Torquil was founded by Greg Castle in 1999 (originally named Strategic & Creative Workshop), following a successful corporate career in Marketing and General Management at executive level within large South African and global companies. It was founded on the basis that many businesses didn't and still don't understand or appreciate the true value of strategic marketing as the key contributor to business strategy. If done well, the activation methods would be appreciated as investments rather than as costs, delivering direct ROI.

In addition to this, there is general frustration within businesses of tactical agencies (e.g. ad agencies) who simply don't understand business and the subsequent lack of output relevance to the clients' longer-term business goals and objectives. This has lead to the perception that advertising and promotional tactics lack in effectiveness and accountability. Torquil Strategic Marketing bridges that gap.