From Grokipedia
Full articleJules B. Kroll (born May 18, 1941) is an American businessman and investor recognized for founding Kroll, Inc. in 1972, which pioneered the corporate investigations and risk advisory industry by providing forensic accounting, due diligence, and intelligence services to corporations, governments, and financial institutions.
Kroll's firm gained prominence through high-stakes assignments, including investigations into organized crime for the FBI, asset recovery from the Ferdinand Marcos regime in the Philippines, and tracking billions in looted Kuwaiti assets following the Gulf War.
After selling Kroll, Inc. to Marsh & McLennan Companies for $1.9 billion in 2004, he established successor entities, including Kroll Bond Rating Agency in 2010 as a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization aimed at restoring credibility to credit ratings undermined by conflicts of interest in the pre-2008 financial crisis era.
Kroll also co-founded K2 Integrity, focusing on integrity risk management, cybersecurity, and anti-corruption services, while serving as its executive chair.
Certain investigations by his firms, such as probes into New York City's Covenant House and work for clients including Harvey Weinstein prior to public scandals, have faced scrutiny for aggressive tactics or perceived conflicts, though K2 Integrity has since declined cases involving sexual misconduct allegations.
In brief
Jules Kroll started an investigations shop in 1972 when most companies still trusted a handshake and a Dun & Bradstreet sheet. Kroll, Inc. became the name boards called when they needed the truth about a partner, a fraud, or a kidnapped executive.
After selling the firm he built successor companies in intelligence and credit ratings. The industry he invented now feels obvious; it was not.
