DEPARTMENT PROFILE

Control Risks

Political Risk

2 ranked individuals

Band 1

Global-wide

Crisis & Risk Management 2022 View ranking table

chambers review

department information

Ranked Individuals

Chambers Review

Chambers Research is conducted by 200 Research Analysts, across 200 jurisdictions and provides nearly 6,000 rankings tables. Annually we collect hundreds of thousands of responses from clients, the majority via in-depth interview. Learn more about our methodology.

What the team is known for

Control Risks is an internationally recognised player in the global political risk market. Beginning as a kidnap and ransom or physical security agency, Control Risks has developed into a firm with an array of intelligence-related services, including political risk. With 36 offices across 26 countries, Control Risks is well placed to provide substantive analysis of politically sensitive developments in many jurisdictions.

Strengths

"If I was a chief security officer and I did not have the resources internally, the political risk platform that they have would suit my purposes. That is how I have always viewed Control Risks."

"The customer relationship with the Control Risks team has developed into a partnership that is more than the traditional customer relationship, which is absolutely brilliant."

"They are all very, very competent, really helpful and responsive."

Notable practitioners

Charles Hecker manages Control Risks' global political risk function and oversees the firm’s main guide to business and political risks, called RiskMap. Hecker speaks fluent Russian and held previous positions in Control Risks as manager of its Moscow office. More recently, he served as Director of Corporate Investigations for Europe and Africa. "Charles Hecker is absolutely fabulous," enthuses an interviewee, who adds: "He was getting curveball after curveball on some quite complex geopolitical questions and he had great analysis and answers." This source continues: "Charles is extremely responsive and knowledgeable, and a great professional partner."

Sorana Parvulescu is a partner in the firm's Dubai office who leads the firm's geopolitical risk analysis team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She assists public and private sector organisations across a wide range of industries, helping them to manage geopolitical, security and reputational risk. She speaks fluent English and Romanian and is proficient in French and German. One client says that Parvulescu is "very hands-on," and goes on to add: "She has the details but at the same time can convey the bigger picture."