SLR Consulting

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.[3] 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.[4] In 2008, 3i invested £32.5 million in the firm, and replaced Livingbridge with a significant minority stake.[5] In March 2018, Charterhouse Capital Partners (CCP) acquired a majority shareholding in the business.[6]

In June 2022 Charterhouse Capital Partners agreed to a sale of SLR Consulting to Ares Management private equity partners.[7]

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.[8]

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 125 countries, with over 3,000 staff.[9]

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;[10] the Canadian company SEACOR Environmental Inc.[11] the UK-based company FMH Consulting Engineers;[12] the Irish Dublin-based environmental consultancy CSA;[13] the specialist mineral planning, landscape and land management firm Bowman Planton;[14] the UK based Architecture and Planning Solutions[15] Alaska-based Hoefler Consulting Group;[16] Australia-based Heggies Pty Limited;[17] UK-based company Andrew McCarthy Associates;[18] South African based GreenEng[19] and Metago.[20] In Namibia it acquired Bittner Water Consult CC, a sustainable groundwater consulting firm,[21] and A Speiser Environmental Consultants, a Namibian-based specialist consultancy with expertise in EIAs.[22] 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,[23] and in February 2015 SLR acquired E.Vironment LLC, a Houston-based environmental management, health and safety, process safety, and transaction advisory firm.[24]