Specialist Fire Research Consultancy Halliwell Launches London Office *Centurion Insurance AFS*

Halliwell Fire Research, the Auckland, New Zealand-based applied fire research consultancy, has expanded its international presence with the launch of a London office.

The expansion follows the recent rebrand of Fire Research Group (FRG) to Halliwell Fire Research, which saw the business adopting the loss consulting brand Halliwell as it joined its international network of specialist services.

A wholly owned subsidiary of global claims services provider McLarens, Halliwell provides advisory and applied fire research services across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and internationally.

The company has recruited Mario Lara Ledermann as head of Halliwell Fire Research, UK & EU. Holding a masters in fire safety engineering, Ledermann has worked in the property and construction industry for 15 years. His experience has included the development, design and construction of complex and innovative property developments over three continents, building product R&D, and research.

The Halliwell Fire Research team draws upon 30-40 years of research expertise in fire science and engineering to offer expert witness and advisory services to lawyers, loss adjusters, insurers, and developers and building owners across the commercial and public sectors, Halliwell said.

With a focus on major fire-related losses and compliance defects, key specialisms include incident reconstruction, risk analysis, building and material defects, specialist modeling, human behavior analysis, and product and system testing.

The London office marks the latest expansion of the Halliwell group, which is building a multifaceted offering around fire-related risk and damage, along with other loss consulting services.

Halliwell Fire Research is a key service line in the Halliwell group, alongside the Halliwell Forensics, Engineering and Construction services lines in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Halliwell Forensics in the UK and Ireland, which offers complementary forensic fire and technical cause and origin investigations services. It will also support Halliwell in the USA which offers engineering, architecture, industrial loss, and construction services.

The move follows the acquisition of FRG by Halliwell’s parent McLarens.

“Halliwell Fire Research is at the forefront of expert advice and applied research for the insurance, legal and related sectors and our expansion to the UK and Europe supports our strategy to bring our global capabilities and expertise to the service of key international markets such as the London market,” commented Mario Lara Ledermann, head of Halliwell Fire Research UK & EU.

About Halliwell

Halliwell Fire Research is part of the Halliwell group of companies, which offers comprehensive loss consulting services across the globe, including engineering, forensic investigation and construction consulting to corporations, insurance companies, law firms and government agencies.

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