The formation of the Crux Investigation Group is the result of a two-year collaboration between two of the founding directors who recognised the need to create a national investigations group that provides genuine local management.

Rob Ryan and Steve Woodall commenced the Crux Investigation Group formation process in 2005 enlisting other like-minded business operators Australia wide to create what is now a truly national operation that has well-established offices in each state and territory of Australia.

Rob has operated his own investigations firm for the past 25 years and has seen many changes in that time. “The industry has evolved with insurers amalgamating and requiring a professional standard from a limited number of service providers for assessing, investigation and other ancillary services. The insurers generally also prefer to deal with companies who can provide claim support services across a wide range of insurance related matters in varied locations at a competitive price without compromising quality and service”.

The inaugural Group CEO Steve Woodall describes the Crux Investigation Group development process; "In the early stages, decision making was relatively simple as Rob and I were committed to the concept and direction. The concept is by no means unique but our focus was to create a framework that ensured region managers had ownership and management control of the investigations being undertaken in their respective areas. As we met with potential group members, it became apparent other investigation firms held the same view and it was very positive when well-established businesses in the major cities of Sydney, Adelaide and Perth came on board. All firms agreed one of the most attractive elements for our clients and group members alike is the knowledge that each region manager has an existing network of local operatives, an established business in their own right, and ownership of the work they do."

What’s in a name? During the process of determining an appropriate name for the group, Steve did a bit of star gazing one sleepless night and spotted the well recognised Southern Cross on a web site. Whilst browsing over the constellation, the name "Crux" appeared - "As soon as I saw that the actual constellation name for the Southern Cross is Crux, that solved the name debate that had raged around the table and via endless emails. A quick check of the thesaurus confirmed crux and its synonyms were particularly appropriate for the business we are in.

National Coverage

Crux Investigation Group offers genuine national coverage throughout Australia by uniting resources of the established member firms. The principals of the group have an aggregate of one hundred and sixty years of investigations management experience and enjoy long-standing professional relationships with insurers, corporate and government clients as well as committed and specialist investigators Australia wide.

To confirm our commitment to regulatory compliance, Crux Investigation Group is licensed in every state and territory of Australia.

Regional Offices

One of the founding principles behind the formation of the Crux Investigation Group is the recognition that our clients want their inquiry managed by experienced people close to their claims office. The founding-member firms who manage investigations from their established regional offices are;

Local People

Crux Investigation Group member firms have operated in their respective regions for many years and have supported local staff and sub-contractors alike in the areas of education, training and variety of work. The group members acknowledge the importance of local people by offering above average rates as well as administrative and management support. Our staff and investigators know they are not `just a number’, and that the region manager is committed to maintain the highest standards of investigation services.