Please introduce yourself and tell us about your career to date.
I am a Chartered Engineer with a BSc in Fire Engineering and an MSc in Risk Management and Safety Engineering from Lund University in Sweden.
I began my career in fire engineering working for WSP in Brisbane, Australia where I spent a year on a sponsorship visa and had the pleasure of working on a wide range of projects including shopping centres and sports stadia, while also enjoying all that Queensland has to offer.
Following my time in Australia, I worked as a fire engineer for WSP in Sweden for a year before my urge to live abroad quickly returned and I relocated to London where I joined Hoare Lea in January 2017 to support the expanding London fire engineering team. I spent over eight enjoyable years at Hoare Lea, six of those years as the London Fire Team Lead.
In September 2025 I took the next step in my career when I co-founded Mars Fire Engineering.
Describe your role or position within your current workplace and describe what a typical working day looks like.
As Managing Director of Mars Fire Engineering, I have an overarching responsibility to oversee the company’s progress and performance against strategic goals. In addition to that, I also have other strategic responsibilities such as business development, market positioning and leading various growth initiatives. This is of course in addition to my responsibilities as a fire engineer which include developing fire strategies, writing design notes and providing clients and design teams with general support.
At the moment, there is not really a concept of a typical day as we are a newly established business which means that no two days are the same as we all very much balance our responsibilities of running the business with day-to-day fire engineering activities. This is a really exciting time though and I intend on staying very much involved in both aspects as I thoroughly enjoy them both.
Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects to your role?
At the moment there are many interesting challenges associated with establishing a new business in this market. These are all challenges that are very motivating though and means that I am learning a lot of new skills that were not required in my previous role.
If I think more about my role as a fire engineer, the key challenges currently revolve around keeping up to speed with new developments and an ever-changing regulatory landscape. The introduction of the Building Safety Act and the Building Safety Regulator is of course a significant change for the fire engineering industry, as well as clients and everyone else involved in the design and construction of Higher Risk Buildings. It is natural that a change of this magnitude takes a while to fully settle but it has definitely not been without its challenges. These highlight the importance of staying on top of developments in the sector in order to best be able to assist clients and design teams in navigating a more complex regulatory environment.
What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
For me, I have always enjoyed the variety of activities, challenges and opportunities of being a fire engineer, and now more than ever. I also very much enjoy the human aspect of the role in engaging with design teams, presenting technical solutions to clients or Approving Authorities and the whole communication aspect of the role, where I think fire engineers have a bigger part to play than ever before.
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?
I have had the privilege to be involved in plenty of interesting and high-profile projects, however, if I take a step back and think about professional achievements in the wider sense then there are two non-project related that particularly stand out. The first one would be when I was asked to take over the team leadership role at my previous place of employment which was at a relatively early stage in my career. It was not without its challenges and it was a steep learning curve but I am very glad that I took on the responsibility. I developed a lot as a result and I take pride in the teams’ performance and growth during the six years I spent as the team leader.
The second achievement is a lot more recent and would have to be taking the step to start a new company which definitely also has its challenges but is very motivating and rewarding at the same time.
What inspired you to become an engineer or pointed you towards an engineering career?
I can’t say that it is something that I’ve wanted to do since childhood or that it is down to a specific event in my life. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do when I went to university so I would say there is a good deal of chance involved in it as fire engineering happened to catch my eye as I flicked through a course catalogue. I am very glad it did though as I enjoy being in a technical industry but one that has a lot more to it as well where technical assessments and calculations are complemented by a lot of engagement and discussions with professionals in other disciplines.
What contributed to your decision to gain IFE membership / become professionally registered?
This was in large parts due to positive influence from mentors and colleagues from the start. I was encouraged to become a member of the IFE during my first few weeks of working in the UK and becoming a Chartered Engineer was a natural next step. I do think it is important to be part of a professional body and become registered as soon as possible, especially now as there is a lot more focus on recognised competence in our industry, and rightly so of course.
How have you benefitted from being a member/registrant with the IFE (career, personally)?
Going through the Chartered Engineer application process takes quite a lot of work but I also found it very beneficial both professionally and personally as it requires you to take a step back and reflect on your career to date. It is not often we stop to think about what we have actually achieved in our career and identify areas where we want to develop further. The application process offered that opportunity.
Furthermore, becoming a Chartered Engineer has benefitted my career significantly as it is a recognised way for me to demonstrate my competence, both towards my peers and towards clients and other stakeholders in our wider industry.
Would you recommend joining the IFE to others? If so, why?
Yes, it offers access to the wider fire engineering community. Furthermore, becoming a member early on in your career sets you on the path towards becoming a Chartered Engineer from the start, which should be the aim for any fire engineer new to our industry or that has not yet started their chartership process.
Is there any advice you would pass on to someone considering professional registration / IFE membership?
The most important piece of advice that I would give to someone considering professional registration with the IFE is to not put it off. In a fast-paced industry like ours, it is easy to kick the can down the road so to speak as there are always plenty of other things to do, and the application process can seem daunting at first. I would recommend splitting the task up in many smaller milestones and make sure that you allow the time to hit each milestone as a way of making the task more manageable considering other commitments as well.