Crisis Management Training from Elite Hostage Negotiators at an Exclusive Private Estate
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Scheduled intake · September 2026
Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th September 2026 · Bylaugh Hall, Norfolk · In person · Executive led · Limited to 12 participants
Crises rarely follow a plan. When they escalate, whether reputational, operational, security related or deeply personal, the organisations that contain them are the ones that prepared seriously, not reactively.
This two day programme brings together a small group of senior professionals at Bylaugh Hall, an exclusive private estate in the Norfolk countryside, for an intensive and immersive residential experience. Participants work through frameworks, exercises and high quality simulations that build the clarity, coordination and composure needed to manage a real crisis effectively.
The programme is delivered in a private, residential style setting that supports candid discussion, focused learning and genuine team cohesion, without the distractions of a corporate training environment. All content is informed by real world operational experience rather than theory alone.
Programme at a glance
Two days that build from framework to full simulation
Day One: foundations under pressure. Arrival from 10:00 for a coffee and pastries reception; the programme begins at 10:30 and day one closes at 17:00. The day opens with Understanding Crisis: definitions, the anatomy of escalation and case studies drawn from corporate and security environments, examining why organisations so often fail to contain a crisis. The group then works through crisis policy, planning and team structure: framework design, categorisation of crises, roles and responsibilities and escalation routes, stress tested against your own organisation in a workshop exercise. The afternoon turns to decision making under pressure, building situational awareness and decision cadence when information is incomplete, before closing with communication and stakeholder management: internal and external communication, media and regulatory liaison, and preparing statements under pressure. The day ends with an open debrief.
Day Two: the simulation. The second day is built around a full, scenario led crisis simulation, tailored to the group and worked in real time: decision making, communication, coordination and response, with senior facilitation throughout. A structured debrief follows, with individual and team feedback and an honest identification of gaps and priority actions. The afternoon covers recovery, review and long term resilience: post crisis recovery, learning loops and keeping your plan alive, before each participant develops a personal and organisational action plan to take home.
The evening at Bylaugh
Deliberately separate from the training
When day one closes at 17:00, the working day is over. The evening is its own experience: time to change gear, walk the grounds or take a drink at the bar before dinner. From 19:30, private dining prepared on the estate, with optional wine pairings, at a single relaxed table where the conversation ranges far beyond the day’s exercises, under the Chatham House Rule as always. Some of the most valuable exchanges of the two days happen here, precisely because nothing is scheduled.
Who leads the programme
Two of the UK’s most experienced crisis negotiators
The programme is designed and delivered by two senior members of the SJ Group International team, each with more than three decades of front line crisis experience.
Becks Cant is the former National Police Training Lead for Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, with over 30 years of experience operating within high threat and complex environments.
Katey Martin is an accomplished negotiator with more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, specialising in hostage, crisis and counter-terrorism negotiation, with extensive expertise in kidnap and extortion cases.
Between them they have trained the people who handle the country’s most serious incidents. That operational experience runs directly through the frameworks, the exercises and the simulation you will work through across the two days. Access like this is not normally for sale: the people who train national negotiation cadres do not, as a rule, spend two days working with your leadership team. Here, they do. Twelve seats.
What you will leave with
Practical outcomes, ready to implement on return
A practical crisis management framework ready to implement or refine on return
Clearer, faster decision making under pressure with incomplete information
The experience of a realistic, high quality simulation with structured feedback
A prioritised action plan addressing the specific gaps in your current preparedness
Why bring your leadership team
Preparedness pays for itself
The research is unambiguous. A landmark Oxford study of major corporate crises found that how leadership responds splits companies into two groups: those that recover, whose shareholder value rose around 5% or more in the year that followed, and those that do not, who lost roughly 15%. A swing of some twenty percentage points in company value, driven not by the crisis itself but by the quality of the management response. PwC’s Global Crisis Survey points the same way: 95% of business leaders say their crisis capabilities need improvement, and the organisations that fared best financially were significantly more likely to have a dedicated, exercised crisis team.
Bring your leadership team, and this is what the two days buy: a tested response, honest visibility of your gaps, and a team that has practised together before it matters.
Who should attend
A small, senior room, selected for relevance of role
This programme is designed for those with a leadership, decision making or communication role during a crisis. Given the small group format and private setting, participants are selected for relevance of role.
Boards and senior leaders. Crisis and incident teams. Security and risk leads. Legal, HR and communications. Private individuals and family offices with risk exposure. Advisers and counsel.
What is included
One fee, with everything provided on site
Two full days of executive led instruction and facilitation. A high quality crisis simulation exercise with structured debrief. One night's accommodation at Bylaugh Hall. All meals and refreshments, with private dining on day one and optional wine pairings. Course materials, frameworks and templates. Personalised action plan and feedback notes. Chauffeured pick-up from Norwich or King’s Lynn station on arrival, and return after the course, is included.
The venue
A private estate with a history suited to the subject
Bylaugh Hall is a private country estate in mid Norfolk with a history well suited to the subject matter. Designed by architects Charles Barry and Robert Banks, with a clocktower built by the same firm responsible for Big Ben, it served as a discreet RAF base in the Second World War and hosted meetings between Churchill and Eisenhower. Today the estate hosts confidential training for both government and private sector clients.
Reserved entirely for your group, it provides a focused, confidential environment without the noise or compromise of a public conference venue. The estate is around two hours from London by car or train and fifteen minutes from Norwich Airport, with a helicopter pad on site, cleared by the aviation authority. Facilities include ensuite double bedrooms, dedicated conference and debriefing rooms, full fibre connectivity with satellite backup, five star catering and a fully licensed bar (drinks are purchased separately). One night’s accommodation is included and provided on site.
Fees and booking
Reservations are without obligation; no payment is taken until the course is confirmed
£2,750 + VAT per person. Early booking rate of £2,450 + VAT for places reserved by Friday 31st July 2026.
For context, senior crisis consultancy is typically charged at £1,500 to £2,500 for a single day. This fee covers two residential days with two elite practitioners, a full simulation, accommodation, all meals, private dining and chauffeured transfers. Places are strictly limited to 12 participants. The programme runs subject to minimum participant numbers; reservations are without obligation and no payment is taken until your place is confirmed.
To reserve your place or request the full course brief, use the enquiry form and someone will be in touch. Prefer to talk it through? Call +44 (0)20 8050 2939. All enquiries are handled discreetly.
Courses run through the year and places are limited to twelve. If September does not work for you, email office@sjgroupinternational.com with "Priority list" and you will hear about future dates before they are announced.
Private delivery: this programme can also be delivered privately for a single organisation or family office, with Bylaugh Hall reserved exclusively for your group and the simulation built entirely around your people and your risks. Use the enquiry form to start a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions asked most
Is accommodation included?
Yes. One night's accommodation at Bylaugh Hall, on the evening of Tuesday 8th September, is included in the course fee, along with all meals and refreshments and the private dining on day one. Rooms are ensuite doubles; details are provided on booking. If you prefer to travel up the evening before, Norwich is fifteen minutes away and has excellent hotels; our chauffeur will collect you in Norwich on the morning of the course.
What does the fee include?
Two full days of executive led instruction and facilitation, the full simulation exercise with structured debrief, one night's accommodation, all meals and refreshments including the day one private dining, course materials, frameworks and templates, a personalised action plan and feedback notes.
What happens if the intake does not go ahead?
The programme runs subject to minimum participant numbers. Reservations are without obligation and no payment is taken until your place is confirmed. If an intake does not proceed, reserved participants are offered priority on the next available date.
Who delivers the programme?
The programme is designed and delivered by Becks Cant, former National Police Training Lead for Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, and Katey Martin, a specialist in hostage, crisis and counter-terrorism negotiation, each with more than 30 years of operational experience.
Is the programme confidential?
Yes. The venue is reserved exclusively for the group, numbers are limited to twelve, and discussions are held under the Chatham House Rule.
How easy is it to get to?
Very. Our chauffeur, included in the fee, collects you from either Norwich or King’s Lynn station and returns you after the course. Direct trains run from London Liverpool Street to Norwich in just under two hours, and from London King’s Cross to King’s Lynn in around 1 hour 45; morning services on both lines arrive in good time for the 10:00 reception, or travel up the evening before and stay in Norwich. By road the estate is around two hours from London, it is fifteen minutes from Norwich Airport, and there is a helicopter pad on site, cleared by the aviation authority. Recommended trains are confirmed with your joining instructions.
How do I reserve a place?
Use the enquiry form on this page (the Enquire button above) or call +44 (0)20 8050 2939. Someone will be in touch, usually the same working day, with the full course brief. Enquiries are handled discreetly.
About SJ Group International
SJ Group International is a discreet, executive led consultancy supporting clients through security, risk and crisis matters.
SJ Group International advises private clients, family offices, corporates and advisers on security, risk, crisis management and preparedness, including travel risk. The firm is known for calm, senior-level support, discreet delivery, and a practical approach shaped by real-world experience, serving clients internationally since 2019.
If you would like to assess the risk around a specific trip, review your organisation's travel risk arrangements, or discuss a situation already developing abroad, we will respond promptly and discreetly.