BGF takes minority stake in Harley Haddow as McLuskey steps up to chief executive

BGF has completed a multi-million-pound minority investment in Edinburgh-headquartered engineering consultancy Harley Haddow, with director Marc McLuskey becoming chief executive as part of the deal announced on 21 October.

The investor said the funding would support the management team in growing the business through continued organic expansion and selective acquisitions.

Charles Layfield joins the firm as non-executive chair through BGF's Talent Network. BGF said he has executed more than 30 acquisitions during his career in scaling professional services businesses.

Marc McLuskey, CEO of Harley Haddow, said: "BGF's minority investment model will allow us to accelerate our growth ambitions while ensuring Harley Haddow remains independently managed, with our existing leadership team, culture and values firmly in place."

The business

Harley Haddow is a multi-disciplinary consultancy covering mechanical and electrical engineering, geotechnical, civil and structural engineering, fire engineering, and building performance and sustainability. According to BGF, more than 80% of its live projects have a decarbonisation or net zero focus.

Its project list, as set out by BGF, includes the BAFTA headquarters and the V&A in London, SWG3 in Glasgow and ongoing work on the renovation of the glasshouses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

On that Edinburgh Biomes scheme, Harley Haddow's own project page says the existing facilities include the Grade A-listed Victorian Palm Houses and 1964 visitor and research glasshouses. The existing boiler house is to be replaced by a new energy centre at the nursery site, which the firm says will cut the glasshouses' carbon footprint by 12%.

The firm traces its origins to Tom Harley-Haddow, who set up T. Harley Haddow & Partners from a single-room office in Edinburgh in 1950. Harley Haddow Limited is registered at 124-125 Princes Street, Edinburgh, under company number SC458611, and was previously named Harley Haddow (Group) Ltd, according to Companies House.

Recent expansion

BGF said the consultancy has opened three new offices in England over the past four years, bought specialist consultancy Pillar Fire and grown its team to nearly 200 people. Harley Haddow's own website puts the headcount at over 170 employees, including chartered engineers, graduate engineers and technicians.

The most recent of the English openings is Birmingham, which Harley Haddow described as its eighth UK office. It launched with an established team of 11, led by director Scott Lydon and supported by regional director Jeremy Silvester. Jim Kellachan, a director at the firm, said at the time that a Birmingham operation was the natural next step in its expansion plans.

The Pillar Fire acquisition gave Harley Haddow a fire engineering service operating nationally, led by Kevin McKeown, who holds the title of director of fire consultancy. Announcing the deal, McLuskey, then a director, said clients and peers regularly asked the firm who it would recommend for fire engineering.

BGF's track record

BGF is backed in the UK by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Standard Chartered. It pointed to its earlier exits from Hydrock and BB7 as relevant experience in engineering and the wider built environment.

In Hydrock's case, BGF's portfolio page says revenue grew from £30m to £84m during the investor's six-year backing, before the business was acquired by Stantec in 2024.

John Devine, investor at BGF, said: "Harley Haddow combines 75 years of engineering expertise with the ambition and momentum of a high-growth business."

BGF said the firm has clear opportunities for both organic and acquisitive growth. The investment is a minority stake, leaving Harley Haddow's existing leadership team in place under McLuskey as chief executive.