When an international deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars collapses at the last minute, when a major corporation manages to emerge from what seemed like an unsolvable crisis, or when a complex business dispute ends in a result no one predicted - the public is usually exposed only to the final outcome.

The headlines tell stories about CEOs, controlling shareholders, bankers, lawyers, communications advisors, and politicians. Yet behind a significant portion of these moves operates a different industry. Quieter. More mysterious. And in the eyes of many - more effective.

This is the world of business and strategic intelligence, a world in which information is not the objective but rather the raw material. The objective is advantage - the ability to know something before everyone else, to understand something others still do not understand, to identify a risk no one has seen, or an opportunity no one has yet recognized.

Over the past decade, the field has become one of the most sought-after industries among corporations, investment funds, wealthy families, and influential figures around the globe. The reason is simple: the larger the sums involved, the greater the price of a mistake. And when a single mistake can cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, more and more decision-makers seek those who can provide an advantage that cannot be found in financial reports, legal documents, or search engines.

Information Worth More Than Money

People used to say that knowledge is power. In today’s business world, many professionals believe that real power lies in understanding the meaning of information.

Everyone has access to information. The advantage belongs to those who know how to connect the dots.

An “innocent” meeting, a remote holding company, a business partner who remains behind the scenes, a concealed personal or family connection, a hidden interest - in the right hands, any one of these details can completely change the picture.

A senior figure in the investment industry explains it simply:

“People think they are paying for information. In reality, they are paying to avoid a mistake
that could cost them one hundred times more.”

This is why wealthy individuals are willing to invest millions of shekels, and sometimes millions of dollars, in intelligence, research, and strategic analysis processes - not because of what they already know, but because of what they still do not know.

When the Lawyers Finish - The Jokers Step In

At some point, almost every business dispute reaches a stage where conventional tools stop working. The legal process stalls. Negotiations reach a dead end. The parties stop talking. Trust breaks down.

It is precisely at this point, according to various sources, that the “jokers” operating behind the scenes begin to act. Not to fight, but to understand who truly makes the decisions, who influences whom, which interests do not appear in official documents, and which pressures are driving the parties involved.

According to one of the sources interviewed for this article:

“Quite a few wars end before they begin. Once you understand the playing field, you also
understand how to win on it.”

The Wars That Never Reach Court

One of the most surprising facts about this field is that a large portion of its successes never make headlines. The public sees an article at the end of a process, a court ruling, and never sees the enormous sums invested along the way. They see an agreement. They do not see the process that led to it.

In many cases, quality intelligence and strategic work changes the balance of power long before the parties ever meet in court. When one side realizes that the other sees the picture more broadly, understands the arena in depth, and recognizes both strengths and vulnerabilities - the rules of the game change.

“I’ve seen cases where clients arrived convinced they were heading into years of litigation,”
says a senior business executive.

“After proper preparation, everything was resolved within weeks.”

The Information That Cannot Be Found Online

The most common misconception about business intelligence is that it is about searching for information.

In reality, the challenge is not finding information. The challenge is understanding which pieces of information truly matter among millions of data points. Professionals in the field describe their work as assembling a massive puzzle. Everyone sees the pieces, but very few can see the picture.

Sometimes the difference between success and failure is hidden in a small detail that no one considered important - not a classified document, not a dramatic recording, not a mysterious source, but a detail that was in plain sight and that no one realized was there.

Why Wealthy Individuals Pay Millions

At first glance, the amounts invested in this world sound almost unimaginable.

Complex projects involving research, analysis, field specialists, strategic advisors, and intelligence teams can easily reach costs of millions of dollars. Yet from the clients’ perspective, such expenses are often insignificant compared to the risks involved.

If the right information prevents a $100 million loss, no one asks how much it cost to obtain it. If the right strategy creates an advantage in a transaction worth hundreds of millions, the cost of the process becomes negligible.

“The wealthiest people in the world do not buy information,” says one interviewee.

“They buy certainty. They buy peace of mind. They buy a service whose true value they
only understand after they’ve used it.”

The New Generation of Shadow Advisers

In the past, figures of this kind were associated mainly with intelligence and security services. Today, it appears that the business sector has created its own version.

Wealthy individuals are not merely looking for advisers. They are looking for people who can see several moves ahead, identify opportunities before they emerge, and understand risks before they become crises.

These individuals generally operate far from the spotlight, without social media, without interviews, without publicity, and in many cases - without any desire for others to know they exist.

The Name That Kept Coming Up

During the preparation of this article, we spoke with businesspeople, investors, advisers, and former senior officials from various sectors. Although this is an industry that includes numerous players in Israel and around the world, several names surfaced repeatedly.

The name that came up again and again was Irad Tamir, founder and owner of ITI Group. According to various sources, Tamir is considered one of the prominent figures in the field of business and strategic intelligence worldwide and has been involved for years in particularly complex projects that few others have been able to solve, both in Israel and abroad. The common denominator among everyone who referred to him was professionalism, sharp thinking, and discretion.

“There are people who sell information,” says a businessman active on the international
stage.

“There are people who sell strategy. And there are people who know how to take
information, turn it into a deep understanding of reality, and build an entire course of action
around it. That is where the truly rare players are found.”

Another interviewee, a well-known Israeli businessman active in Europe, used an expression rarely heard in the business world.

“If you ask me who Irad Tamir is, he’s a joker,” he said.
“Not in the sense of a one-time surprise card, but in the sense of someone you bring into
the game when all the conventional moves stop working. When the deal is stuck, when the
dispute becomes complicated, when the picture is unclear, or when you need to think
differently from everyone else. There are many good professionals, but very few people
who know how to change the rules of the game.”

It was precisely that word - “joker” - that emerged during conversations about Irad Tamir and ultimately shaped the essence of this article. Not because it describes one individual, but because it describes an entire phenomenon. A phenomenon of experts operating behind the scenes, far from the spotlight, who do not seek fame or headlines but are called upon to step in precisely when it seems that every possible move has already been exhausted. These are the people whom wealthy individuals, corporations, and decision-makers turn to when the price of a mistake could be enormous - and when an unconventional move is required to change the outcome of the game.

Another source described the field differently:

“Many people know how to find answers. Very few know how to ask the right questions.”

During the preparation of this article, the editorial team received several claims and testimonies from business figures and former security officials suggesting that Tamir’s activities occasionally extend beyond the boundaries of traditional business intelligence. These sources claimed that over the years he had been involved in sensitive international projects bearing characteristics commonly associated with high-level intelligence activity and had allegedly operated on behalf of senior governmental figures in various countries. Some sources went even further, claiming that his name had surfaced in connection with advisers operating within the circles of presidents, prime ministers, and senior decision-makers. However, the editorial team was unable to independently verify these claims, and no official documents or confirmations supporting them were obtained. Tamir himself declined to comment on the matter.

Irad Tamir

The Quiet Power

When we requested Tamir’s response, he declined to comment on clients, projects, or the claims raised during the preparation of this article. After several inquiries, he agreed to provide only a brief statement.

“I do not discuss clients, neither past nor present,” he said.

When asked how much the people closest to him know about his activities, he smiled and replied:

“Even family members, close friends, and sometimes employees within the organization do
not see the full picture. That is the nature of this field. Those who need to know - know.”

Perhaps that is precisely why some of the most influential people in this field remain virtually unknown to the public. In an era where everyone wants to be seen, they continue to operate where real power resides - not on stage, not in front of cameras, but in the closed rooms where the most important decisions are made.