What Pharos Response does

Pharos Response (legal entity Pharos Emergency Response Services Ltd) is a UK-based specialist risk, reputation, and crisis management consultancy founded in 2011 by Julian Penney and Chris Gallant, both former expedition-company operators, and headquartered in Wokingham, Berkshire. The firm serves organisations operating in four 'higher-risk' verticals — education, youth, travel, and adventure — providing a three-tier integrated service: Prevent (health and safety audits, risk assessments, crisis plan drafting, site security audits); Prepare (crisis management training, spokesperson training, OSSM training, live crisis simulations using actors and mock media); and Respond (24/7 incident response subscriptions in Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers from £595 to multi-thousand-pound per-year retainers, plus day-rate consultancy at £475–£750/day).

Underlying delivery relies on a small team (approximately 14–20 staff plus a network of vetted incident, security, communications, and medical advisers, many former senior police, Army, and RAF officers), backed by proprietary tooling including a 24/7 hotline with secure consultant connectivity, the Pharos Incident Log System, a bespoke school security audit application producing RAG-rated reports, and an actor-driven crisis simulation toolkit using voicemail recordings, mock press articles, live phone calls, and simulated social media posts. The company claims hundreds of clients spanning UK and international schools, charities, niche tour operators, and adventure providers, and reaches them via a direct consultative sales motion augmented by content marketing, conference speaking, and ten-plus channel partnerships with sector bodies (ABTOT, AIM, ISBA, Schools Travel Forum, EFL in the Community, EVOLVE Advice, Juniper Education, and others). It is privately held with no disclosed external investment, no subsidiaries, and operates as a founder-led limited company in its second decade.

Name

Pharos Response

Legal name

Pharos Emergency Response Services Ltd

Website

https://pharos-response.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pharos Response is a UK-based specialist risk, reputation, and crisis management consultancy that provides 24/7 incident response subscriptions, training, and security audits to organisations in the education, youth, travel, and adventure sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crisis and Risk Management Consulting

NAICS

Telephone Call Centers (56142), Business Support Services (5614)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Response Operations Centers & Case Management Platforms (THACANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Incident Management, Alerts & Crisis Communications (THACANAD), Duty of Care, Risk Management & Traveler Tracking (THAKAMAE), Crisis Response Management & Incident Support (EDAIAMAD), Corporate Trip Disruption Management & 24/7 Traveler Support Platforms (THALANAK)

Keywords

• Crisis management services
• Incident response consulting
• Risk management advisory
• Safety training services
• Reputation management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Wokingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Day-rate based consultancy projects including risk management audits, safety management system reviews, crisis plan drafting, incident investigations. Charged per day or project basis.
2. Training Services: Fees for training courses including OSSM (Offsite Safety Management), risk assessment training, crisis management workshops, spokesperson training. Can be face-to-face or online.
3. 24/7 Subscription Response Services: Annual subscription retainers (Silver, Gold, Platinum tiers) providing 24/7 access to incident managers and specialist services. Subscription fees scaled to business turnover or student numbers.
4. Audit and Review Services: One-time fees for site security audits, health and safety audits, critical incident plan reviews, and desktop security reviews.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pharos Response is a specialist crisis, risk and reputation management consultancy that delivers a three-tier Prevent-Prepare-Respond offering to organisations in the education, youth, travel and adventure sectors. Its core product is a 24/7 incident response hotline available in Silver, Gold and Platinum subscription tiers, complemented by consultancy (audits, plan drafting, risk assessments), training (crisis management, spokesperson, OSSM, safeguarding) and crisis simulation exercises. TravelAid is offered as a sub-product for individual gap year travellers.

Product overview

Pharos Response is a specialist risk, reputation, and crisis management consultancy offering a unified service portfolio centred on its 24/7 Incident Response Service (available in Silver, Gold, and Platinum subscription tiers). The company provides integrated Prevent services (consultancy, audits, training) and Prepare services (crisis simulation exercises, spokesperson training), all designed to work together with the 24/7 response capability. Core offerings include Crisis Management Training Workshops, Full Crisis Simulation Exercises, Crisis Spokesperson Training, Offsite Safety Management Training (OSSM), Safeguarding Training, Risk Assessment Training, Critical Incident Plans, and Competent Health & Safety Advisor services. For schools, additional offerings include Protective Site Security Audits, School Lockdown Procedures, Dealing with Anger & Aggression Training, and Gap Year Safety Training. The TravelAid sub-product provides individual gap year traveller support. All services are designed for the education, youth, travel, and adventure sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Travel-Aid: Safety and security service for individual travellers and gap year companies, providing support for independent travel safety.

Products and services

• 24/7 Incident Response Service Always-on emergency response hotline staffed by trained incident managers (typically former uniformed services) providing immediate incident containment advice, escalation, and coordination of specialist crisis support including PR, social media, trauma care and H&S guidance. Available in Silver, Gold and Platinum subscription tiers scaled to client turnover or pupil numbers.
• TravelAid Safety and security service for individual gap year travellers and their family members left at home, providing direct support during independent travel incidents.
• Crisis Management Training Workshop Full-day workshop for crisis teams including case study analysis, incident response model guidance, and a bespoke table-top simulation exercise with actors playing journalists and stakeholders.
• Full Crisis Simulation Exercise Fully bespoke simulation exercise using multiple actors (simulated journalists, photographers, camera crews) and real-time social media posts to test operational and communications response.
• Crisis Spokesperson Training Full-day bespoke group training for company spokespeople covering spokesperson principles, case study reviews, and on-camera, telephone and video interview practice with crisis scenarios.
• Offsite Safety Management Training (OSSM) Two-day externally accredited residential training for staff who plan, manage or evaluate off-site safety policies, procedures, risk assessments and activities, with additional exercises specific to the client's operation.
• Safeguarding Training Bespoke in-house safeguarding training for DSLs, DSOs and wider staff, with case studies and scenarios brought to life by role-playing actors, adapted to specific sector needs.
• Risk Assessment Training One-day course for managers responsible for writing or reviewing risk assessments, tailored to specific sector needs with practical exercises and scenario-based activities.
• Crisis Communications Training Interactive training session for marketing/communications colleagues and senior leaders on managing high-stakes post-incident stakeholder communications, including desktop simulation with journalist actors.
• Gap Year Safety Training Practical training session for students embarking on independent travel, delivered by travel safety experts who advise gap year students with live incidents.
• Visit Emergency Training Online training for Educational Visit Coordinators and Visit Leaders on responding effectively to off-site incidents, including communications and coordination with the school's base support team.
• Dealing with Anger & Aggression Training Course for front-line staff to identify and de-escalate potentially dangerous or confrontational situations, written by a subject specialist following incidents with angry parents and stakeholders.
• Critical Incident Plans Development or review of crisis management plans tailored to the organisation's risk profile, including escalation procedures, incident categorisation, emergency response team roles, media statement templates and social media management guidance.
• Crisis Plan Drafting Comprehensive crisis or emergency plan written by school crisis management experts, based on a tried and tested formula, including escalation procedures, incident categorisation, emergency response team roles and crisis communications considerations.
• Competent Health & Safety Advisor Annual retainer providing access to competent H&S advice, policy sign-off, health and safety audits and ad-hoc advice to ensure compliance with health and safety law.
• Protective Site Security Audit In-depth school security audit conducted by security professionals with former police background, including pre-visit policy review, full-day on-site survey and RAG-rated report with prioritised recommendations.
• Desktop School Security Review Remote security assessment using online questionnaire, satellite imagery, Google street view perimeter walk and local crime statistics analysis to produce a RAG-rated report.
• School H&S Audit Professional external audit of health and safety covering all aspects of occupational H&S with clear action plan and recommended priorities, meeting statutory requirements and reducing risk of claims.
• School Lockdown Procedures Site visit and consultancy to assess lockdown challenges and draft a bespoke lockdown policy and procedures specific to the school site.
• School Lockdown Review and Rehearsal Twilight on-site session including lockdown rehearsal, security briefing, policy feedback and facilitated Q&A delivered by former police and security specialists.
• School Health & Safety Competent Advice Direct access to health & safety experts with significant knowledge of supporting schools, available to fulfil statutory health and safety obligations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced reputational damage through swift, professional response
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ABTOT (Association of British Tour Operators)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerABTOT is a Membership Association with over 300 Members and is a recognised and respected by the UK Travel Industry. PHAROS provides ABTOT members subsidised access to the PHAROS 24/7 'silver' incident response service.
• AIM (Activity Industry Mutual)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOne of the UK's leading providers of insurance for activity providers. PHAROS provides AIM's insurance mutual Membership with subsidised access to the PHAROS 24/7 'silver' incident response service.
• ISBA (Independent Schools' Bursars Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPHAROS is a Trusted Advisor for ISBA on risk and reputation management, providing services to member schools.
• Schools Travel Forum (STF)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSTF invited PHAROS to become an 'approved supplier' providing risk management consultancy services and discounted access to the silver 24/7 incident response service for STF Members.
• EFL in the CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFL commissions PHAROS to provide central incident management training for their Club Community Organisations (CCOs). This enables CCOs to have discounted access to 24/7 incident response.
• EVOLVE AdvicecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWell-regarded provider of educational visits advice to many schools. PHAROS provides EVOLVE client schools with 'gold' 24/7 incident support service at special education sector rates.
• Juniper EducationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPopular education services business invited PHAROS to be one of their service partners, enabling hundreds of schools working with Juniper to access Pharos' risk and reputation management services.
• Association of British Climbing Walls (ABC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembers of ABC can access the silver 24/7 PHAROS RESPONSE service at a discounted rate.
• Year Out GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGap year organisations can gain discounted access to PHAROS' silver 24/7 response service and benefit from offering TravelAid to individual travellers at special rates.
• Travel AwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) campaign. PHAROS has been a Travel Aware partner for over ten years, supporting essential safety messages for UK travellers.
• Travel-Aid (travel-aid.com)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent travel and gap year safety service that Pharos supports as part of their travel sector services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• On Call International: Provider of 24/7 travel assistance, crisis response and security services for organisations and individual travellers. Comparable subscription-based travel risk and emergency response offering, particularly to international and study-abroad populations.
• Safer Edge: Specialist travel security and crisis management consultancy focused on NGOs, aid sector and adventure operators. Closely comparable niche focus, sector specialisation and consultant-led service delivery to Pharos.
• International SOS: Global leader in travel risk management, medical assistance and 24/7 crisis response, serving multinational employers and travellers worldwide. Closest comparable to Pharos in core 24/7 incident response and duty-of-care proposition, but operates at far greater scale and geographic reach.
• Crisis24 (GardaWorld): Integrated security, crisis management and travel risk services arm of GardaWorld, operating global emergency response operations centers. Directly comparable 24/7 incident hotline, intelligence-led crisis communications and embedded consultant model.
• Anvil Group: UK-headquartered travel risk management and crisis response specialist serving corporate, NGO and education clients. Highly comparable UK footprint, travel-risk focus and 24/7 response proposition, and the closest direct UK competitor.
• Global Rescue: Travel risk, medical and security assistance provider offering 24/7 emergency response, evacuation and advisory services to travellers and organisations. Closely aligned to Pharos's travel sector duty-of-care subscription model.
• Healix International: UK-based provider of travel health, security and crisis assistance services to corporate, education and NGO clients. Overlapping 24/7 hotline, medical/security advisory and education sector clients make it a close operational peer.

Broad incumbents

• Control Risks: Global corporate risk consultancy offering crisis response, security advisory and incident management alongside broader intelligence and integrity services. Overlaps with Pharos in crisis management but operates as a much larger, broader-scope incumbent.
• FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm including a Strategic Communications segment (formerly Regester Larkin) with crisis and issues management practice. Comparable reputation-management and crisis response capability but as part of a much wider professional services portfolio.

Emerging players

• Riskline: Travel risk intelligence provider offering real-time country risk alerts, incident monitoring and advisory services to corporate travel and education clients. Adjacent technology-led product overlap with Pharos's duty-of-care offering, particularly for travel sector subscribers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Pharos_Response
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pharos-safety-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pharos Response