About SIRV
SIRV builds operational AI for safety, security and resilience teams. Our focus is practical help for real operational work, delivered in a way that is more controlled, more reviewable and better suited to environments where the cost of getting it wrong is high.
Built for organisations that need more than generic AI.
Who we are
SIRV is a technology company focused on operational work in environments where safety, security, resilience and review matter.
We bring together engineering, AI, data and operational thinking to help organisations retrieve the right material, assess key documents, triage incoming information and support clearer operational decisions.
Our work is shaped by a simple view: in serious environments, useful AI is not enough on its own. It needs to be applied in a way that is practical, controlled and credible in real use.
Why SIRV exists
SIRV stands for Systematic Intelligent Risk Valuation. Founded in 2011 by brothers Andrew and Philip Tollinton, the company has spent more than a decade building technology to help organisations operate with greater clarity, consistency and confidence.
From early work in incident management through to today’s SIRV AI, the direction has remained consistent: build technology that helps organisations handle operational work more effectively in settings where trust, judgement and review matter.
That has led to a clearer focus on operational AI for serious environments, not AI as a novelty or abstraction.
Independent by design
SIRV is privately funded by its founding team and long-term partners. That independence matters because it allows SIRV to:
- focus on long-term value rather than short-term noise
- build carefully where trust and reliability matter
- prioritise customer needs over fashion
- stay close to real operational problems
For a company working in higher-stakes operational settings, that kind of independence is not a branding detail. It shapes how the product is built and how decisions are made.
See the investor FAQ below for more detail.
What makes SIRV different
SIRV is not trying to be a generic AI company.
Our focus is operational AI that helps teams do real work more effectively. That means work such as retrieving procedures under pressure, evaluating documents, triaging information, building a clearer operational picture, and retaining lessons that should not be lost.
What differentiates SIRV is not only the use of AI. It is the way that support is shaped for operational environments, with clearer boundaries around evidence, workflow, traceability and review.
That is why the company’s direction has moved beyond broad AI language and towards a more specific aim: controlled operational support for teams whose work carries real consequences.
How we work
SIRV works with the mindset of engineers and operators. That means:
- focusing on practical application
- staying close to real user problems
- improving through disciplined learning
- building with long-term use in mind
Our leadership team
SIRV is led by a team with experience across risk, engineering, data, operations and technology.
Andrew Tollinton - CEO
Andrew leads SIRV with a background spanning risk management technology, business leadership and applied AI in operational settings.
More
Andrew is a leader in risk management technology. He was previously the CEO for a technology business in what’s now the UK’s largest facilities management company. He’s a qualified accountant and London Business School alumnus, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy of Science from Newcastle University. He lectures at various universities, business schools and incubators across South East Asia and UK. He’s also Chair of The Institute of Strategic Risk Management’s, AI in Risk Management Special interest Group. In 2019 he was shortlisted for Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.
Calum Doran - Head of AI
Calum leads AI development at SIRV, with a background in mathematics, statistics and applied data science
More
Calum is a first class mathematician and data scientist. He has a Masters in Data Science with Specialism in Statistics and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics, both from Newcastle University. In recognition of his work with risk management artificial intelligence, in 2024 Calum was nominated for Newcastle University’s Rising Star Award. The award is given to alumni who are already making a significant positive impact on the world.
Dr Philip Tollinton - CTO
Philip leads technical architecture and engineering, with deep experience across software, data and scientific computing.
More
Philip is an expert software engineer. He has a PhD in Computational Chemistry, Chemistry and Computer Science, from University of Bath and a Batchelor’s of Science in Chemistry and Computer Science from Reading University. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Twente and has over twenty years experience as an Oracle DBA.
Dr Susan Zhang - Board Advisor
Technologist and business leader with global experience at Google, Amazon, TikTok, Canva and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; awarded the Australian Ambassador’s Award for Women in Leadership.
More
Susan is a technologist and business leader. She currently works as Head of Startup & VC Partnerships, ANZ at NVIDIA. She holds a PhD in Engineering and Information Sciences from the University of Wollongong and an Executive MBA from London Business School and Columbia University. She’s worked with Google, ByteDance (TikTok), Amazon and Canva. She’s held the general partner role in a venture capital business and served as non-executive director for many technology companies. Recently she was awarded the Australian Ambassador’s Award for Women in Leadership. Find out more.
Lyle Brotherton - Board Advisor
International search and rescue expert advising governments and security services on disaster mapping, counter-terrorism, and emergency response.
More
Lyle Brotherton trains members of the security services, police, and special forces. He advises government agencies in America and Western Europe on strategies and tactics to combat major terrorist attacks, and he is a keynote speaker at international conferences and symposia.
As one of the world’s leading search and rescue experts, Lyle Brotherton plays a crucial advisory role for governments on disaster mapping, such as during the 2010 floods in Pakistan. His strategic expertise is also sought after by SAR and mountain rescue teams worldwide.
The Royal Institute of Navigation awarded ‘The Achievement of Honour’ for his “Outstanding achievement in writing the most comprehensive book on Land Navigation.”
He has been published in numerous journals, including Casbag, Country Magazine, Mountain Rescue Magazine, Soldier Magazine, Trail, and SALT.
Dr Alessandro Riccombeni - Board Advisor
Scientist and entrepreneur; former genomics innovator at Microsoft and Amazon, now leading Axia Medicine, with awards including AWS “Think Big”.
More
Alessandro is a scientist and entrepreneur. He currently leads Axia Medicine. He holds a PhD in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology from University College Dublin and an MBA from London Business School. He was Research Associate at the UCL Cancer Institute and has led genomics innovation at Microsoft and Amazon. He’s also been an adviser to the private equity community. Alessandro has received numerous awards including Microsoft Champion Award and Amazon Web Services Global Engineering Award “Think Big”.
The kind of company we are building
SIRV is building for organisations that need more than impressive demos.
We believe the future value of AI in safety, security and resilience will come from helping teams carry out real work with greater clarity and control, not from replacing judgement with broad automation claims.
That is why SIRV focuses on:
- practical use over hype
- controlled support over open-ended assistance
- continuity and memory over one-off outputs
- trust, review and defensibility over novelty
Investor FAQ
A few practical questions about how SIRV is funded and how the company thinks about growth.
Q: Is SIRV venture backed?
No. SIRV is privately funded by its founding team and long-term partners.
Q. Are you planning to raise capital?
SIRV is focused on building deliberately and sustainably. Strategic conversations can happen where there is strong alignment, but the company is not built around venture-led urgency.
Q. How are you funding growth?
Through disciplined growth, internal commitment and a focus on real user problems rather than growth for its own sake.
Q. Why not raise VC to grow faster?
A: Because speed matters, but direction matters too. In environments where trust, complexity and long-term product quality matter, deliberate growth can be an advantage.
Built for real operational work
SIRV exists to help organisations use AI in a way that is more practical, more controlled and better suited to serious operational environments.
"SIRV helped us move beyond basic reporting into a system that actively supports decision-making". Les O'Gorman, Director of Facilities, UCB - Pharma and Life Sciences
