A COMMITMENT TO DISCRETION & INTEGRITY
The Blackthorn sloe tree has a five petaled flower, complementing our pentagon. The stems are traditionally made into ceremonial military ‘swagger sticks’ which are presented as a recognition of service. The plant is tough, resilient, and deeply rooted; qualities that resonate with our own story. Blackthorn reflects our military and service heritage, dependability and solid foundations – linking to our values that remain at the heart of our business.
Expertise
Expertise
Expert skill or knowledge in a particular field: We are specialists and therefore need to ensure that our advice remains better than that available from a generalist. We will take what we do extremely seriously, but we will not take ourselves too seriously.
Discretion
Discretion
The quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing confidential information: In order for us to complete many of our tasks, our clients and other stakeholders will rely on our discretion. Our brand and reputation are contingent not only on us being discrete, but also on us being perceived as such. This relates to both verbal and written communications including the use of social media.
Respect
Respect
Due regard for the feelings, wishes or rights of others: We will behave with good manners and treat people fairly. This will include fair and decent treatment of all people, no matter their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or any other factor.
Independence
Independence
Free from outside control; not subject to another’s authority: We will ‘back ourselves’ and provide the advice we think is right. We will not shy away from delivering an unpopular message, if it is the right thing to do. We will act in our client’s best interest at all times.
Integrity
Integrity
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles: Our clients, colleagues and other stakeholders invest their trust in us. We will only earn trust on an enduring basis if we do what is right and tell the truth. We are all accountable for our actions and will behave in an ethical manner.
Loyalty
Loyalty
Giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution: We are building a company to last and this means demonstrating loyalty to our colleagues, clients, and key stakeholders.
HOME TO THE WORLD’S LEADING MALICIOUS RISK ADVISORS
Broking Team
Julian Vero
Ashley Coles
Partner
Ash joined the Broking Team in November 2023 focussing on hostile environment and kidnap for ransom lines of business. He has impressive worldwide experience, and a passion for keeping up to date with global events. As a cheerful and conscientious individual, he forms close relationships with his clients, be it families or companies, and takes pride in forming a deep understanding of their requirements and business operations. Ash seeks to help his clients minimise risk and always responds to incidents with a cool head and an experienced approach.
Previous Experience: Ash began his career as an underwriter focussing on kidnap for ransom and maritime piracy policies. He then moved into the broking world with Jardine Lloyd Thompson with a remit to advise clients on kidnap for ransom insurance and political and security evacuation programmes. Ash was stationed in Hong Kong from 2014-2019 where he opened the first Security Risks Desk in Asia to respond to clients’ requirements for a broad array of malicious risk products. In 2019 he moved to Price Forbes, with a secondment to Kuala Lumpur where he was dedicated to Asian clients purchasing high risk insurance policies for their overseas operations
Andrew Pickthorn
Partner
Andrew joined our team in November 2024, bringing extensive experience from his years as a broker in the London market. Specialising in Corporate Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance, he has a deep understanding of supporting clients with complex risk exposures in challenging jurisdictions.
Previous Experience: A former British Army Officer, Andrew played a pioneering role in establishing insurance solutions for Private Security Companies after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. His work, included securing coverage for personnel, physical assets, and liabilities for civilian contractors in conflict zones. Over the years, he has collaborated with government and private sector clients in high-risk environments such as Afghanistan, Somalia, and during counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Guinea.
With a strong focus on client-centred solutions, Andrew has partnered closely with insurers and brokers to design custom policies and risk mitigation strategies, leveraging his global experience in claims management to enhance client protection and resilience.
Thea Grootenhuis
Thea has been with Blackthorn since 2018, developing a portfolio of diverse customers from Fortune 500 companies to NGO’s operating in conflict zones. She can respond to very specific and sometimes complex client requirements including: kidnap and ransom, terrorism and political violence, active assailant, emergency evacuation and high-risk travel insurance policies. Thea is a talented key account manager and offers a trusted and bespoke service to her clients, placing specialist insurance contracts into the Lloyd’s, offshore and company insurance markets. Thea’s talent lies in her forensic approach, ensuring her clients’ exposures are transferred to leading insurers, and the very best emergency assistance providers. Depending on what is happening in the world on any given day, Thea’s clients may be exposed to serious and challenging incidents which require dedicated support to achieve the best outcome to recover and resume operations.
Previous experience: Thea is one of Blackthorn's first employees and has been with us as the company has grown. Prior to joining Blackthorn she completed internships at S-RM and Berry, Palmer and Lyle and has a Politics degree from the University of Exeter.
Mike Paddock
Mike runs our liability portfolio with a specific focus on Defence and Security Industries. From major government contract providers to smaller firms working to protect individuals and companies overseas, Mike has an impressive book of clients who trust and rely on him to guide them through the management and transfer of their risks. Whether operating in complex environments or manufacturing cutting-edge technology and equipment, insurance coverage can be complicated for Mike’s clients. He has a nuanced understanding of their requirements, working to truly understand their operations. Drawing on his first-hand experience, he can offer a tailored approach with specialist guidance to ensure that risks are properly managed and transferred.
Mike has forged close relationships with many specialist Lloyd’s of London insurers and is a highly valuable resource to regional and international brokers looking for expert assistance for London placements.
Previous Experience: Prior to joining Blackthorn, Mike had underwriting and project management roles and completed the Lloyds Military Network Intern scheme. He holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Westminster and has served as an Army Reservist since 2010.
Sally Seaman
Broking Coordinator
After starting at Blackthorn in 2020 as our founder’s Executive Assistant, Sally joined the Broking team in 2024, where she utilises her expert organisational skills to give oversight to the critical areas of contract certainty, policy documentation, premium processing, and marketing support.
Sally is held in high esteem by both her colleagues and peers, for her professionalism and intelligent approach. 22 years’ service in the Royal Navy have brought huge depth and breadth to her life experience; her assimilation of knowledge and understanding of threat and risk are founded on a solid professional background. Sally always faces the most challenging or difficult scenarios with a clear plan, a composed approach and an abundance of humour. This character, knowledge of the business, and respect within Blackthorn, put her in a unique place to effectively manage the processing of the broking business.
Previous experience and interests: During her time in the Royal Navy Sally was located in the UK and also overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following her military career, Sally undertook roles in commercial organisations before taking a sabbatical to accompany her husband on a military posting to California.
Broking Assistant
Ella joined Blackthorn in May 2025 as a graduate from the University of Exeter. Ella’s attention to detail, professionalism under pressure, and selfless attitude are exciting additions in supporting the broking team, always ensuring that clients’ risks are handled in the most efficient and reliable way. With a keen interest in the lived realities of major geopolitical events, Ella’s previous internships for international NGOs and experience working in complex contexts position her well to start developing a diverse and global network. She has the most positive and thoughtful character, and Blackthorn are excited to nurture this for the benefit of our clients, and her career.
Previous experience: Before joining Blackthorn, Ella completed internships for The Egmont Trust, a charity working to fight HIV/AIDs in sub-Saharan Africa, and Stay at School Nepal, an education centred NGO, focusing on programme and strategy development. Ella achieved a First Class Honours in BA Geography, undertaking a study abroad year in Australia.
Advisory team
Jerry Smith OBE
Senior Partner | Head of Advisory
Jerry heads up Blackthorn’s Advisory Practice and was appointed to the board in September 2024. He works with the insurance industry, blue chip companies, national governments, supra-national organisations and international NGOs.
Jerry is recognised globally as one of the leading experts in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials (CBRNE) and advises Blackthorn's clients on risk management, crisis response and operational resilience projects.
Jerry has over 30 years’ experience within the British Army, UK Civil Service and the United Nations, as well as the private sector; he has worked in over 40 countries on four continents. He was the Head of Operations for the verification, disablement and initial removal of Syria’s declared chemical weapons’ arsenal, was a senior advisor to the United Nations and a Director in the international chemical watchdog, the OPCW.
Previous experience and interests: Jerry holds an MBA and BEng (Hons) from Cardiff University. He also holds a post-graduate diploma in Weapon Effects on Structures and is a member of the Institute of Explosive Engineers. He is a visiting fellow at Cranfield University. He is an author, interviewee and consultant for BBC, CNN, CBS and SKY as well as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Foreign Policy Magazine and The Guardian. Jerry is a supporter of ServeOn, an international natural disaster response charity. In 2015 he was awarded an OBE for services to international arms control and WMD counter-proliferation.
Niki Whitley
Niki joined Blackthorn as a Director in the Advisory Team in May 2025. She is a seasoned security risk and crisis management consultant, with global experience supporting corporate, NGO, and family offices in building resilience tailored to specific threat environments. She focuses on threat, vulnerability, and security risk assessments, travel risk and broader crisis management planning. Niki specialises in threat intelligence and audit of existing strategy.
Previous experience: Niki previously worked at intelligence and risk management firms S-RM and AnotherDay, where in addition to the above she also led multi-stakeholder crisis management exercises based on real-world scenarios. She was also a regional intelligence manager at Citibank overseeing all strategic intelligence analysis, as well as a consultant trainer for intergovernmental intelligence programmes in the Middle East and Africa. Prior to this, Niki was a strategic and tactical analyst in the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) where she was a leading analyst for major investigations, authored national threat assessments, and delivered top-level briefings during live terrorist incidents.
Niki holds an MSc (Distinction) in Investigative and Forensic Psychology from the University of Liverpool and a BA in Psychology with Law from the University of Exeter.
John Chase
Director
Alex Theodosiou
Alex joined Blackthorn in September 2021 and is integral to the Advisory Team’s research, analysis, and project delivery. Alongside advising clients on the geopolitical and malicious risk environment, risk management, and duty of care responsibilities, Alex plays a central role in the development of Blackthorn's thought leadership. He has supported clients in deep-dive projects focused on realistic disaster scenario development and also takes an active interest in the digitalisation of our work.
Previous experience: After completing a BA in History and War Studies at King’s College London, Alex went on to secure a counter-terrorism focused MA from King’s College London’s War Studies Department. Following this, Alex gained experience as a researcher at think tanks specialising in political violence, developing expertise in international terrorism, radicalisation, terrorist financing, and geopolitical risk. During this time, he had multiple papers and articles published, including at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism in Washington DC. Before joining Blackthorn, he held the position of Senior Analyst at the Janes Terrorism and Insurgency Centre.
Claudia Palmer
An experienced project manager with a strong background in payments, proposals, and project analysis and coordination, Claudia joined Blackthorn in January 2022 on our growing Advisory Team. She oversees project governance, delivery assurance, commercial management, and resource coordination across client engagements.
Claudia leads the implementation of our quality management systems, ensuring our projects are delivered with due diligence, on time, on budget, and to a consistently high standard. At the forefront of proposal development, Claudia employs robust checks and close collaboration with our internal teams and clients to ensure information is clear, accurate, and reliable. Complementing this, she works in partnership with our 20+ project associates whose diverse expertise are routinely called upon across our project portfolio. With a broad remit and holistic approach, Claudia bridges strategy and execution across the Advisory function.
Previous experience: Prior to joining Blackthorn, Claudia pursued a career managing projects for a leading international contract research organisation. She has a BA (joint honours) in Business Management and French from the University of Reading.
Group Services
Matthew Dawes
Senior Partner | Chief Finance Officer
Mathew joined Blackthorn in spring 2021 and plays a pivotal role as we scale-up and grow the business. He is transforming the day-to-day financial aspects of our company as well as leading on our strategic financial initiatives.
Matthew’s experience is broad, and he has a varied portfolio, from corporate leadership to managing a private investment office. His commercial expertise includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, change and transformation projects.
Matthew has a razor-sharp intelligence and an inquiring mind. The energy and enthusiasm he has for his work are infectious, he is always good humoured and open and honest in his approach. Matthew always takes time to listen to others, share experiences and ensure everyone understands and is on board with what he is doing.
Previous experience and interests: Following a degree in Physics from the University of Oxford, Matthew initially started his career practicing Law at Freshfields. The finance world soon beckoned, however, and Matthew made the switch to a new career where he has held positions at Barclays Ventures and KPMG. Mathew is also an accomplished triathlete.
Diana Britton
Financial Controller
Diana joined Blackthorn Global in summer 2024 and made a hugely positive impact from day one. A small business requires structure and diligence, while requiring flexibility, an open mind and a willingness to learn at pace. Diana brings all of these, providing a rock-solid foundation upon which we can build the multiple moving parts of the group.
She combines the technical rigour of private practice with the pragmatism required in industry and is able to cut through the complexities of the sometimes weird and wonderful world of insurance with ease, treating impossible deadlines as routine and approaching them with the necessary smile.
Previous experience: Building her ACA upon first class honours in Accounting and Finance at UWE, she refined her accountancy skills at Evans & Partners before moving into industry with ForrestBrown and progressing to Financial Controller.
Adam Thomson
Adam joined Blackthorn in September 2021 and leads on the development and execution of our commercial business strategies. He brings a wealth of practical experience in business growth within UK domestic and international insurance, broking, consulting, and advisory services. With over 30 years’ experience, Adam is extremely well respected and recognised as a market leader. Since 2008, he has led the global transformation of how medical and security assistance services actively align with key risks and insurances to support his clients enterprise risk strategies. He is a master at orchestrating pragmatic, aligned and integrated solutions for multi-stakeholder initiatives in complex environments.
Adam has a warm, collaborative, and inclusive style and the enthusiasm he has for his work is infectious. He is consistent in his approach and always has the client at the heart of his decision making; he is a firm believer in the value of operational detail and robust process in order to ensure that outcomes match expectations.
Previous experience and interests: Adam has previously held roles at Bupa, Mercer Consulting and International SOS working with clients in over 40 countries. He is constantly looking to test and develop his skill sets within different geographies and cultures.
Emma Morgan
Office Manager
Emma joined Blackthorn in spring 2025 and quickly became the go-to person for keeping everything running smoothly. In a fast-moving business, it takes someone who can balance structure with adaptability—and Emma does exactly that. Whether it’s onboarding new staff, streamlining processes, supporting financial functions, or ensuring the offices run at their best, she makes sure no detail is missed and every challenge is handled with calm efficiency.
From refining systems to supporting colleagues across the team, Emma combines practical expertise with a collaborative style that makes her an invaluable part of the business. Always seeking improvements and smarter ways of working, she brings both energy and structure to everything she does.
Previous experience: With more than a decade of experience in office management and administration, Emma’s expertise spans finance, operations, and HR. She also holds professional qualifications including PRINCE2 and ITIL.
Our wider network
We have a global network of brokers who trust Blackthorn to place their complex insurance requirements.
As an Advisory business, we pride ourselves on delivering comprehensive, high-quality service to our clients. To achieve this, we leverage a trusted network of contractors, and specialist partners. This extended team enables us to provide expert advice, tailored solutions, and support across a wide range of client needs.
By working collaboratively with our network, Broking and Advisory ensures that every client receives the most informed, efficient, and effective service possible.
Non-exec directors
Rupert Prichard OBE
Chairman
Rupert is the Non-Executive Chairman of Blackthorn.
He has had a varied commercial career including construction, recruitment, logistics, and risk management. He retired from the military in 1998 after 25 years’ service and is a past president of the SAS Regimental Association.
Steve Harris
Non-Executive Investment Director
Steve is an Investment Director of Blackthorn. He is the CEO of Committed Capital Ltd, Blackthorn’s corporate finance partner.
