Pros
I worked at Pen Test Partners for several years, and for about two of those it truly felt like a golden era: talented people, good energy, and a sense of pride in the work we delivered. Sadly, those days are long gone.
Cons
Since then, things have been on a steady decline, and more recently, a steep one. Financial mismanagement, voluntary redundancies, and a general deterioration in how staff are treated have completely undermined what used to make PTP a good place to work and a credible consultancy. The morale of the team has dropped off a cliff as leadership seems more focused on protecting their own image and indulging pet topics than supporting the people who actually deliver the work. The mismanagement of cashflow during COVID exemplified this perfectly: whilst asking staff to take pay cuts, leadership continued to flaunt their wealth in a tone-deaf display that showed just how disconnected they had become from the realities facing their employees. Ken Munro's comment about "oh we've only got champagne and pizza, what a struggle" whilst staff worried about their livelihoods perfectly captured this callous disconnect. This pattern of financial irresponsibility has only worsened, with the company spending hundreds of thousands on fancy events and parties whilst simultaneously making redundancies that have resulted in legal action. More redundancies are now planned across the company, yet the lavish spending continues. The financial situation has become so dire that HSBC UK Bank PLC now holds a fixed and floating charge over all company assets as of July 2025, a clear indication of just how precarious the business has become. It's baffling how a company operating from what amounts to a pair of double-wide trailers in a field that smells of cow manure, whilst paying below market rates, can't manage its cash flow. Perhaps if they stopped throwing ridiculous parties on decommissioned aircraft, they wouldn't need a credit line at all. Or maybe they could simply ask the staff to take another pay cut. The exodus of talent speaks volumes about the company's direction. Multiple partners have departed over the last six months, along with the most skilled technical consultants. Management's lies and untrustworthy behaviour have created a toxic environment where favouritism appears to influence decisions about pay and progression in deeply concerning ways. The failed US venture serves as another perfect example of the company's strategic missteps. Perhaps they thought sending one consultant and one ineffective salesperson to New Jersey whilst claiming to be based in New York would somehow unlock the American market. Instead, it became an expensive exercise in achieving absolutely nothing, wasting hundreds of thousands and demonstrating the same strategic incompetence that continues to plague the business. Ken Munro's endless fixation on his doll, Cayla, has become emblematic of the company's problems: a founder clinging to the same tired story whilst ignoring the very real issues facing the business. What was once an innovative and exciting place now feels like a vanity project in terminal decline. To those considering working with, or for, PTP: it's worth asking whether you want to bet your money, time, or career on a company unwilling to let go of the past and fix the present. It's long past time Ken handed the reins off, literally and figuratively, before there's nothing left to save.