Please introduce yourself and tell us about your career to date.
I'm a Chartered Fire Engineer based in London. I hold a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester and began my career in process safety, specialising in risk assessments for offshore oil and gas platforms which provided me with a strong foundation in risk identification and assessment.
In 2014, I relocated to Australia and transitioned into fire engineering. Unlike the UK, Australia's prescriptive building code requires fire engineers to justify any deviations, so my role focused heavily on engineering solutions and problem-solving.
After three years in Australia, I returned to the UK and continued in fire engineering, working on a wide range of building types and progressed into a role where I was leading large scale fire engineering projects and contributing to the leadership of a large engineering team. Recently, I co-founded Mars Fire Engineering and look forward to the challenges ahead.
Describe your role or position within your current workplace and describe what a typical working day looks like.
As a Director at Mars Fire Engineering, I oversee company operations, project delivery, and service quality. In addition to my leadership role, I actively contribute to fire safety design across a range of building types—residential, retail, and office, both high- and low-rise, new and existing builds. I work closely with design teams to provide fire strategy advice, reports, and markups.
Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects to your role?
I think the biggest challenge we face as fire engineers at the moment is the ever-evolving landscape of the sector. In the past few years, we have seen the introduction of multiple guidance and regulatory changes, emerging technology that is not currently covered by fire safety guidance, and even the introduction of a new regulator. Often these come in during the middle of ongoing projects, meaning that as fire engineers we have to rapidly absorb these changes and disseminate the key information and impacts to our clients.
This particular challenge really highlights one of the key skills of a fire engineer that is often overlooked: communication. In a rapidly evolving sector, clearly explaining to clients what needs to be done on a project is essential.
What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
For me the best part of the job is working on a project from inception through to completion; it is really satisfying to see a building completed that you have worked on since its concept design. Due to the long timescales within the construction sector this can be a lengthy process which makes the result even more rewarding.
Is there a great professional achievement or high-profile accomplishment that you would like to tell us about in a previous role or your current one?
My biggest professional achievement, other than achieving my registration as a Chartered Engineer, has to be co-founding Mars Fire Engineering. I am very proud to have got to the point in my career where this is possible.
What inspired you to become an engineer or pointed you towards an engineering career?
When I was at school, I really enjoyed both chemistry and maths and so I thought chemical engineering would be a good middle ground. Whilst at university there was a real emphasis on problem solving and I thoroughly enjoyed this which really cemented that an engineering career was for me.
After graduating I had initially thought I would like to work in the pharmaceutical sector however, I ended up getting a job in process safety, which I worked in for three years. I then moved overseas to Australia where I found that I had a lot of transferable skills for a job in fire safety.
What contributed to your decision to gain IFE membership / become professionally registered?
Since starting my career as an engineer, I have always aspired to achieve Chartered Engineer status as this is a recognised professional qualification. IFE membership provides you with a route to achieve this.
How have you benefitted from being a member/registrant with the IFE (career, personally)?
Achieving registration as a Chartered Engineer through the IFE reflects both my technical competency and personal dedication to the profession. Regularly attending CPD events hosted by the IFE and its local branches has broadened my sector knowledge and exposed me to a wider range of perspectives.
Would you recommend joining the IFE to others? If so, why?
Yes, the IFE offers a wide range of support to fire safety professionals including frequent CPD events and a number of resources on their website. With the introduction of the Building Safety Act and changes to the building regulations, demonstrating your competency is critical. The IFE is a sector recognised body for fire safety professionals and achieving registration as a Chartered Engineer through the institution provides demonstratable evidence that you have been assessed by your peers as competent.
Is there any advice you would pass on to someone considering professional registration / IFE membership?
If you are ready to apply don’t put it off. It is, rightfully so, a rigorous process and so can feel a little daunting before starting the application, particularly when as a sector you are under a lot of pressure. However, having achieved professional registration I can say it is definitely worth it. I would recommend also that for more junior engineers on their journey towards CEng reading through the Engineering Council’s UK-SPEC is helpful to understand what competencies are expected of a Chartered Engineer.