Smith Brandon International, Inc. (SBI) is an American boutique corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.[1] It was founded in 1996 by Gene M. Smith and Harry "Skip" Brandon and today employs a worldwide network of investigators, including former heads of law enforcement agencies, political figures and professionals with legal, financial and intelligence backgrounds.[2][3] SBI offers a range of services, including high-level political analysis, global due diligence, risk avoidance, corporate investigations, financial investigations, political risk assessments and business intelligence services.[1][4]
SBI does not disclose the names of its clients or the specifics of its projects.[2][5] However, SBI's clients include domestic and foreign Fortune 50 companies, as well as small- and medium-sized companies, working internationally in many industries, such as banking, oil, mining and timber.[6][7][8] With assistance from its international network of contacts in the intelligence, business and diplomatic communities, SBI has worked across North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and India.[5][8][9] Ninety-five percent of their work is outside of the U.S.[10]
Founders Smith and Brandon have had close ties with U.S. governmental agencies; Smith was a CIA officer and Brandon was deputy assistant director of the National Security and Counter Terrorism programs for the FBI.[5][11] Both have contributed to various industry journals, such as the Harvard Business Review, and have spoken at various conferences and on national radio programs, including NPR’s Talk of the Nation.[10][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
^ abFields, Julia (August 1999). "Intelligence firm profits from overseas contacts". Ottawa Business Journal: 10.
^"About SBI". Smith Brandon International. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Larsen, Peter Thal (April 11, 2002). "Insecurity and fear feed a once secretive industry". Financial Times.
^ abcRipley, Amanda (July 31, 1998). "Rent-a-Spook". Washington City Paper. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Stein, Jeff (November 20, 1996). "The Dogs of Peace". Salon. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
^Whitefield, Mimi (April 20, 1998). "Risk Analysts Cut a Path for Latin American Investors". The Miami Herald.
^ abStein, Jeff (March 1997). "Risky Business". Impact 21: 22–25.
^Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson (April 10, 2001). "The top players in intelligence industry". Financial Times.
^ abFinder, Joseph (2007). "The CEO's Private Investigation". Harvard Business Review. 85 (10). Harvard Business Publishing: 54. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
^Brandon, Harry (August 16, 2004). "Can FBI & CIA Work Together?". CNN (Interview). Interviewed by Soledad O’Brien. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Brandon, Harry; Smith, Gene M. (March–April 1998). "Coping with Disaster: You Need a Plan". MiningVoice. 4 (2): 23–27.
^Brandon, Harry; Smith, Gene M. (March 1999). "Expert Advisor: Expect the Unexpected—Terrorism in Today's World". Crime Victims Litigation. 6 (1). The National Center of Victims of Crime: 10–11.
^Smith, Gene M. (November–December 2000). "Credit Risk and Risk Avoidance". Business Credit. 102 (10): 58–59.
^Smith, Gene M.; Brandon, Harry (October 9, 2004). Keynote Speakers. Academy of International Business – Northeast USA 2004 Annual Conference. Smithfield, Rhode Island. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
