Our Company
An advisory firm built for complex terrain.
We serve as trusted advisors to our partners seeking to navigate and seize opportunities in complex developing and emerging markets.
Who we are
Equatorial Strategies Group was born from crisis. In 2021, a global organisation encountered multiple public revelations of wrongdoing, placing its future in serious jeopardy. Thomas Foley, one of our founders, was appointed to run an independent global investigation and what followed was a multi-year engagement encompassing investigations and advisory services across four continents. Our team members’ effort enabled the organisation’s leadership to reach a clear understanding. This allowed the organisation to effectively address its issues. The effort, leaning on specialised skills and emerging markets expertise, brought together many of the professionals serving on the team.
Mission
We give our partners the confidence to act, transforming complex and opaque environments into ground they can move on with certainty.
We deliver context-aware strategies across governance, investigations, risk and crisis advisory, and security domains, supported by a global network of specialised experts. Our team combines experienced judgement, local insight and operational precision, turning complexity into clear direction and decisive action.
Approach
Equatorial strategies group advises boards, executives and institutions operating in complex, high stakes environments. We combine deep expertise in governance, risk and intelligence, with an understanding of the political, operational and human terrain, enabling our clients to scale to meet their challenges through flexible resourcing.
Values
| Ownership | We take ownership of outcomes, not just recommendations. |
| Integrity | We do and say what is right, guided by a strong ethical compass. |
| Commitment | We are fully invested in our clients' success. |
| Discipline | We hold ourselves to our own high standards and never lose our focus. |
Global Experience
Our team has extensive experience in Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and beyond. We have helped organisations understand and manage their risks in their daily operations, and maintain their brand reputation, sustainability and overall operational effectiveness.
Accomplishments
Our international experience includes delivering significant results in highly complex contexts. The following are examples of services our team members have delivered to organisations and businesses during the course of their careers.
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A mid-cap European consumer goods company was experiencing continued targeting of their senior staff by kidnapping gangs in Nigeria. A security acceleration plan was deployed that included a travel safety programme, an intelligence analysis programme, strengthened crisis response protocols and strong relationships with the country's security services. Within 12 months of implementing this strategy, the company no longer experienced kidnapping of their staff. With a strengthened security function, the company saw additional benefits including a 9% reduction of finished goods losses, elimination of employee fatalities associated with distribution operations and 100% execution of the company's travel safety programme.
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A large international NGO with a significant presence in the Middle East was concerned about rising risks of war in the region. A regional security strategy was developed, starting with a scenario analysis which was briefed to key stakeholders. The plan was later aligned and delivered to regional stakeholders, allowing an integrated, whole-of-team approach to the assessment and mitigation of associated risks. Contingency plans were developed in partnership with all programme locations in the region to account for worst-case scenarios. As a result, the organisation was ready for any assessed scenario when the crisis materialised. This allowed for safe employees and programme participants and a more resilient, ready organisation.
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Following allegations of systemic safeguarding failures across multiple continents, SOS Children's Villages International set up a large-scale safeguarding investigation through an independent investigation commission. The mandate required independent oversight across numerous jurisdictions with different legal systems, cultural contexts and stakeholder sensitivities, interview coordination, document reviews and field assessments worldwide. Investigative methodologies, operational workflows and communication protocols were developed to preserve independence, transparency and evidential integrity throughout the process. The investigation resulted in a comprehensive 1,300-page final report that informed global safeguarding reforms, strengthened accountability frameworks and influenced broader sector approaches to survivor support and governance reform.
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Support was provided to two major UK public inquiries examining the conduct of British forces during operations in Iraq: the Al-Sweady Public Inquiry and the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry. Both inquiries involved allegations of detainee mistreatment, unlawful interrogation practices and breaches of international humanitarian law. Complex bodies of evidence were reviewed and investigative processes coordinated, including witness identification, interviews, testimony analysis and the management of sensitive operational materials. Procedures for evidence handling, redactions and anonymity protections were also strengthened to support the integrity of the inquiries. The investigations contributed to authoritative findings on accountability and helped shape reforms to UK military policy relating to detention practices, interrogation methods and compliance with international human rights standards.
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Discreet investigatory support was provided to the legal team involved in the Coroner's Inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed. The investigation involved complex evidential analysis, coordination with international authorities and strict procedural requirements under intense public scrutiny. Extensive witness evidence was reviewed and summarised, while coordination was maintained between the Metropolitan Police and the judicial team to ensure procedural compliance and effective information management. Particular attention was given to evidential integrity, disclosure processes and inter-agency coordination. The work contributed to the delivery of a coherent evidential record and supported the inquest's ability to address sensitive issues in a transparent and legally rigorous manner.
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A large American energy company was experiencing delays in building a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project due to disruptions by activists. The delays led to mounting project costs, putting the project in jeopardy. A special intelligence capability was developed to help company leaders understand the source of the most significant risk and build appropriate strategies. The analytical team developed a dashboard that updated senior executives on the tactical threats to the construction agenda. The team also developed and briefed scenario analyses accounting for strategic risks, including legal challenges to the project, that clarified accountabilities across the enterprise including the Legal, Public Affairs and Risk Management functions.
Team
A small, senior team. Engagements are led personally by one of the directors and advisors below.
Thomas Foley
Thomas Foley is Managing Director of Equatorial Strategies Group. He is a dual-qualified UK solicitor and US attorney with more than 20 years of international legal, investigative, and advisory experience across complex and high-risk environments. His work spans the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the US.
Tom leads cross-border investigations, crisis management initiatives, and legal advisory projects for NGOs, international organizations, governmental bodies, and private clients. His experience includes major public inquiries, safeguarding reviews, international dispute resolution, and accountability frameworks within multinational organizations.
He has served on the inquiry teams for the Al-Sweady Public Inquiry and Baha Mousa Public Inquiry, and part of a legal team on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. His early career included serving as Legal Secretary to the UK government investigation into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
In 2026, Tom was also appointed as a member of the ATP Safeguarding Advisory Panel for the Men’s Tour which is responsible for independently examining abuse cases, reviewing investigative findings, and ensuring impartial decision-making
Tom is also Vice President and a long serving director of the Batey Rehabilitation Project charity in the Dominican Republic that combats trafficking and domestic violence, and empowers survivors.
Mohamed Vadel Cheikh El Hadramy
Mohamed Vadel Cheikh El Hadramy has more than 15 years of experience leading security, crisis response, and risk management operations across Africa and the Middle East, particularly in high-risk and conflict environments.
Vadel previously held regional security leadership roles with SOS Children’s Villages International covering Eastern and Southern Africa and the Sahel, and served as Head of Security for World Vision in Mauritania. His expertise includes crisis management, business continuity, intelligence analysis, hostile environment preparedness, and organisational resilience.
Vadel holds a BSc in Business Administration from Liberty University and speaks English, French, and Arabic.
Van Wilberding
Van Wilberding is Equatorial Strategy Group’s Director of Operations and Risk Advisory Services. He has over 25 years of emerging markets risk and crisis management experience with particular focus on the Middle East and Africa, where he lived for over a decade.
Van began his career in government as a Counterintelligence Special Agent in the U.S. Army, serving in Germany with deployments to Central Africa. He later served as a Foreign Service Officer in Nigeria and other West African countries focusing on counterterrorism and regional stability initiatives.
Van held senior leadership roles in the Coca-Cola system, including Chief Security Officer and Chief Risk Officer in Nigeria, and Senior Security Manager at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. He later served as Global Head of Safety and Security for SOS Children’s Villages International, where he established the organisation’s first global safety and security function supporting operations in over 130 countries.
He holds an MBA from Georgia State University, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from George Washington University. He is presently a part-time PhD candidate at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon, where he is researching NGO risk management practices in the Middle East.
Lina Bitar, Ph.D,
Lina Bitar, Ph.D, is Executive Director of Caritas Lebanon and an advisor with Equatorial Strategies Group. She is a risk management and safeguarding specialist with more than a decade of experience across humanitarian action, institutional governance, and sustainable program development in Lebanon and the region.
Her career includes senior leadership roles with SOS Children’s Villages Lebanon, where she directed national program development, humanitarian operations, MEAL systems, and alternative care workforce development. She also advises NGOs, INGOs, and academic institutions on Total Quality Management, organizational resilience, safeguarding architecture, and program design.
Lina holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and has led safeguarding initiatives and training programmes focused on child and youth protection, family strengthening, and community empowerment.
Marie Ali
Marie Ali brings over a decade of experience in intelligence analysis, organisational resilience, and crisis management across the Middle East, Africa, and post-Soviet states. She began her career in business and operations management before transitioning into maritime and travel security, advising multinational clients at International SOS in Dubai.
Most recently, at SOS Children’s Villages International, she designed and scaled two security programmes across 138 countries, established the organisation’s first analytical function, and contributed to crisis response efforts in Sudan, Syria, the DRC, and Haiti.
Marie holds an MSc in Security Risk Management from University of Copenhagen and a BA in Social and Political Studies from University of Sheffield. She is fluent in French, Russian, English, and Spanish.
Testimonials
Testimonials will be added once approved by clients or partners.
