Reduce risk and maintain compliance with our specialist risk management services.
We’re proud to be a leading provider of complete life cycle risk management solutions. From ensuring asset safety and legal compliance with our thorough engineering inspections to driving operational efficiency with our specialist non-destructive testing services, (and much more in between), we’re proud of the long-lasting partnerships we have formed with our customers over the last 160 years, based on the value of our solutions.
All about BES Group
Your trusted advisor in end-to-end risk management
We’re proud to be a leading Testing, Inspection Certification and Compliance organisation, providing our customers with the very best end to end risk management solutions. With roots that go back as far as 1859, we’ve been putting the safety of our customers first for many, many years.
Our team of experts work across a number of sectors, inspecting, testing and monitoring the safety and operational efficiency of plant and machinery, civil infrastructure, road tankers and much more. In addition, our specialist engineers provide the highest standard of bespoke consultancy support on all manner of projects, working as trusted advisor for our customers when they need us most.
Impressive growth
Embarking on our journey as an independent business in 2015, the BES Group has witnessed a remarkable trajectory characterised by stratospheric growth.
This upward ascent is not merely a testament to our dedication but also underscores our commitment to setting new standards in excellence, customer satisfaction, and a forward-thinking approach within the dynamic landscape of risk management solutions.
Our narrative of success is woven through a dual strategy—fostering organic growth and orchestrating strategic acquisitions. In embracing both these avenues, we’ve meticulously expanded our reach and capabilities. This dual-faceted strategy positions us not just as a passive observer of industry shifts but as an agile and proactive participant, ready to pivot swiftly in response to the evolving needs of our customers and the ever-changing risk landscape.
Our remarkable journey: Fuelled by growth and innovation
We've had an exciting journey since 2015, hitting some impressive milestones, welcoming some of the most impressive businesses to the Group and updating our brand to reflect our growth. We're proud of everything we continue to achieve, thanks to the hard work of our fantastic team.
Why we do what we do
Our mission
It’s our mission to become the dominant UK market leader of inspection, testing, certification and asset reliability, with significant overseas operations, through sustainability and technological services.
We’re serious about our international growth plans and look forward to expanding our team of experts throughout Europe and beyond. We’ll do this with our customers at the forefront of our mind, continuing to grow our business responsibly and in a way that meets their needs.
Our future is always exciting across the BES Group and it’s important to us that we’re leading the way. We’ve set the benchmark high and will continue to develop our ways of working, our team and our solutions to ensure we can get always meet our own high standards.
Our team
Our team is made up of more than 1,600 industry experts, all trained to the very highest standards. We know everything there is to know about the relevant legislation, we’re the experts so our customers don’t have to be.
Our team is growing every day. Our recruitment process is stringent, meaning our new starters share the same customer focus, skills and attitude that were so proud of in our wider team.
Our customers
With more than 35,000 customers around the world, our experience spans across a vast range of sectors. In the renewable sector, we’ve been carrying out the most thorough engineering inspections at high profile on and offshore wind farms for several years, for example.
In the civil engineering sector, we inspect infrastructure, such as railway bridges, all over the UK. In the marine sector, we monitor equipment on huge, high-profile vessels, helping ensure they continue to operate effectively.
And that’s just the start of it. Our customers range from small car garages to large scale, complex, multi-site manufacturing plants and everything in between. Whether it’s testing, inspection, certification or compliance solutions, our end goal remains the same for each of our customers, safety, legal compliance and operational efficiency.
A quote from our CEO
What makes us unique
We’re independent
We’re independent, which works for our people and our external partners. Testing, inspection certification and compliance is everything we do, which means meeting the end-to-end risk management needs of our customers is our priority, 100% of the time.
The Paul Forrester Training Centre
Our 25,000sq foot purpose-built training centre is one of a kind. Based in the North West, our facility is fully kitted out with a useful variety of machinery and equipment, giving our Engineer Surveyors access to everything they need to continue their training in a safe, dedicated environment. For our customers, this means we can train our people in line with their needs, efficiently and to the very highest standard. With an ongoing focus on recruitment, our training centre is a hub of activity with hundreds of people taking part in training at this facility every year.
Training academies
Our very own internal training academies mean we are focused on training and developing our people from within, wherever possible. This ensures our team is made up of the most dedicated professionals, who understand our business, our industry and our customers.
An end to end solution
As a result of our growth by acquisition over recent years, we operate as a ‘one stop shop’ risk management solutions provider for our customers. We offer support at every stage of an assets life cycle, from concept right through to end of life decommissioning.
Our ESG commitment
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is key in everything do. Operating as the most responsible business is a priority for us and we’re delighted that we continue to make progress on this front.
From a focus on sustainability to supporting our customers with a diverse and inclusive team, we have an active ESG agenda that really helps make a difference.
Our accreditation and certification underpin everything we stand for as a responsible business, while also ensuring we are supported by the most knowledgeable organisations. Not only were we proud to receive prestigious ESGmark certifcation in 2023, but we also become a member of the UN Global Compact Network.
Our investors
The BES Group has had the support of leading mid-market private equity firm, Inflexion, since 2015.
We’ve enjoyed impressive business growth during this time, more than doubling the size of our team and acquiring a number of complementary organisations along the way.
With a passion for each of their portfolio companies, Inflexion support our entrepreneurial and innovative approach and we’re delighted with our ongoing relationship.
Our Senior Executive team
Hannah Mather
Group HR DirectorHannah is the longest serving member of the BES Group Senior Executive Team, having joined the company in 2015 just weeks after it was formed as an independent business. With…
James Reeves
Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO)James joined the BES Group from Liberty Specialty Markets in 2022, where he spent five years in Chief Financial Officer level roles. With more than 15 years in director level…
John Breheny
Group Corporate Development DirectorJoining us from Inflexion, our Private Equity (PE) investors, in 2022, John brings a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge. His career spans more than 20 years, made up of…
John Campbell
Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO)John has been with the BES Group as Group Chief Executive Officer since September 2022. He is an accomplished board level leader having spent many years in several Managing Director…
Trace Norton
Group Chief Customer and Commercial OfficerWith more than 30 years’ experience in senior board level roles across multiple sectors, Trace is a valuable member of the BES Group team. Having spent time in the most…
Walter Rowe
Group Technical DirectorWalter is a driven and highly effective senior leader who has spent more than 15 years in Director level roles helping manage risk for a number of large and complex,…
Hannah Mather
Group HR Director
Hannah is the longest serving member of the BES Group Senior Executive Team, having joined the company in 2015 just weeks after it was formed as an independent business. With more than 15 years spent in senior HR roles for RSA, FTSE 100, international insurance organisation prior to her current role, she has significant experience in leading large business impact programmes and developing the highest performing teams.
As Group HR Director for the BES Group, Hannah has overall responsibility for our Human Resources function. Along with core HR services and support, this also includes Recruitment, Communications and Engagement to ensure the very best experience for our team and our external partners.
Her knowledge and experience of the Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) sectors has been built up over many years, giving her an in depth understanding of our people and their needs. Her commercial awareness, combined with her focus on helping ensure we are always operating with an industry leading team is key to shaping the future of the BES Group.
Hannah is a hands on, innovative leader, instrumental in ensuring the culture of our business is diverse and inclusive and encourages our people to truly be themselves while carrying out their role. She has been instrumental in developing our brand as an employer since she joined in 2015, ensuring we attract and recruit the right people as we grow our team.
During her HR career, she has become an expert in business transformation and other efficiency centric projects. She is extremely experienced in the Private Equity industry and was part of the leadership team who supported our 2021 reinvestment activity.
James Reeves
Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO)
James joined the BES Group from Liberty Specialty Markets in 2022, where he spent five years in Chief Financial Officer level roles. With more than 15 years in director level positions for large international insurance companies, including RSA prior to joining Liberty Specialty Markets, he has significant experience in FCA regulated industries. He has spent many years leading businesses through impressive growth, including helping implement large merger and acquisition plans.
As Group CFO for the BES Group, he has overall responsibility for our complete finance and IT functions. From reporting annually on our financial performance to ensuring our customers know when and how to pay us for our services, James and team are vital to ensuring we continue to operate efficiently and effectively across the BES Group.
He works closely with his Senior Executive Team (SET) colleagues to outline and agree budgets and growth targets, while also making sure they are kept up to date on the financial performance of the complete BES Group. As a result of his IT responsibility, he also ensures we are continually enhancing our ways of working for both our customers and our team.
His experience in the wider insurance industry prior to joining our company means James has a thorough understanding of the needs of our Broker partners and our Private Equity investors. These skills and experience continue to be extremely useful in his position of Group Chief Financial Officer for the BES Group.
As Group CFO James’ team works across the complete BES Group, helping shape the future of our company as we continue to grow and develop.
John Breheny
Group Corporate Development Director
Joining us from Inflexion, our Private Equity (PE) investors, in 2022, John brings a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge. His career spans more than 20 years, made up of time in director level roles with leading investment banking and private equity companies. He has been an active member of the BES Group board, both as an Inflexion partner and, more recently as a member of the BES Group Senior Executive Team for a number of years, helping drive the ongoing success of our business.
In his role of Group Corporate Development Director, he has overall responsibility for our growth by acquisition. He is instrumental in helping shape the future landscape of our company, working with his team to determine potential acquisitions and the benefits each of these will bring to both our team and our customers.
John works closely with our Group CEO, Group CFO and wider Senior Executive Team to help ensure our business strategy supports the ongoing growth of the BES Group and the end-to-end risk management needs of our customers.
John has a useful understanding of the Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance sector, including the benefits being an independent company brings both our team and our external partners.
With international growth key to the long-term future of the BES Group, John and his team are integral to seeing this take place over the coming months and years.
John Campbell
Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO)
John has been with the BES Group as Group Chief Executive Officer since September 2022. He is an accomplished board level leader having spent many years in several Managing Director roles in Private Equity (PE), FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 organisations. He is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors who has had a significant impact on companies including Modualire Group, G4S, Brinks, BT and Teletech during his career so far.
In this position with the BES Group, he is responsible for the overall success of our company, working with our Senior Executive Team and all stakeholders to design, develop and implement our strategic plans and ensure we continue to deliver these through growth, efficiencies, cost control and strong bottom-line results.
Helping drive the ongoing growth of the BES Group, both organically and by acquisition, is a priority for our Group CEO. He is focused on ensuring we are always working as a trusted advisor for our external partners. From employing the very best team to developing bespoke and innovative ways of working, delivering an industry leading, safety focused solution for our customers is always at the forefront of his priorities.
John enjoys leading highly successful teams to ‘achieve purpose’. This, combined with his in-depth understanding of our sector, having studied electrical and electronic engineering at University, as well as welcoming five new companies to the BES Group in his first year with the company, allows the organisation to provide value added services across our suite of solutions to our clients.
He is a people focused, hands on leader, known by our team, our customers and our broker and affinity partners alike. The BES Group has an exciting future with John and our Senior Executive Team leading the way.
Trace Norton
Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer
With more than 30 years’ experience in senior board level roles across multiple sectors, Trace is a valuable member of the BES Group team. Having spent time in the most senior business development focused roles at organisations including Algeco, G4S and Coveris, he has been instrumental in helping drive and shape the organic growth of a number of businesses during his career.
Trace has been a part of the BES Group team as Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer (CCO) since March 2023. His role is integral to the ongoing growth and success of our company, with large customer and broker relationships and organic business growth the responsibility of his wider team.
He has overall leadership of several key functions including Marketing, Key Account Management and Direct sales, for example, all of which play an important part in keeping the BES Group moving forward.
As we continue to grow by acquisition and enhance our end-to-end risk management solutions, Trace and his team are vital to ensuring we are leveraging cross sell opportunities by helping our customers understand the breadth of our solutions.
In his role of CCO, he is a valuable member of our Senior Executive Team (SET), helping shape and deliver the BES Group business strategy. Like a number of his SET colleagues, he has extensive experience working in director level roles for Private Equity owned businesses.
Walter Rowe
Group Technical Director
Walter is a driven and highly effective senior leader who has spent more than 15 years in Director level roles helping manage risk for a number of large and complex, international organisations. From his time as Technical, Property & Procurement Director at Algeco to his role as Technical, Risk and Security Director at G4 Cash Solutions, Europe, he has years of experience working at the most senior level to help keep businesses safe, secure and operating efficiently.
As Group Technical Director for the BES Group, Walter has a vast and varied role. He has overall responsibility for directing the company in a way that ensures risk is managed professionally, both internally and for our external partners.
The complete Technical Team includes Health and Safety, Technical, Risk and Legal Compliance and Accreditation, Procurement, Pricing, Property and more. In addition, Walter is heavily focused on driving the delivery of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), commitments, which is an ongoing priority for the BES Group.
He works closely with external ESG focused organisations to ensure we are working in line with our ESG plan and are formally accredited for the work we are doing in this area.
During his career, Walter has developed an impressive expertise in areas so important to the ongoing success of the BES Group. From helping ensure our customers are getting the very best service from a professionally accredited company, to supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, Walter and his team are at the centre of everything we do.
