Abstract

"Filling the Void: How Kroll Inc Regularly Reinvented its Services in the Face of Evolving Threats from 1980 to 2010"

Elena Egawhary, Columbia University (eme2151@columbia.edu)

The story of Kroll Inc is the story of how private investigation work transformed from a grubby trade into the essential and legitimate business service we see today. Much of this journey is credited to Jules Kroll who founded Kroll Inc and shifted the perception of investigative work. In doing so he transformed his company from a small family run business into a billion dollar multinational whose name became a verb synonymous with vetting: “Have you Krolled it?”

This presentation will provide a brief oversight of this history and the central role that Wall Street endorsement and various government contracts played in legitimizing the company and, in turn, the trade. It will also examine how Kroll Inc would regularly reinvent its services in light of new and emerging risks to sell security where there was organizational fear. From fraud, to employee wrongdoing, to data leaks, to corporate monitorships, to physical security from terrorism, natural disasters and war.

Through a number of illustrative case studies examining work undertaken by Kroll in the 1990 to 2010 period this presentation explores the monetization of the public sector for private gain, the benefits and negative consequences that can arise when public bodies hire private contractors to carry out tasks relating to security, audit and investigation, as well as the possible motivations to spend taxpayer money in doing so.

This presentation concludes by considering the accountability gap and conflict of interests that exist in these relationships and raises the question of how third party contractors came to be viewed as a good investment for the public sector and trusted as independent experts in the face of crisis.