Fire engineering consultancy Olsson Fire and Risk UK rebrands

Bath-based fire engineering consultancy Olsson Fire and Risk UK has rebranded after its decision to separate from the broader firm. OFR Consulting decided not to follow its Australasian parent company into a merger, instead opting to pursue growth in the UK as an independent firm.

Originally established in 2016, the UK arm of the international consultancy Olsson Fire & Risk has provided fire engineering support on major UK and international projects such as the redevelopment of central Tottenham Hale, Google Kings Cross, Urban Splash’s New Islington and iconic sites such as The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the Museum of London and Twickenham Stadium. The team has been led by co-founder Simon Lay alongside fellow Directors Sam Liptrott, Andy Passingham and Ryan McCreadie.

Having been established in Manchester two years ago, Olsson Fire & Risk’s UK wing also boasts operations in in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bicester, London and Bath. Earlier in 2018, it also announced plans to expand into Leeds, with the appointment of McCreadie as a Director to head up the firm’s Yorkshire operations.

Then, in October 2018, the brand divided following the purchase of the Olsson brand in Australia and New Zealand by GHD. The professional services company expanded its property and buildings practice with the acquisition, which saw 45 Australasian employees join GHD, but did not include the UK wing of Olsson Fire & Risk.

Now, as the British-based consulting entity looks to a self-determining future, it has rebranded as OFR Consultants. The change in name reflects shareholders of the business operating under the Olsson brand in the UK opting to retain independence, while fire risk consulting across the UK undergoes a spike in demand, following the Grenfell Tower scandal, where non-compliant cladding led to a block of flats burning down, killing 71 people.

The firm has enjoyed unprecedented growth in the two years since its ‪inception, thanks to its model which is based on balancing team scale with senior leadership and an emphasis on technical quality. It is now a 40-strong team with a £4 million turnover. According to Simon Lay, co-founder and one of OFR’s leadership team, while they were consulted on the changes which occurred in the ANZ market, the ambitions of the firm’s UK shareholders in this environment meant that they "decided to opt out of the buyout and invest instead in our independent growth in the UK.”

Lay added, "We are wholly owned by our internal UK shareholders, all of which are part of the growing team of fire engineering experts that have been delivering solutions on behalf of our clients. Our internal ownership model gives staff the opportunity to have an active role in the future of this growing consultancy, whilst our independence ensure a flexibility and ability to rapidly respond to the needs of our clients."

Sam Liptrott meanwhile commented, "With this rebrand, we remain the same company, located in the same offices with the same people continuing to deliver on our projects. Our delivery model continues to be focussed on being responsive to client needs and is backed up by our collective technical excellence. The move away from the Olsson brand simply allows us to better express our UK shareholder ownership model."