Better decisions
Sharper judgement under pressure, with the blind spots exposed in the room.
About
KairoSim gives leadership teams a place to experiment safely before actual disasters hit. We design and run immersive crisis simulations that put your team inside the pressure, ambiguity, and speed of a genuine geopolitical or systemic shock, so the first time they face it isn't the real one.
Origin & heritage
KairoSim takes its name from Kairos, the Greek god of the opportune moment. Kairos rules the decisions that arise in the midst of chance, crisis, and chaos, when timing and judgement take precedence. Our simulations embody this concept of Kairos, training leaders to recognise and take action at the opportune time.
KairoSim was born from the Strategic Simulation Programme at the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics, where historian Professor Brendan Simms and former British diplomat Adam Wurr have run closed-door crisis exercises for over ten years. Participants have included politicians, military commanders, intelligence professionals, and ambassadors, and many former and serving UK Cabinet Ministers from across the political spectrum. Their direct input has made KairoSim the most realistic strategic simulation practice in the UK.
Having established the model at Cambridge and built partnerships with government departments and international organisations along the way, KairoSim now brings its tested approach to strengthen key industries against future global shocks.
Track record
We are building on a track record of strategic foresight. Our simulations have predicted world events before the headlines:
- The Northern Ireland border crisis after Brexit: simulated in 2018, occurred in 2020
- Attacks on Baltic undersea infrastructure: simulated in 2019, occurred in 2022
- The sovereignty dispute over Greenland: simulated in 2020, occurred in 2025
- The Ukraine energy price shock: simulated in 2021, occurred in 2022
- The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei: simulated in 2024, occurred in 2025
The methodology
Our format is modelled on the UK government's own national crisis response format, giving participants unparalleled insight into how governments respond in real time to crises that affect their operations. Simulations follow a five-stage process:
- Discovery & scenario design: we design a near-future crisis scenario bespoke to your operations, matched with expert role players
- Immersive simulation. Your team enters the live situation room, receiving intelligence injects, breaking news, and competing priorities in real time
- Expert briefings and a statecraft masterclass, where senior role players share first-hand lessons from real crises
- Cross-functional team work: leadership decides together under time pressure, with incomplete information and shifting priorities
- Facilitated debrief & actionable insights. A rigorous debrief turns performance into resilience actions
What you gain
Reduced risk
A clear view of your organisation's vulnerabilities, with steps to close the gaps before capital is on the line.
Stronger leadership
A team that has been tested together under pressure and knows how it performs.
Team development
A unique executive training experience that takes teams out of their comfort zone and gives them stories to tell.
What makes it different
Most leadership training rehearses the familiar. KairoSim disrupts it.
No script, no 'right' answer
Our simulations test real judgement under pressure. There is no box to tick.
Built on COBR
Modelled on the UK government's own national crisis-response situation room.
Top practitioners
Facilitators and role players are drawn from the highest ranks of government: former ministers, diplomats, and military leaders.
Bespoke to your risk
Every simulation is co-designed around your sector, operations, and decisions.
Who we work with
Organisations for whom geopolitical shock is a live risk: critical infrastructure, local and national governments, energy, transport, telecommunications, and financial services.
Use cases
Learning & Development
Embed simulation-based training into your leadership development programme, building crisis response as a practised skill across your talent pipeline.
Board crisis readiness
Stress-test how your board or executive team would respond to a major shock, from a cyber-physical attack to a sudden supply disruption.
Deal & market-entry risk
Pressure-test a transaction, asset, partnership, or market entry against geopolitical disruption, from political risk and sanctions to regulatory shifts, before you commit capital.
Speciality events
Deliver a live simulation as the centrepiece of a conference, summit, or masterclass: a high-impact, immersive session that puts delegates inside real decision-making pressure.