End of Year Wrap Up

“This year has been a period of significant progress and momentum for OFR Consultants as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary. We successfully completed our transition to a hybrid EOT/EMI company, strengthening our long-term stability while ensuring our people remain at the heart of our business. Our continued focus on culture and employee experience has seen us rise across every category in the Best Companies rankings—achieving World Class status and placing OFR in the top four within the consultancy sector.

We’ve also continued to grow, welcoming new team members across the business and expanding our capacity to support clients with high-quality fire engineering expertise. Alongside this, we’re proud to see more of our engineers achieving chartered status, reinforcing our commitment to technical excellence and professional development.

Overall, it has been a year defined by achievement, growth, and strengthened foundations for the future. We look forward to building on this success in 2026!”

“Whilst it might sound dry and boring when compared against the more headline grabbing achieving of the EOT, landmark projects or European growth, I see our biggest successes as those where we have continued to, and expanded upon, the things we do well, whether that’s supporting our clients on new build projects, legacy buildings, dispute resolution and/or research. Our reputation stays pre-eminent in the market which supports steady and sustainable growth across the UK and beyond. Looking forward this gives me confidence that our position in the market is robust and our business structure is stable such that we can continue to meet the needs and expectations of our clients and those of society.”

“It’s been great year of growth and progress at OFR with our head count breaking the 150-employee mark. We’ve opened offices in countries outside of the UK and have more to follow. We have transitioned our ownership to an Employee-Owned Trust, safeguarding our independence and our future. We’ve achieved world class status with Best Companies and we picked up the Top consultant award at the Building Magazine awards. And that’s on top of delivering great projects like Olympia, Canada Water, Google KGX, Museum of London and many more.

Our recent hires and the progress of the wider team has been really exciting and it promises to be another great year in 2026.”

“2025 has been another year of growth for OFR in the South West, with new members of staff in both Bath and Bristol and some exciting additions to the team coming in the New Year.  We continue to have a hugely varied portfolio of projects, with extensive healthcare, sports and cultural buildings forming the foundation of our work.  Our new clients this year have included the Royal Academy of Arts, Guinness World Records, the Wellcome Trust and the Oval cricket ground.

Our recent projects are equally varied, from complex and detailed healthcare Higher Risk Building refurbishments through retrospective fire strategy work on heritage buildings and even includes the design of an entertainment experience to be built on top of a retail mall in Bangkok.  Despite this spread of projects we remain committed to our local market and community and have given pro bono advice and volunteer time to local charity organisations.”

“2025 has been full of successes and rewarding experiences.

I am always grateful for the trust placed in OFR by organisations such as the Building Safety Regulator which is allowing us to undertake research that extends beyond the immediate projects in front of us and impacts technical policy. This has included studies on PV installations on roofs and investigations into fire resistance for open-sided car parks.

Aside from the technical elements of what we do, it was great to be joined by several colleagues making use of our sports and social budget as we took on the Dragon Ride Gran Fondo. Physical and mental health is really important to us. Initiatives like this have given many the motivation to get outside and do something that takes their mind away from work.

In 2026, I’m looking forward to much of the same!”

“2025 has been about embracing a new ownership model. Our journey to becoming a part Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in 2025 has been a great success and very satisfying to be a part of. This embraces our commitment to our independent values and a focus on fostering a culture of shared ownership and collaboration. We have also seen great growth of our team to over 160 dedicated individuals. This expansion is a testament to our collective efforts and dedication in delivering quality work to our clients. As we continue to thrive we also had chance to celebrate our success. OFR became a 3 star World Class employer in the Best Companies survey, the Business news Engineering Consultant of the year, SFPE UK research prize and many more.”

“2025 has been a great year. Seeing colleagues grow, teams strengthen, new offices open in the UK and overseas and projects delivered with genuine curiosity and technical excellence have been highlights. It’s also been a year where we’ve continued to show what makes OFR distinctive, an open, supportive culture and a commitment to doing meaningful work that improves safety in the built environment. Our 3 Star Best Companies recognition this year really reflected the people-first culture we experience every day, and it felt good to see that acknowledged externally. I’m proud of that.

The transition to EOT ownership has also felt hugely significant on a personal level. It’s reinforced that we’re shaping something long-term together a business where everyone has a stake, a voice, and a shared sense of responsibility and reward for what we’re building. It perfectly aligns with what I’ve valued this year, openness, trust, independence, and genuine teamwork.

Looking ahead to 2026, it feels like a special moment for us especially as we approach OFR’s 10-year anniversary. It’s a chance to celebrate not just the projects, but the people, the culture and the collective effort that brought us here. I’m excited to keep building on this momentum, strengthening our technical excellence, nurturing our people, and continuing to make a positive impact across the industry. Most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing our teams thrive as we step into the next decade together.”

“As we reflect on the close of the year, it’s clear that 2025 has been a period of strong growth and achievement for OFR. We’ve expanded our UK team, strengthened our foundation through a successful graduate intake, and advanced our new apprenticeship program.

Our success has also been driven by the quality and depth of our fire engineering expertise. We’ve supported clients across a wide range of projects – from design to dispute resolution – and it’s been gratifying to see clients return to us for future work and recommend OFR to others.

This year also marked our transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), underscoring our commitment to our team, ensuring long-term business continuity, and strengthening engagement across the company.

Looking ahead, 2026 will be a milestone year as OFR celebrates its 10th anniversary – a time to celebrate, reflect, recognize our achievements, and look forward. We enter the next decade determined to build on our success, continue listening to and engaging with our people, and deliver technically excellent outcomes for our clients.”