A sustainability and environmental consultancy founded in Oxford in 1994 and now headquartered in Buckinghamshire, with a global team of more than 5,000 advising on climate, energy transition, waste and circularity.
SLR is a sustainability and environmental consultancy. Its aim, in its own words, is "Making Sustainability Happen". It combines advice, scientific and engineering expertise, and data and digital tools to help clients weigh risk and reward and then act. Its website lists five service areas: advisory, planning and assessment, engineering and design, environmental and earth sciences, and digital services. Topics include climate resilience and net zero, energy transition, natural capital, sustainable sourcing, social impact, sustainable finance, and waste and circularity. Clients come from energy, mining, finance, industry, technology, government, infrastructure and the built environment.
SLR began in 1994 in Oxford as SECOR Ltd, founded by John Leeson, Alan Sheppard and David Richards, according to Wikipedia. A management buyout in 2000 led to the SLR name, and the company then grew abroad, starting with the United States, and later through a series of acquisitions of smaller consultancies. Bradley Andrews became chief executive in 2023, with Neil Penhall moving to vice chair. The company launched a new brand in 2023 and a new sustainability strategy in 2025 built around people, impact and the environment.
Wikipedia gives SLR's headquarters as Buckinghamshire and names Oxford as its birthplace, and mentions a Bristol office from a 2013 acquisition. A trade news item also reports a new Manchester office. The company says it has more than 140 offices in 127 countries, so the UK is one part of a global business, and we could not find a full UK office list. The company says it has over 5,000 staff worldwide and more than 60 technical services. Its 2024 purchases include Wardell Armstrong, a long-established UK consultancy, which should add to its UK team.
On culture, SLR describes a "One Team" approach and says it balances environmental, social and commercial priorities. Wikipedia notes that it has grown by hiring people directly and by joining up with like-minded consultancies, which means colleagues often come from firms with their own histories and specialities. These are the company's own descriptions, and we did not find independent employee feedback that we could verify.
Consultants at a firm like SLR work on projects such as assessing the environmental effects of a new building or energy scheme, measuring a company's carbon footprint, checking contaminated land, or advising on waste and recycling. Roles include environmental scientists, engineers, planners, ecologists, air-quality and noise specialists, data and digital staff, and project managers, plus finance, legal and human resources support. Science, geography, engineering and environmental degrees are common starting points, though the data side also needs computing skills.
Website: slrconsulting.com
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