Anstey Horne expands fire engineering team with Newcastle office launch

Leading built environment consultancy Anstey Horne has announced the launch of a Newcastle office, creating a new regional base for its fire engineering team.

The expansion forms part of Anstey Horne’s strategic investment in its fire engineering capability, following the appointment of Charles Betts as a senior director.

The new office will be led by Luke Jagger, who joins as director of fire engineering, and Matthew Lawson, who has been appointed associate director of fire engineering. They are accompanied by Shibil Muhammed and Abhilash Viswamani who both take on the role of principal fire engineer.

The new team joins from Stantec and brings extensive experience delivering fire engineering consultancy across a range of sectors and complex projects.

Luke began his career at Warringtonfire as a graduate fire engineer, progressing to senior engineer within four years before joining Stantec, where he led the firm’s fire engineering team in the North East. Matthew has worked across sectors including aviation, manufacturing and fast moving consumer goods and was most recently a senior fire engineer.

The Newcastle team strengthens Anstey Horne’s capability across development projects and design-stage fire engineering, building on its established expertise in fire risk management, specialist surveying and compliance, and building safety. while giving clients in the North East direct access to its multidisciplinary consultancy services.

Luke Jagger said: “Matthew and I knew we wanted to continue working together and we feel Anstey Horne is a business where we can have a real impact. It has the right culture, with a strong focus on collaboration and trust, with people empowered to make a positive contribution.

“The North East is a fantastic place to work and there is significant investment taking place across the region. Yet while we are seeing the development of increasingly complex projects such as data centres and battery energy storage systems, there are relatively few fire engineers locally with experience of larger schemes.

“Establishing an office in Newcastle gives us the opportunity to bring that expertise closer to clients, while building a team that can respond to what the market needs and continue developing a high quality fire engineering service.”

Alex Parry-Jones, managing director, Anstey Horne, said: “Luke and Matthew bring a strong understanding of the North East market and the experience to establish our presence in the region. Their appointments form part of our wider investment in fire engineering, alongside Charles Betts joining the business to support the next phase of our growth.

“Anstey Horne has always been built around specialist expertise and collaboration across disciplines. The Newcastle office gives us the opportunity to bring that approach to a new market, while remaining focused on delivering the quality of advice and service that our clients expect.”

Anstey Horne’s position as a leading specialist consultancy stems from a history dating back to 1795. The business has played an important role in shaping professional practice, contributing to the London Building Acts Amendments and the formation of professional associations and institutions.

Headquartered in London, Anstey Horne has nine regional offices across the UK and employs 145 people.