Grant Rayner

Hi there. For over two decades, I've helped organisations navigate crisis and uncertainty. Along the way, I've also written books, designed gear, built applications, and worked on projects that matter in difficult places.

Originally from Australia, I've been based in Asia for 24 years.

Here's a snapshot of my life and work.

My consulting work is crisis management and travel risk management — preparing organisations for the worst, and helping them respond when it arrives.

14 years ago, I founded Spartan9 to make crisis preparedness more practical, more human, and more effective. Since then, I've supported global companies and NGOs across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

My work today focuses on two areas:

1. Building genuinely resilient organisations

I help organisations strengthen their crisis management and incident response capabilities through improved policies, procedures, and frameworks. I've developed assessment tools that measure crisis management maturity and team performance — not as checklists, but as instruments that reveal where organisations stand and what needs attention.

A significant part of my work involves designing and delivering realistic crisis simulation exercises that sharpen how teams think, communicate, and make decisions under pressure.

2. Enabling safe operations in complex environments

I work with organisations to develop travel risk management systems calibrated to their size, structure, culture, and destinations. This includes comprehensive contingency planning for complex regional scenarios like Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.

I guide organisations operating in hostile environments — from post-conflict zones to authoritarian regimes — on risk management, personnel security, and information security. Over the years, I've responded to natural disasters, coups, civil unrest, and terrorist attacks, and have planned and executed discreet evacuation and exfiltration operations when situations deteriorated quickly.

I also run workshops for security managers, crisis teams, and senior leaders, giving them the confidence and clarity to lead when things go wrong.

Fiction

In September 2025, I released my first novel, Memoirs of an Assassin — a fictional memoir told from the perspective of an unnamed contract killer. Rather than glamorising the profession, it's a procedural exploration of the tradecraft, psychology, and moral compromises of someone who has made killing their livelihood. The book examines what happens when you cross lines that can't be uncrossed.

In April 2026, I released the sequel, The Russia Assignment. It carries on from the first book, taking our assassin to Russia — the one country he'd always refused to work — where decades of experience prove no protection against a single unforced error.

In addition, I'm writing short stories. These are standalone glimpses into our assassin's world — scenes, memories, and moments that live alongside the main novel.

Non-Fiction

My non-fiction is practical — field guides and handbooks on crisis management and travel risk management, drawn from operational work.

You can find the full range of books on the Spartan9 website.

I'm currently working on two new books: one on physical intrusion testing — breaking into buildings, with permission — and one on travel risk management.

I've also written about travel security at Dangerous Travels and about security consulting at The Business of Security.

From time to time, I also write on Medium.

In 2023, I started designing and manufacturing bags under the brand Station XV. The first collection went on sale in April 2024 — a satchel, pack, duffel, belt, tote, camera bag, travel folio, and three accessory pouches.

The designs come out of years of working in the field. I could never find bags that were discreet enough and tough enough for the places I work, so I designed my own. The materials are chosen the same way — Challenge UltraWeave and Ultra Stretch fabrics, customised UHMWPE webbing, and YKK zips. Quiet, hard-wearing gear that doesn't draw attention in a market or an airport.

You can follow our adventures on Instagram.

I also build software — mostly tools that come directly out of my work:

Photography goes everywhere I do — a way of capturing people and things I find interesting in the moment.

I share a selection of photos from different places on my Instagram account. The images I post here follow a simple rule—monochrome, mostly 1:1, and shot on my phone. These constraints force me to focus on composition, light, and storytelling. I've started posting stories as well for those looking for something more colourful.

For my 'proper' photography, you can explore a curated selection at www.grantraynerphotography.com. I'm still in the process of adding photos to this site.

In 2022, my photos from Syria were exhibited in the Leica gallery in Singapore. These photos highlighted the resilience of the Syrian people, who had endured decades of hardship and repression under an authoritarian regime. I've also delivered a 'Photography in Challenging Environments' workshop for Leica.

In September 2025, I published a book focused on photography in higher-risk environments. Proceeds from this book support humanitarian projects in Syria and Afghanistan, particularly in the areas of mental health and women's education and welfare.

Not all of my work is commercial. I'm involved in a handful of projects in hard places — most recently Syria and Afghanistan — supporting education, mental health, and recovery from trauma.

A new project I initiated in 2025 is to assist with locally-led initiatives to educate women and girls in remote parts of Afghanistan. I'm also assisting Afghan women to tell their stories. These stories are extraordinarily powerful, and provide a voice to those who have had their voice taken away.

In November 2025, I returned to Syria for the fourth time to deliver a one-day workshop series titled 'Restoring Hope and Resilience: Supporting Individual and Collective Recovery'. Together with experienced clinical psychologists and crisis counsellors, we delivered workshops in Damascus and Homs. The sessions were designed to strengthen local capacity for trauma recovery and resilience by bringing together Syrian psychologists, students, and community leaders and sharing practical knowledge.

Following these workshops, I set up the Hope and Resilience website. This site provides resources for mental health professionals and community leaders in Syria.

In December 2025, I built the Our Shared Stories application. Building on the work I've been doing in Syria and Afghanistan to help people tell stories of trauma, it provides a space for people to share their experiences and discover stories where the experiences of other people echo their own. It was built in collaboration with crisis counsellors — no feeds, no algorithms, just reflection and respectful connection.

While in Syria, I also delivered a workshop for local fixers to help prepare them for working with foreign companies as these companies begin to explore market opportunities in the country. We discussed the culture of foreign companies, their internal working practices, itinerary planning, journey management, risk appreciation and contingency planning.

I fund most of these projects myself. However, if you're in a position to contribute — even in a small way — please reach out.

My work takes me across the world, and I regularly travel for short breaks. At last count, I’ve visited 57 58 59 countries, with some—especially in Asia—becoming regular destinations. Travel has brought a lot of perspective, a little adventure, and some wonderful friendships.

I have always had an interest in product design and built the One of Things website to share my passion. Here I highlight one beautiful and useful thing in each category of things. I've let it sit while other things took over, but I'll come back to it.

When I’m home, I unwind by listening to records, reading books, and playing the guitar and piano. I’m not particularly great at either instrument.

I used to climb mountains, with ascents in New Zealand, Peru, and Russia. Probably the most committing ascent was the central gully of the south face of Douglas Peak in New Zealand (IV, 5). These days, I prefer the slower pace of trekking, with recent trips taking me through Japan and Switzerland.

Thanks for stopping by.