SLR Consulting

SLR Consulting Ltd

Company type	Private limited company
Industry	Sustainability consulting
Founded	1994
Headquarters	Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Revenue	£150.8 million (2019)<ref name="environment-analyst.com">"Register". environment-analyst.com. Environment Analyst. Retrieved 15 September 2023.</ref>
Number of employees	Over 3,000
Website	slrconsulting.com

SLR Consulting is a privately owned international sustainability consultancy with offices in Europe, North America, South America, Australasia, and Africa. In 2019, it reported revenues of £150.8 million.<ref name="environment-analyst.com"/> Its purpose is ‘Making Sustainability Happen’, which it achieves through its global team of expert advisors and technicians, who partner with clients to tackle some of the world’s most complex sustainability challenges. <ref>"About Us". Retrieved 15 September 2023.</ref>

History

Founding

The firm was founded as SECOR Ltd in 1994 by Alan Sheppard, John Leeson and David Richards. After establishing the company in Oxford, United Kingdom, in 1994, David oversaw the growth of the business from a small UK operator into an environmental consultancies in the UK, with international operations across Africa, Australasia, Canada, Europe, and the US

In 2000, the senior management team completed a management buyout and the company's name was changed to SLR Consulting Limited.<ref name="businessweek">"SLR Holdings Limited: Private Company Information - Businessweek". investing.businessweek.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> In 2004 they secured funding from Livingbridge, who invested £4.85 million as part of a £13 million investment including other partners, and took a significant minority stake in the company.<ref name="thefreelibrary">"ISIS investing in brighter future for SLR. - Free Online Library". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> In 2008, 3i invested £32.5 million in the firm, and replaced Livingbridge with a significant minority stake.<ref name="cleantechinvestor">"ISIS Divestment of SLR Holdings". cleantechinvestor.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> In March 2018, Charterhouse Capital Partners (CCP) acquired a majority shareholding in the business.<ref>"Charterhouse acquires 3i-backed SLR | Unquote". www.unquote.com. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2023.</ref> In June 2022 Charterhouse Capital Partners agreed to a sale of SLR Consulting to Ares Management private equity partners.<ref>"Charterhouse agrees to sale of SLR Consulting to Ares management". Retrieved 15 September 2023.</ref><ref>"Charterhouse agrees sale of SLR Consulting to Ares Management". Environment Analyst Global. Retrieved 8 November 2023.</ref><ref>Wansboro, David (20 June 2022). "Ares Management buys SLR Consulting from Charterhouse | PE Hub". PE Hub. Retrieved 8 November 2023.</ref>

David Richards was Chief Executive Officer from 1994–2013. In line with the Group's succession plans, Neil Penhall, formerly Managing Director of SLR Consulting and an Executive Director of SLR Management, assumed the role of CEO.<ref>Dunton, Jim (18 November 2013). "Planning consultancy chief dies at 55". www.planningresource.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2023.</ref>

Expansion

Over the years the firm has expanded its offices, with additions across Europe (including the UK & Ireland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands), Africa (including Ghana, Namibia and South Africa), Asia-Pacific (including Australia, New Zealand and Singapore), and the US, Canada, & Chile in the Americas. By 2023 there were more than 100 offices across 15 countries, with over 3,000 staff.<ref>"SLR Locations". Retrieved 15 September 2023.</ref>

SLR has made a number of acquisitions, beginning with the UK-based Waste Management Engineering Limited in 2005. Then followed the UK-based landscape architect company Insite Environments;<ref name="planningresource">"SLR increases masterplanning services with Insite acquisition | Planning Resource". planningresource.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> the Canadian company SEACOR Environmental Inc.<ref>"SEACOR Environmental Inc" (PDF). Retrieved 8 June 2012.</ref> the UK-based company FMH Consulting Engineers;<ref name="environment-analyst">"Environment Analyst | SLR acquires Bath-based consulting engineers FMH". environment-analyst.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> the Irish Dublin-based environmental consultancy CSA;<ref>"Consultancy Market Guide 2008" (PDF). Endsreprot.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014.</ref> the specialist mineral planning, landscape and land management firm Bowman Planton;<ref>"SLR acquires two waste consultancies". 11 December 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2017.</ref> the UK based Architecture and Planning Solutions<ref name="environment-analyst2">"Environment Analyst | SLR acquires two waste consultancies". environment-analyst.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> Alaska-based Hoefler Consulting Group;<ref name="gecpress">"Generational Equity Announces Sale of Hoefler Consulting Group to SLR International Corporation". Gecpress.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> Australia-based Heggies Pty Limited;<ref name="growthbusiness">"3i-backed SLR buys Heggies | Environmental consultancy in Australian acquisition". growthbusiness.co.uk. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> UK-based company Andrew McCarthy Associates;<ref name="thisisexeter">"Environmental firms combine their power | Exeter Express and Echo". thisisexeter.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> South African based GreenEng<ref name="ebionline">"Environmental Business International". ebionline.org. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> and Metago.<ref name="theengineer">"SLR acquires environmental mining consultant Metago | News | The Engineer". theengineer.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> In Namibia it acquired Bittner Water Consult CC, a sustainable groundwater consulting firm,<ref name="nebusiness">"Environment firm SLR Consulting expands in Africa - The Journal". nebusiness.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> and A Speiser Environmental Consultants, a Namibian-based specialist consultancy with expertise in EIAs.<ref name="environment-analyst3">"Environment Analyst | SLR acquires second Namibian enviro consultancy". environment-analyst.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.</ref> In October 2013, Cooper Partnership - Chartered Landscape Architects was acquired in Bristol, UK; and in early 2014, the acquisition of HFP Acoustical was completed, adding offices in Calgary, Alberta and Houston, Texas. In July 2014 South African-based consultancy CCA Environmental Pty (Ltd) was also acquired. In November 2014 SLR acquired the UK-based oil and gas solutions provider Challenge Energy,<ref name="consultancy.uk">"Consultancy.uk | Environmental consultancy SLR buys Challenge Energy". consultancy.uk. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2017.</ref> and in February 2015 SLR acquired E.Vironment LLC, a Houston-based environmental management, health and safety, process safety, and transaction advisory firm.<ref name="businessmag.co.uk">"Business Mag | Oxford: SLR Consulting acquires E.Vironment". businessmag.co.uk. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2017.</ref> In April 2019, SLR acquired Novus Environmental, a Canadian specialized environmental firm.<ref>"Charterhouse backed SLR Consulting acquires Novus Environmental - Private Capital Journal". privatecapitaljournal.com. Retrieved 8 November 2023.</ref><ref>"SLR acquires Canadian environmental specialist". Environment Analyst Global. Retrieved 8 November 2023.</ref>