Allan McGill

The firm, founded in 1964, reclaimed its roots with an amicable management buy-out from German giant TÜV SÜD in 2021, after 10 years under the German brand.

The Scottish-headquartered business has since undergone a significant transformation, growing its team of 80 to more than 200 specialists, increasing its turnover from £8m to £20m and expanding its geographic footprint across the UK and Ireland.

Managing director Allan McGill, who started at the company as a trainee engineer in 1995, said: “It’s an incredibly proud moment, celebrating five years of outstanding growth and marking our 62 years of history.

“Our goal with the buy-out was return to what Wallace Whittle is at its core, while evolving how we operate in a modern market.

“We took our decades-old foundation of quality and re-engineered the business in 2021 to support much larger ambitions using organic, investment-led and acquisitional means.

“Today, we think like a major player but we act with the agility and personal touch of a boutique consultancy.”

The firm has invested millions of pounds into dedicated training through the 2022 launch of the Wallace Whittle Academy. The academy allows senior staff to transition into mentorship roles.

The firm’s head office also subsidises the cost of staff aged under 25 for all regional offices, ensuring talent development is never hindered by budget constraints.

The past five years have also seen the firm expand its reach far beyond its heartlands in Scotland and Ireland with substantial new offices in Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester and growth of its London office.

Mr McGill added: “A huge part of our success is down to the partnerships we have forged. We haven’t simply chased new clients – we’ve deepened our relationships with existing ones who have entrusted us with increasingly complex, high-value work.

“As we look towards 2030, our focus remains on staying a people-first, quality-driven business, while continuing to expand our UK-wide presence. With more expertise in-house, we are reducing outsourcing and positioning ourselves for the future, ensuring that as we scale, we never lose the excellence that the 1964 founders established.”

To mark the five-year milestone, the firm says it will be rolling out a series of staff and client events throughout the year, looking at integrating its growing national team and celebrating people have driven this period of extraordinary change.