About us

We’re a team of scientists, engineers and security experts, committed to making organisations more resilient. Our technology is built with rigour, guided by experience from the military, emergency services and enterprise.

Foundation

Founded in 2011 by brothers Andrew and Philip Tollinton, SIRV stands for Systematic Intelligent Risk Valuation. From pioneering one of the first mobile apps for incident management to today’s governable AI agent Cal, we’ve spent over a decade building technology to help organisations operate safely, compliantly and with confidence.

Independent by design

We’re privately funded by our founding team and long-term partners.
That independence allows us to:

Focus on long-term value, not short-term returns.
Build critical systems deliberately and sustainably.
Prioritise mission over hype.

(See our Investor FAQ for more detail.)

Our leadership team

Andrew Tollinton - CEO

Leader in risk management technology, qualified accountant, and London Business School alumnus. Shortlisted for Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.

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

Award-nominated data scientist, MSc in Data Science, specialising in statistics.

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

PhD in Computational Chemistry, 20+ years as software engineer and database expert.

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 and Canva; awarded the Australian Ambassador’s Award for Women in Leadership.

Susan is a technologist and business leader. She currently works with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Digital Trade between UK and Australia. 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.

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”.

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”.

Find out more.

Our Culture

We work with the mindset of scientists and engineers:

Open communication
Focus on application and results
Continuous learning

Our HQ is in London, but we locate technology to meet our customers wherever they operate.

Investor FAQ

Q: Is SIRV venture backed?

A: No. SIRV is privately funded by its founding team and long-term partners. We’ve deliberately chosen to build without traditional VC funding so we can stay focused on mission, execution, and long-term value.

Q. Are you planning to raise capital?

A: We’re not actively raising at this time. Our current model gives us the freedom to operate independently and sustainably. That said, we remain open to strategic conversations with partners who bring more than capital, especially where there’s deep alignment with our mission and users.

Q. How are you funding growth?

A: Through disciplined, organic growth backed by committed internal capital. We prioritise product-market fit, real user problems, and measured scale, not runway burn or fundraising milestones.

Q. Why not raise VC to grow faster?

A: Speed matters but so does direction. We’ve chosen to build deliberately, with autonomy and focus. For a platform like SIRV which deals with complex systems, risk, and trust, this approach helps us move fast without breaking the wrong things.

Company