When we opened our office in London 20 years ago, we were following our clients: then, principally, the big Wall Street banks who were buying into the London market on the back of “Big Bang” deregulation. In the same year, Buchler Phillips, a new independent insolvency practice, was formed. Under the leadership of Simon Freakley, now our Chief Executive Officer, this business grew into a leading niche practice which we purchased in 1999 as the foundation of our restructuring business.

The world was a different, perhaps simpler, place: Eastern Europe, Russia and China were closed Communist economies; documents mostly travelled on paper by mail; investment banks raised money through equity and bonds, and commercial banks lent money.

Looking back over those 20 years to identify the trends and forces that have shaped the massive changes over that period should help us understand where we are heading and to help find and manage risks and opportunities for our clients, which has been our raison d’être since I founded the company 35 years ago.

Jules Kroll
Founder