New chapter for environmental engineering consultancy

Environmental engineering consultancy Merebrook Consulting is now under new ownership.

The Matlock-based firm has been sold by Spanish owner IDOM Group to M&L Holdings.

Established in 1997, Merebrook operates mainly in the construction industry.

It provides consultancy in the fields of air quality and odour, asbestos in the ground, civil engineering, contaminated land, environmental compliance, geotechnical engineering, health and safety and materials management and waste.

The company was acquired by Bilbao-based IDOM Group in 2008, but its future will be with M&L Holdings following a transaction led by Matthew Sibley, KBS corporate associate director.

M&L Holdings is a portfolio of businesses within the construction, building products and associated industries headed by Mark Lavender.

He said: “The initial appeal was that this was a corporate disinvestment from IDOM, of which I’m familiar due to my corporate background.

“Soon after negotiations and meeting the Merebrook team, it was evident this business had a solid foundation based on its people, its technical reputation in the market and a strong focus on customer service.

“It was very evident that Merebrook would be an excellent platform to build a multi-disciplined environmental and engineering consultancy business to serve the construction and built environment industries.”

A spokesperson for Merebrook said the change means it will “have more freedom to expand the services we offer, while keeping our focus on what matters most to us: reliability, technical expertise and a balanced, practical approach”.

The statement added: “A big thank you to IDOM for their support during our time together.

“We wish them every success for the future. Rob Glavin will continue to lead the team as managing director, bringing knowledge and excellent leadership to guide us through this exciting new phase.”

Rob Glavin, who will also own a small shareholding of the company, said: “We will miss our former colleagues at IDOM and thank them for their support and friendship.

“Under our new ownership, we will strive to offer ongoing high-quality consultancy support, enhance our client relationships and to forge a first-class and supportive working environment.

“This marks a return for Merebrook Consulting as an independent consultancy and we are excited for the future.”