Thirty-five years ago, three people with a shared belief set something in motion. They believed public policy could be better. More evidence-led. More human. And more impactful if shaped independently, with integrity.
That belief became SGS.
This week, we gathered to mark 35 years in good company. Not just to look back, but to reflect on what it has meant to build a business around purpose, and what it means to keep doing so in a world that keeps changing.
For current CEO Julian Szafraniec, the milestone is deeply personal. Nearly two decades ago, he joined SGS fresh out of university, working on projects that were pushing boundaries at the time. This included developing new ways to understand the wider economic benefits of major transport investments. There was no template or playbook. Just curiosity, rigour, and the freedom to test new ideas. Many of those ideas helped reshape how major infrastructure projects are understood today. Some of which are now part of everyday life.
That spirit of inquiry has always defined SGS.
From its earliest days, the firm set out not to do public policy as a service, but to build a business in service of public policy. Founding Partner Marcus Spiller reflected on how that approach has quietly shifted the dial over time on public housing, infrastructure funding, and city-shaping transport decisions. As Marcus put it:
