, Rio Tinto, Paladin Resources and Fremantle Ports.

Andrew Kilsby is based in Melbourne. He is a senior communications practitioner with almost 15 years of experience in crisis and issues management, in both the corporate and consulting sectors. Prior to his career in communications practice, Andrew served for 22 years with the Australian Government with postings in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Andrew has been head of Corporate, Media and Government Affairs for Newcrest Mining and Kraft Foods in Australia and regional Corporate Affairs Director for Kimberly-Clark Asia–Pacific. He has managed several public relations agencies in Indonesia and Thailand and conducted crisis and media training throughout Asia for a wide variety of corporate clients including on behalf of Truscott Crisis Leaders. Andrew has consulted with a variety of clients in the airline, banking and financial services, education, telecommunications, infrastructure, energy and resources, fast moving consumer goods and Government sectors. A graduate of Australia's RMC Duntroon, Andrew has served on a number of crisis teams in the region, including dealing with SARS, extortion, consumer issues, industrial disputes, corporate M&A and restructurings, brand threats from activists, community issues and corporate financial and legal issues. He has been an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators since 1998 and a regular presenter in conferences and to university courses on communications best practice.

Andrew Watts is Brunei-based. He is a transport specialist with extensive line management expertise in high risk and crisis situations. He gained his initial experience through active service with the British Army in command appointments in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Germany. He gained commercial experience as a pilot flying Boeing 757 – 200s for the second largest UK charter airline in Europe, Africa, Middle East and India. He is now a senior management consultant in safety, security and risk analysis.

Andrew's strengths are in organizational leadership, strategic thinking and planning, complex problem analysis, and identifying innovative and effective solutions under pressure. As an experienced military pilot and qualified international airline pilot, he is a specialist in airline operations and handling emergency aviation situations. He has consulted for Estill and Associates and the West Australian Government.

Bernard Isherwood is based in New Zealand and is an Associate Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management. He served in the New Zealand Army for 31 years and retired in 1998, with the rank of Colonel. He was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK) and his service included command of the NZ Special Air Service and Defence Advisor to the New Zealand High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

During his period in the military, his responsibilities included development of strategic and Special Forces' training policy, including the first New Zealand Defense/Police joint operations counter terrorist policy. In this role he developed close working relationships with a number of senior personnel in security and Foreign Affairs agencies.

Since 1998, he has worked throughout the Asian region, as a risk management specialist, supporting corporate clients operating in high threat environments. His client base has included the maritime, banking, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, insurance and manufacturing sectors. He has worked extensively in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, India and Hong Kong. He has been directly involved in the post incident management of a major terrorist attack in SE Asia.

Brendan Egan is the Managing Director of Oil and Gas Communications Pty Ltd, an oil and gas public relations and corporate communications consultancy based in Perth. He was the founding editor of the oil and gas division of Aspermont Ltd, a publicly listed publishing company, whose titles include the Analyst Energy Review and the EnergyReview.net news journals. He was the founding editor of the Australasian Oil and Gas news magazine and launched Australia's first online resources journal, The Analyst Energy Review. He has been writing exclusively on global oil and gas industry issues for 15 years. He has consulted for a number of companies on external affairs issues and crisis response management. He has consulted with Truscott for BHP Billiton Petroleum in Pakistan and Australia, Nickel West in Australia, Arc Energy, Tiwest, Western Power, and ExxonMobil Malaysia.

Bruce Horsfield is based in Sydney. He is Honorary Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Southern Queensland. He has an MA in Literature from the University of Sydney and a PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Exeter, UK. He is a highly experienced and qualified teacher. His awards include a University Medal for Staff Excellence in Research which cites his report to UNESCO, Paris, on his research into the introduction of terrestrial and other forms of television into the Pacific Island Nations and for his revisionist documentary film on the Vietnam War. He has wide experience in qualitative and quantitative research and in teaching various forms of Professional Communication, including the assessment of formal and informal organisational cultures and organisational structures and functioning, with a case study of the Australian SAS Regiment. He has published on comparisons between postmodern and hierarchical forms of corporate organisation. He has been a research consultant to GRAINCO and to the Australian hard rock mining industry and he has won numerous government and private sector R&D grants.

Choo Kwok Leong is Principal Consultant with Truscott Crisis Leaders, based in Singapore and Guangdong, China. Trained as a Civil Engineer, Kwok Leong is a seasoned professional with direct in-depth experience in front-line engineering, military command, field sales management, new market development, oil/gas trading, facilities management and business consultancy.

As a Reservist following his National Service with the Singapore Armed Forces, Kwok Leong rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was Divisional Artillery Deputy Commander. In the process, he was exposed to the vital role and techniques of emergency and crisis management and in training, motivating, influencing and managing people at all levels.

Kwok Leong's civilian career began as a Civil Engineer with the Public Works Department in Singapore, followed soon after by 20 years with Shell Eastern, where he played key roles in sales and marketing management, oil products trading, market development, market entries and ending up with several postings in Hong Kong and China. He acquired an in-depth knowledge of key regional markets as well as the massive opportunities available in China.

Post Shell, he had several jobs which focused primarily on providing consultancy and facilitation services to foreign businesses seeking entry into China. He had also advised on oil trading and managed an oil terminal in Zhuhai, China. Since 2000, Kwok Leong has been an Independent Advisor and Consultant, providing door openers into the Chinese market and in 2008, he decided to apply his wide knowledge, experience and contacts to Crisis and Emergency Management Consultancy and he is now a key resource of Truscott Crisis Leaders.

Chris Delaney is based is Darwin. He is a lawyer by profession, having practiced as a Barrister in Victoria and as a Crown Prosecutor and defence lawyer in the Northern Territory. In these capacities he has advised government agencies on border protection issues and several companies facing protracted legal issues regarding company disputes. He has further experience as Public Relation officer for government and in developing strategies to counteract adverse public perceptions for private companies. This unique background enables him to advise clients in an array of emergency situations requiring both legal, crisis and reputation advice, often seemingly in conflict. His expertise enables him to advise on the legal aspects of high pressure negotiations, intense contractual situations and new business opportunities. He has recently joined the Truscott team in Asia Pacific.

Dadang Suparman is based in Jakarta. He is a Petroleum Engineer from the Institute of Technology in Bandung and has spent 28 years in the Oil and Gas Industry for an International Oil & Gas company in the area of petroleum engineering, production accounting and database management, well testing, drilling, work-over and completion, production operations and ten years in Health, Safety and Environment. His experience includes managing and supervising a corporate Emergency Response and rescue team and leading various Emergency Response exercises in the office and field site. He has also been involved in the organization and activities of an Emergency Management Team at the field site which directly reporting to the Crisis Management Team at the main office. He currently provides services as HSE consultant in Contractor Safety Management System (CSMS and with Truscott Crisis Leaders.

David Birkett is based in Horsham. He has worked in the public and private sector with the City of Horsham, the City of Adelaide, the City of Unley, the National Archives of Australia, TransAdelaide, the Northern Territory Electricity Commission, the Electricity Trust of South Australia, AirMobile Australia and Asset Services. He is experienced in Incident Management and disaster planning in the energy, local government and transport industries. He has a comprehensive understanding of government policies, procedures and practices, complemented by experience and knowledge of private enterprise methods and practices. His specialty is in leading project teams, implementing process and physical change often involving multiple stakeholders, and in the Emergency Response aspects of managing public and private sector assets. He has a BA in politics and psychology, with post graduate qualifications as a lead auditor and governance studies. He now uses this commercial expertise and his previous experience with counter intelligence in defence to advise companies in the prevention and control of emergencies and crises. He currently provides regulatory compliance, assurance, crisis and risk advice to GWMWater. He has consulted with Truscott for Halliburton KBR, Overseas Development Australia, Santos, Freeport Indonesia, Energex, Pacific Hydro Melbourne Water, Lower Murray Water, Goulburn Murray Water, Wannon Water, Yarra Valley Water, Western Water, Uranium One, Roc Oil, Upstream Petroleum, Nexus Energy and Gippsland Water.

David Borrill is based in Perth. He has consulted for Crisis and Emergency Management Teams with Shell in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Gulf, Santa Fe Energy Resources, Modec and Kelian Equatorial Mining in Indonesia, and with Nabalco, WAPET, ExxonMobil, Hamersley Iron and Newfield in Australia. His expertise as a crisis practitioner is drawn from his line management experience in aviation and logistics in the British Army. An experienced pilot and leader of operational teams he has considerable training capabilities combined with proven business development and analytical skills. His field and headquarter experience as an operational commander has required extensive contingency planning and it allows him to now advise corporations facing both tactical emergencies and strategic crises.

David's consulting strength is his ability to conduct highly interactive workshops, coordinate complex simulations, and give practical advice to mangers who must think and act under extreme pressure.

David Meager is based in Perth. He has eighteen years managerial experience in the development of complex training programs and operations with the Australian SAS. He has conducted all levels of security management for Australian Government departments and private sector industries including physical security surveys and assessments. This has included the testing and validation of the crisis response strategic and tactical plans for the majority of the offshore and onshore oil and gas platforms and facilities in the North West Shelf and Bass Strait. He has conducted security planning and training for vital asset and personal protection in regions including the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, PNG, Bougainville and Australia and worked closely with and trained the Special Operations Police of those countries.

David was the National HR and Safety Manager for the largest automotive franchise company in Australia and was instrumental in the company's success in becoming a Registered Training Organisation. In a five year period in Papua New Guinea with Chevron and Oil Search David filled various roles as a Health and Safety Advisor, Special Safety Projects Coordinator and Construction Health and Safety Team Leader. He continues to consult to Oil Search in matters and has rewritten the Oil Search PNG Emergency Response Plan and has been the Senior Safety Supervisor for drilling operations in Yemen. As the Crisis and Emergency Response specialist for ConocoPhillips in Western Australia he planned and conducted corporate crisis management training and exercises and rewrote the Emergency Management Plan. David has conducted emergency response and Incident Management Training for Shell, Woodside, Wesfarmers CSBP, Apache and ExxonMobil Wandoo B, Chevron and Oil Search. As a Safety Practitioner David has expertise in risk management, safety management systems development, incident investigation and crisis and emergency management. David has consulted with Truscott for ConocoPhillips Australia, Pilbara Iron, St Ives Goldfields, BHP Billiton Pakistan, ENI Pakistan and Wesfarmers CSBP.

David Poole is based in Sydney. Since graduating from Duntroon in 1975 with a degree in civil engineering David has established expertise is in project management and project leadership. He has worked in multiple countries across a range of projects involving Crisis and Emergency Management including dealing with life threatening risks to project personnel from irate landowners in PNG, events of nature, landslips, flooding and completing projects in inhospitable terrain, as well as dealing with crises occasioned by poor communication, and almost non existent logistical infrastructure. His career includes key management positions in construction, consulting, oil and gas industry and the property development sectors in Thailand, Fiji, PNG and Australia. He lectures to postgraduate students at the University of New South Wales in project management, human resources management and marketing. He developed his own company as the first Registered Training Organization in Australia accredited with the Vocational Education Training and Accreditation Board to provide training and issue qualifications in project management techniques and project leadership, and has provided training to organisations ranging from the roads and traffic authority (RTA) of New South Wales, the Department of Commerce NSW, the Defence Department, and a number of local government organisations including Brisbane City Council. The training included assessment of risks, and the measures to manage and mitigate consequences of adverse outcomes when risk events occurred. He has developed high performing project teams, in short timeframes, in Australia, Thailand and PNG. A key part of developing the teams included systems, procedures and attitudes for working in challenging environments, where delays and stoppages were frequent due to threats from the community, as well as considerable risks to the personal safety.

David Quinn is based in Perth. He has twenty years experience in leadership, training and operations roles with the SAS and three years in training organizations providing innovative solutions to the offshore oil and gas, mining and chemical production industries. This is underpinned by a mature leadership style, effective team building and excellent communication skills, and significant experience in leading and motivating teams to achieve highly effective results.

David has developed and implemented a crisis management plan for Wesfarmers CSBP, a safety management plan for ERG Training, an emergency management plan for TiWest JV, an incident management plan for Woodside Energy and ExxonMobil Wandoo B, a medical management plan for BP/Amoco, and a safety and emergency management plan for Esso. He has consulted with Truscott for ConocoPhillips Australia, BHP Billiton Pakistan, and Eni Pakistan.

Deep Mathur is based in New Delhi. He is a graduate of IIM Lucknow, General Management Program 2005 with 25 years of experience in the Indian Navy in various operations and planning assignments in India and abroad. This service includes 18 years in submarines and ships with command of a Kilo class submarine for five years and four years as second in command. He has been instrumental in shaping the submarine arm of the Indian Navy during his last tenure as the Joint Director of Submarine Acquisitions at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. His operational experience in a submarine together with business acumen has made him a sought-after Crisis Practitioner. His business experience includes creating, developing and executing plans and strategies by consolidating and improving value and processes of the organization. He has led teams and supervised managers at different levels of work towards performance based targets. He has been practicing Crisis Management in adverse situations and with various organizations; consulting for Seatek India and Dubai Aluminum in the recent past as part of the Truscott Crisis Leaders team.

Derek Murphy is based in Sydney and has consulted for both small and large corporations alike. He initially developed his expertise as a Crisis Practitioner while in Australian Special Forces and has applied these skills to the training of senior management teams while running an outdoor leadership company in the Blue Mountains. He is experienced in coaching teaming intervention and communications. He has extensive practical experience in Crisis Management from leading numerous teams in extreme mountaineering expeditions, Special Operations activities and search and rescue missions. He has consulted for BHP Billiton, FAC, Canberra Water, Renison Goldfields, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and NAB in Australia and abroad. He has recently joined the Truscott team.

Greg Strahan is based in Perth. He has held senior leadership and management roles for the past 15 years, predominantly in Government Special Operations. He most recently served as a diplomat in the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Greg was involved in the planning and execution of the Australian Government response to the 2006 Yogyakarta Earthquake assistance in Indonesia, as well as intimate involvement in facilitating assistance in Indonesia following the crash of a Garuda passenger jet. Greg has led security Risk Management teams in Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Indonesia and Afghanistan, with front-line and management experience to identify issues, and to prepare and implement sound business continuity practices. Greg is a security and risk management professional who has planned and facilitated counter-terrorist training and exercises in the urban and maritime environment - on ships and on oil platforms, and within the civil aviation industry. Greg is fluent in Bahasa Indonesian and holds tertiary qualifications in Security and Analysis, Asian Studies and linguistics. He has recently entered the private sector and has joined the Truscott team in Perth.

Ian Young is based in Perth. He spent 22 years in Defence in Special Operations, Communications Information Systems (CIS), and Information Warfare. He was intimately involved in planning and executing technical, operational, and strategic responses to crises in Somalia, Rwanda, and Kuwait. He was Chief Information Officer for all of Australian Special Forces and commanded the CIS unit of the elite Special Air Service Regiment, which included responsibilities for business process mapping, business continuity contingency planning, and disaster recovery.

Since 1999, Ian has undertaken private and public sector assignments in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, India, and Iraq for the United Nations, SOS International, Osprey Asset Management, and Unity Resources Group. With Truscott, Ian has consulted for Western Power, Santos, Rio Tinto, Hardman, KIMA, Origin, Burswood Casino, OMV, Dampier Salt, Pilbara Iron, Resolute, SkyWest, IBM, Murphy Oil, BP, SBA, Diamond Offshore, BHP Billiton, ConocoPhillips, Clough, Newcrest, Asgard, Eni, WA Newspapers, Shell, Inpex, Star Energy, Tap Oil, Horizon Power, Consolidated Minerals, Paladin, Oil Search, Jubilee, WA Health Dept., Burrup Fertilizers, Apache Energy and PetroThai; in Australia, East Timor, India, Papua New Guinea, Iraq, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Namibia, Yemen, the Philippines and Thailand.

Ian's strengths include logical thought processes applied to complex issues and strong human communication skills. He can rapidly develop robust plans, execute them very effectively, and adapt to sudden changes.

Jeremy Hargreaves is based in Abu Dhabi. He has a defence background with 17 years in senior leadership and management roles. He is experienced in developing and implementing national level training and operational projects in the South Pacific, SE and Central Asia, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as leading high profile national emergency response capabilities within Special Operations. His expertise lays in managing risk to ensure business continuity, and crisis response coordination in the event of disaster. When not on Truscott assignments he is the Managing Director of a Sydney based leadership and performance development company.

John Byrne is based in Sydney. A former Australian Naval Officer and graduate of the Indonesian Navy Staff and Command College, John has worked extensively in Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Australia, South East Asia and the South West Pacific in corporate and consulting roles. These experiences has involved him in a diversity of sectors in all of these countries, including finance, oil and gas, extractive industries, logistics as well as for government bodies. Throughout his career, he has prepared and implemented Business Continuity Plans, crisis management and disaster recovery plans for Fortune 500 companies and other corporate entities. While Regional Security Manager (Asia Pacific) for EDS, he had responsibility for these plans across all countries in South Asia. Since that time he has conducted emergency and crisis planning activities for US Government funded contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has extensive understanding and knowledge of the internal and external factors and drivers of crisis management for corporate entities, having mentored crisis management teams in high risk environments. Specializing in high risk and difficult locations requiring integrated responses to crisis management, he has a long experience of planning for and implementing crisis management plans through his entire career in the government, public and private sectors.

John Moller served over 20 years in the military, during which time he gained significant operational experience in security and risk related issues, both domestically and internationally. In the corporate sector since 2000 he has been involved in the safety and security of high profile assets and activities, including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Rugby World Cup, and critical infrastructure facilities. Prior to joining Truscott he was the Risk and Security Manager at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. He has consulted for Woodside and with Truscott for Santos, Asean Bintulu Fertilizer, and ConocoPhillips Australia.

Ken Webb is our Practice Manager in Perth. His first career was in Australian Government Special Operations including command of strategic counter-terrorist, intelligence-gathering and unconventional warfare units. He then completed an MBA and managed a group of service companies in Western Australia followed by operations in the international security field where he developed a network of geostrategic relationships. Ken has completed an interdisciplinary PhD level research project for the Australian Government into enhancing national security from terrorist groups, which involved interviewing key participants around the world. He has also been the counter-terrorism research leader for another Federal Government initiative to identify and foster multi-disciplinary academic, industry and government collaborative research into safeguarding Australia from natural, human-caused, or accidental and terrorist acts. His unique exposure to and research experience in special operations, information warfare, national security and emergencies, organised crime and counter-terrorism enables him to advise companies in crisis response to these situations. He has consulted for Truscott with Lihir Gold, ADCO, ExxonMobil Malaysia, Dioro, Nautilus Minerals, Harmony Gold, KJV-Gorgon and Synergy.

Marc Preston is based in Melbourne. He has seventeen years experience as a legal practitioner and consultant, practising general commercial law, advising on IT and conducting international commercial transactions throughout the Asia Pacific region including Singapore, Malaysia, and PNG. His expertise as a crisis practitioner is drawn from his line management experience in defence special operations, IBM Australia and currently as the CFO of Innovative Business Knowledge.

Masood Sarwar is based in United Arab Emirates. A Chemical Engineer by profession, he has over 17 years experience with petroleum refinery, fertilizer production and the upstream oil and gas upstream in the fields of production operations, process engineering, project management and Health, Safety & Environment in Pakistan and Middle East. He is an experienced professional with demonstrated success in developing, implementing, consulting and auditing health, safety, environment, security and community development management systems for oil and gas, mining, industrial and manufacturing operations. He has developed Emergency Response, Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plans for multinational corporations and has been the designated emergency and crisis management coordinator in these companies for the last eleven years.

Mathew Yap is based in Singapore. He has a double major degree in English Literature and Political Science, and also read Philosophy from the National University of Singapore (1982). He has a vast and varied track record in journalism and communications and has worked for several organizations including the Singapore's main daily, The Straits Times, from 1982 to 1988. He also had worked as an advertising executive for Standard Chartered Bank and as a senior public affairs person for the Singapore Government in two statutory boards. His longest career spans across marketing, corporate communications and board-level crisis communication management in BP plc from 1991 to 2006. It was in BP that Mathew developed a deep skill-set fit for crisis communication strategy and management at senior level. He was at the forefront of BP Asia Pacific's crisis management centre of expertise, developing and refining operational mechanisms and processes to support the various business units in the region working closely with BP's global HQ in London and other continental regional HQs such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Washington and Brussels. In addition, Mathew was the key person who devised "functional excellence standards" in corporate and crisis communications for BP in Asia Pacific for a team of 11 regional managers in the Function in 2004 and 2005. Mathew currently is a PhD candidate with National University of Singapore. He is also designing crisis communication and corporate social responsibility courses for adoption in local and regional universities, including National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Murdoch University (Australia). Mathew holds an adjunct lecturer position in all the three universities teaching organizational communication, journalism, new media & policies and creative writing.

Mike Trafford is one of our Brisbane-based Principals. He has substantial experience as a Crisis Practitioner and Continuity planner during a defence career where he had leadership roles in capability development, strategic contingency planning, soldier career policy, simulation for training and operations, and as a military attaché in Indonesia, where he was developed international activities focussed on counter-terrorism. He was decorated for his part in the disaster relief operation for the Aceh tsunami, and was similarly involved with the Sumatra and Yogyakarta earthquakes, and the Yogyakarta Garuda airliner crash, in which his mentoring skills were to the fore, guiding inexperienced operators while reassuring and advising key stakeholders. He was closely involved in Jakarta Embassy resilience planning and exercising, concurrently advising on the establishment and operation of the crisis operations centre. Now as management consultant the has supported a Queensland State Government election campaign, conducted an administrative inquiry for the Army, led the risk management team for a large scale, multi-national military exercise, and advised on policy for a new operational training centre. He has served on operations in Southeast Asia, Bougainville and the second Gulf War. He is an Indonesian linguist, recently joining the Truscott team, and has consulted with LinkWater in Brisbane.

Nathan Wilcock is a professional fire fighter based in Perth. He has a Graduate Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, and is a Chartered Professional Member of the Safety Institute of Australia and registered Safety Practitioner. Previously, Nathan worked for 10 years in the mining and mineral exploration industry as a senior field technician supervising operations throughout Australia as well as Kalimantan, Nevada, Madagascar, and Sweden. Since 1995 he has worked as an Occupational Safety and Health Advisor and Emergency Response Advisor and Trainer. He has been in Mine Rescue Teams and has conducted risk analyses, hazard identification, job safety analysis, safety audits and training needs analysis. Nathan has conducted extensive Safety and Emergency Response training in Australia and overseas for major international clients, including BHP Billiton, Eni in Pakistan, and InterOil and Oil Search in PNG.

Richard Bosi is based in Adelaide. After his first career in Defence Special Operations with service in Papua New Guinea, the Middle East and the United States, he has been involved a variety of businesses including a processed food export venture, an innovative fast food vending operation, an empowering reality show for television and a world first scenario based business planning process. He conducts leadership seminars for large public and private sector organizations. Recently he has written, launched and implemented defence industry policy for the Government of South Australia. He is a member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and an Italian speaker. He has consulted for Truscott with Eni in Milan.

Robert Kilsby is based in Brisbane. He is skilled in media management in crisis and in competitor information collection from 21 years in line management roles with government special operations throughout Australia and Asia. Some of these operating situations have been in totally hostile and confusing situations. Consequently, he can think, act and speak on his feet under pressure. This crisis grounding has given him the ability to develop, assess and lead small and large Management Teams for specific and often exacting outcomes.

Robert works well with mixed national and expatriate Management Teams using his Indonesian and Mandarin Chinese language ability and high level communication skills to establish rapport to good effect. Robert works across business sectors at the corporate level with specialist expertise in retail, health, property and investment issues where he has worked as both principal and consultant. He has particular experience in manipulating information in-crisis to support risk communications.

Ron Lunt is based in Melbourne. His Crisis and Business Continuity Management skills stem from an extensive operational background across a diverse range of organizations including the top 100 companies in Australia, major financial institutions and large foreign government organisations. He has served on two publicly listed Boards through development and growth periods, and difficult financial times requiring leadership and an ability to manage a diverse range of strategic and operational risk. He has much experience in preparing and planning individuals and companies for all manner of scenarios. He has worked extensively in the IT disaster recovery area as part of product development, engineering and the commissioning of sensitive leading-edge high speed encryption devices.

After an initial grounding in Australian Government Special Operations he worked in IBM as Digital Account Executive supporting many major clients over seven years. He then founded and operated his own IT security business growing IBK into a $4m pa revenue company over six years, selling to Senetas in 2002. He then built Senetas as a public company with an IT hardware and encryption focus from a sub $16m market capitalization to over $200m (market cap) over the next five years through smarter operations, increasing sales revenues, reducing expenses and enhanced investor relations. He then founded and listed Green Invest and acquired two other companies now with a market capitalization of $10m. His strengths lay in organizational leadership and business planning. He has a demonstrable ability to align internal operations, customers and third parties particularly investors and has recently joined the Truscott team.

Sean Bellis is based in Perth. He has over eighteen years' experience in security and aviation management, training and leadership roles both in the military and private sector. He has developed excellent skills in strategic and corporate planning, and crisis management in Australia, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Sean has consulted for a number of resource companies in Australia and Asia, including Apache Energy, Rio Tinto, and Chevron, in security analysis, threat assessment and crisis management. He has a highly organised approach to the planning and management of complex tasks and events requiring input from and coordination with diverse agencies, both government and private. Sean has successfully undertaken numerous assignments around the world, including most recently the elections in Iraq.

Sim Boon Chai is Principal Consultant with Truscott Crisis Leaders, based in Singapore. He graduated in Chemical Engineering from Nottingham University, UK and is a Professional Engineer with the Singapore Professional Engineers Board. He is Lead Assessor in ISO. A mature professional, Boon Chai has a wide range of work experiences spanning more than 30 years. His spent the major part of his career with Shell Eastern Petroleum where he rotated through and acquired in-depth knowledge and experience in Operations, Manufacturing, Technology, Development, Quality, Trading and Business Development. In his Business Development role he has traded all over Asia including China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Mongolia. He has also lived and operated from Dubai where he managed operations in Khorforkan and Jebel Ali and trading extensively in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. Post Shell, Boon Chai has been a Senior Manager in one of Singapore’s largest Insurance Companies, supervising legal, audit, ISO and corporate governance teams. With his in-depth combination of technical and commercial roles spanning many countries and regions, Boon Chai is equally comfortable on the shop floor as he is in the boardroom of customers and clients.

Steve Paterson is based in Perth. He spent 24 years in the SAS in managerial, training, and development roles, providing guidance and leadership to highly motivated and successful teams in Australia and overseas. Steve is a highly qualified and experienced security professional with tertiary qualifications in all key areas of security and risk management. These are underpinned by extensive experience in high threat environments domestically and offshore. This has included the conduct of security audits and threat assessments to ensure all aspects of internal and external physical protection of personnel, assets, and information comply with strategic security plans. He has conducted operational security planning and training for all management levels worldwide, including advice on executive protection planning, vital asset protection, disaster management, and contingency planning.

Sugeng Riyono is Coordinator of the SHE Committee and Management Representative of the Quality Management System in the LEMIGAS Research Center based in Jakarta. He graduated as a Petroleum Engineer from the Institute of Technology in Bandung and holds a postgraduate degree from the Institute of Petroleum, Heriot Watt University in Scotland. He is experienced in managing risk to maintain effective operations and business continuity by developing a best fit Quality-Safety Health and Environment Management System and developing training standards. Sugeng was responsible for the development of ERP of the offshore Natuna gathering system. He has considerable experience in Community Development and cross-cultural projects of the Indonesian PSCs and a leader of environmental impact analyses of the upstream to downstream energy industry. He is IRCA Certified in OHSAS 18001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor.

Tim Allsop, after an initial career in Australian Special Forces, specialized in competency training for the oil and gas sector in Australasia. He understands the requirements and importance of having qualified personnel in major emergencies, having had first hand experience in owning and operating his own fuel company in East Timor through to conceiving and establishing the only internationally accredited Safety Training Centre for the offshore industry in Vietnam. For the past five years he has focused on competency training for key managers and staff in the Management of Major Emergencies. He has designed a customized simulator and Incident Management software to both facilitate internationally accredited training courses and to support management in the Control Room with the recording and response to information gathered during an emergency situation. He is the Principal of Command Solutions in Malaysia.

Tom Magee is based in Melbourne. He has been a manager in the resources sector for over ten years. He has experience in both the coal and metaliferous sectors of the industry where he has had accountability for human resources, safety, including Emergency Response, environment, health, community, including indigenous relations, business systems and the logistics tail needed to support them. He has intimate experience of the realities of remote operations both in Australia and overseas, in particular PNG. He has held line accountability for Crisis Management and Business Continuity and has had the experience of both planning and conducting numerous training activities in these fields. He has also has to deal with a range of real events from fatalities to fires, industrial and environmental blockades. He has established the Crisis Management function in a number of organizations and has a well developed understanding of the corporate governance issues which are such a key element of managing such events. Tom is also an executive search and organisational development consultant in the resources and defence sectors.

Tony Ferguson works out of Perth and Dubai. He spent 23 years in the Australian Defence Force, with 20 in the Australian SAS in operational and strategic managerial, training, and development roles. During this time he provided guidance and leadership to highly motivated and successful teams in domestic and international environments. He has Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), with a minor in Middle East History and Politics. He is currently finalising his thesis for a Master of Security Management with Edith Cowan University, and is lecturing in International Security at Murdoch University. These tertiary qualifications are enhanced by a number of AQF level 4-6 qualifications in security, management, government, resource management, and safety. These qualifications are underpinned by extensive practical experience in high threat, culturally diverse and complex environments, both domestically and internationally. This has included the conduct of security and threat assessments covering all aspects of physical protection of personnel, assets, and information. He has conducted operational security planning and training for all levels of management. He has security industry experience in maritime, aviation, land transportation, resource production and the protection of personnel in high risk locations, including the Middle East and Asia Pacific. After an initial career in Australian Special Operations he gained commercial exposure consulting for a range of organisations in Australia and overseas.