VANGUARDSTRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
About VSS

A wider perspective.
A practical focus.

Security and risk support built around your organisation, your environment and the mission ahead.

Our purpose

Connect the picture.
Strengthen the response.

Good decisions depend on understanding how the pieces fit together.

Vanguard Strategic Solutions brings a practical, integrated approach to security and risk. We connect assessment, intelligence, operational support and training to help organisations build capability around their objectives.

Our approach considers what happens beyond the plan: the people who will deliver it, the tools they will use and the support needed to sustain it.

Our people

Experience behind
the advice.

VSS is led by three partners who came up through the British Army and have spent the years since running security for humanitarian, government and commercial operations in high-threat environments. The experience described here is each partner’s own career background.

Portrait of Richard Housley

Richard Housley

Partner

Eight years in the Parachute Regiment, with operational tours across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He moved from the military into private security and then humanitarian and development security, building security risk management systems across global portfolios — as Global Safety and Security Adviser at an International NGO, Head of Global Security at a UK-based Development Institute, and Senior Safety and Security Adviser at an International NGO — working throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

  • Security risk management
  • Humanitarian access
  • Crisis & incident management
Portrait of Bryan Griffin

Bryan Griffin

Partner

Eleven years in the Royal Engineers: a combat engineer with 21 Engineer Regiment, then explosive ordnance disposal with 33 Engineer Regiment, including section command in 49 EOD Field Squadron supporting Commando, Airborne and Special Forces units. Since 2000 he has worked across Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Libya and Sri Lanka in EOD, battle area clearance and country security management, latterly as Country Security and Access Manager for DanChurchAid.

  • Explosive ordnance disposal
  • Protective security
  • Quality assurance & training
Portrait of Barry Jolly

Barry Jolly

Partner

Eleven years in the British military, specialising in explosive ordnance disposal and supporting UK Special Forces on maritime counter-terrorism, and an instructor at the British Army Weapons and Tactics School. Mentioned in Dispatches for bravery in Iraq. Since leaving he has directed security operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Northeast Syria, Ukraine, Kuwait and Sudan, including the integration of surveillance, CCTV and drone capability into security operations.

  • Security operations
  • High-threat advisory
  • Technology integration
Our principles

Clarity before complexity

Start with the problem, the environment and the decisions that need to be made.

A proportionate approach

Shape the response around real requirements, with clear responsibilities and practical measures.

Capability that stays

Support the people within your organisation through collaboration, training and knowledge transfer.

How we work

From context
to capability.

A structured approach.
Adapted to your requirements.

01

Understand

Start with your objectives, operating context and the decisions you need to make.

02

Design

Develop a proportionate approach with clear requirements and responsibilities.

03

Integrate

Bring people, processes and appropriate technology into a coherent operation.

04

Deliver

Support implementation, coordination and capability development.

05

Adapt

Review what is working and refine the approach as circumstances change.

The next step

What does your
mission need?

Start with a conversation about your objectives, your environment and the challenge ahead.

Discuss your requirement