ABOUT

Frontier is a modern, boutique firm specializing in the design and delivery of world-class crisis simulations and tabletop exercises.

We help boards, executives, and operational teams strengthen decision-making and organizational readiness through realistic, engaging, and expertly facilitated sessions. We bring nearly two decades of exercise design experience, real-world crisis leadership, and hands-on work across financial services, healthcare, technology, and government.

OUR STORY

A 20 Year Journey

Frontier was born from a simple pattern we saw over and over again. After nearly a decade running a boutique consulting practice called Northly Risk (and almost 20 years designing and delivering exercises) we noticed that clients consistently valued one service above all others: our exercises.

We had worked with major financial institutions, technology companies, government agencies, and global enterprises, and no matter the engagement, organizations kept returning for one thing: realistic, well-designed exercises that helped their teams think clearly under pressure. So we leaned in.

Frontier was created to focus exclusively on this craft. Rooted in real-world crisis leadership and formal exercise methodology, we built a firm dedicated to delivering world-class exercises that truly resonate with teams and leaders.

Today, this focus allows us to deliver work that is deeper, more immersive, and more effective than the traditional consulting model. It’s work that feels meaningful. And it’s work our clients trust us to deliver year after year.

We're good with numbers

18+

Years of delivering exercises

50+

Exercises designed and delivered

90%+

Annual work from repeat clients

WHERE WE WORK

We're based in Toronto, love to travel, and wee deliver A+ virtual sessions.

OUR APPROACH

Innovation by design

Our approach blends formal exercise methodology, real-world crisis experience, and modern innovation. We use a structured, industry-aligned design process (enhanced by technology, multimedia, and a disciplined project management framework) to ensure every exercise is professional, engaging, and built with intent. Each session follows a clear five-phase process that has been honed over years of experience.

FRONTIER LEADERSHIP

Cross-functional expertise

Matt Kowalski

Managing Director

Matthew is a strategy and resilience expert with almost two decades of experience developing exercises and helping organizations manage risk.

As Managing Director of Frontier, he leads a boutique firm specializing in designing world-class crisis simulations and exercises. He specializes in in crisis management, incident management, business continuity, operational resilience, corporate security, information security, and other related disciplines. He is best known for delivering innovative and high-caliber exercises for boards, executives, and operational teams.

Matthew has held leadership roles across financial services, healthcare, consulting, government, and international emergency response. He has direct operational experience, and has personally managed hundreds of incidents and crisis events. He holds an MScEcon, BAH, ABCP, CBCI, and a Certificate in Cyber Security. He has also served as a partner and strategic advisor for several startups and companies operating in the risk-management and health-technology space.

SECTORS WE SERVE

We work with organizations across a wide range of industries

Financial Services
Government & Public Sector
Healthcare & Public Health
Technology & SaaS
Telecommunications
Real Estate & Property Management
Energy & Utilities
Insurance
Manufacturing & Industrial
Nonprofits & Critical Infrastructure

SAMPLE PROJECTS

Recent exercises conducted by our team

Below is a snapshot of recent exercises delivered by our team. These examples highlight some of our more advanced and complex simulations, as well as the caliber of clients we support. We also run a wide range of discussion-based tabletops and single-room on-site exercises. If any of these resonate with your needs, we’d be happy to discuss how we can help.

Design of a highly engaging, multi-phase crisis simulation for the executive-level Crisis Management Team (CMT) of a Canadian 'Big Bank'. The exercise focused on a prolonged, evolving disruption and was structured to test operational resilience across functions, challenge executive decision-making over an extended period, and align with OSFI’s E-21 scenario testing expectations. Advanced design and execution techniques (including dynamic video injects, and extended-duration scenario progression) were used to raise the bar far beyond a typical tabletop exercise.
Design and execution of an innovative tabletop crisis simulation for the Board of Directors of a large Canadian pension organization. The exercise used a cutting-edge cyber threat scenario supported by dynamic video injects, timed discussion periods, and immersive facilitation techniques (e.g., recap videos, time-shifts, and live simulation segments) to create urgency and realism. This was a follow-up engagement with a repeat client, building on strengths and opportunities identified in our previous exercise to further advance board-level readiness. Hosted in-person on-site.
Design and delivery of a business continuity-focused virtual simulation for a mid-sized technology company. The exercise explored a cyber security threat combined with a regional critical infrastructure outage, enabling the organization to test and validate its newly developed Business Continuity Plan. Conducted entirely virtually, the session used advanced facilitation techniques (including simulated meetings, multimedia injects, and structured chat-based interactions) to create a highly engaging and realistic experience for geographically dispersed team.
Design and delivery of a virtual crisis management and business continuity exercise for a large medical association. This multi-tier simulation engaged the Executive Team, the Crisis Management Team, and Department Business Continuity Leaders, providing an opportunity to practice the newly developed Crisis Plan and Department Business Continuity Plans. Using a natural disaster scenario, the exercise was conducted entirely remotely and featured breakout groups, live activity segments, and simulated incident calls to create a highly engaging and realistic experience across diverse leadership levels.
Three-part incident management exercise series for a large financial institution, delivered over a single year to engage the full enterprise incident management team, including security, communications, facilities, health and safety, and other functional groups. The series featured a self-guided virtual exercise, an in-person tabletop, and a highly advanced multi-hour functional simulation involving more than 500 realistic injects. Across the three sessions, participants responded to diverse scenarios (including security incidents, critical infrastructure outages, hazardous materials events, and complex on-site evacuation conditions) providing a comprehensive pathway to strengthen coordination, validate roles, and build enterprise-wide incident readiness.
Dual-track, multi-hour functional exercise for the Board of Directors and senior executive Crisis Management Team of a large global pension fund. The scenario centered on a major critical infrastructure and vendor outage with emerging cyber threats, requiring real-time interaction and escalation between the CMT and the Board, including live briefings and coordinated decision-making. Delivered in a hybrid format across multiple rooms and remote participants, the simulation used realistic coordination tools to create a highly immersive and operationally complex experience.
Two-part progressive exercise series for a large financial institution, focused on practicing and validating a newly developed enterprise Shelter-in-Place Plan. The series began with an in-person tabletop exercise that used advanced facilitation techniques, breakout drills, and structured discussion to unpack key components of the plan in a safe learning environment. It was followed by a highly sophisticated multi-hour functional simulation in which distributed team members responded from their typical work locations—hosting live calls, briefing executives, issuing emergency notifications, and making time-pressured decisions throughout a complex shelter-in-place scenario.
On-site, multi-room functional exercise simulating a major security threat impacting the headquarters of a large financial institution. The simulation used a multi-room layout, with a central incident command space for the core Enterprise Incident Management Team and satellite rooms for functional groups, creating a dynamic environment for real-time coordination. Participants practiced gathering and escalating critical information through structured time-lapses, team meetings, and realistic injects, supported by both in-person and remote participants. The exercise also incorporated live actors and simulated executive briefings to replicate the pressures and complexity of a real incident.