London-headquartered Ardent expands to Manchester
Tom Reader and Andrew Fireman are leading the employee-owned engineering consultancy’s debut office in the North West.
Ardent Consulting Engineers advises on infrastructure design, flood risk, sustainability, acoustics, air quality, energy, and transport planning. The company boasts approximately 100 employees across its eight offices in London, Ipswich, Billericay, Bristol, Nottingham, Kent, Edinburgh, and now Manchester.
For those unfamiliar with Ardent, its past projects include the redevelopment of the former B&Q site in Sutton to create 970 flats, 96,900 sq ft of commercial space, and a public park – a scheme that saw the company provide support at the planning stage regarding transport, noise, air quality, and drainage.
Another major scheme is the redevelopment of the Digbeth Bus Garage in Birmingham into 1,400 homes. Ardent advised on transport.
Now, the company is turning its focus on growing its business with private and public sector clients across the entirety of the North. In particular, they are targeting work in the residential, education, industrial, leisure, and retail sectors.
The Manchester team of Reader and Fireman, who are based in Chancery Place, comes with several decades of experience in transport and infrastructure.
Reader is an associate transport planner at Ardent, having joined the company from SLR. Previously he worked at Vectos, Axis, Royal Haskoning, and JMP Consultants.
Fireman is an associate within Ardent’s infrastructure team. Previously based in London, he has been with the company for 14 years.
Reflecting on joining Ardent, Reader said: “I’ve seen first-hand the excellent technical skills amongst my new colleagues and the value that Ardent can deliver to clients through close collaborative working between the various technical disciplines, and a real understanding of how these fit together on a project.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for me to apply my knowledge and experience of this region to help realise the company’s ambitions and I’m looking forward to seeing the Manchester team grow over the coming months and years,” he said.
Ardent director Simon Hall shared why the company decided to target the North West.
“The North West, and Manchester in particular, was identified as a forward-thinking growth region with some impressive plans for regeneration and growth, and an admirable mix of development types,” Hall said.
“We also see that Manchester seems to be the environmental hub for engineering, which aligns with our plans to continue to grow in these fields,” he continued.
“We are actively looking to recruit in these new fields alongside our existing civil and transport teams. We feel that our approach to our work and positive reputation as a company can provide regional developers, land owners, local authorities, and co-professionals with the best service possible.”
