We’ve been shortlisted for Consultant of the Year at the 2026 Building Awards, recognising a year of significant continued growth in which we expanded our headcount by 23% – the latest milestone in a period of sustained growth under Forward 34, our ten-year growth strategy.
Two acquisitions extended our reach during the year. Adept Management brought specialist expertise in nuclear, transport and defence, underpinning our appointment to the Crown Estate Marine Delivery Programme framework. Driven International made us the UK’s most comprehensive end-to-end motorsport consultancy. Both moves were targeted additions within Forward 34, chosen for cultural alignment and capability fit.
Our major project work has demonstrated that capability in practice. At Viadux Phase 2 in Manchester, we’re delivering building services, sustainability and lighting design for a 76-storey mixed-use tower – a project spanning 18 disciplines and 16 sectors, with no single area exceeding 18% of revenue. We secured planning consent for Princes SEND school in Liverpool – a pioneering project which will provide a model for SEND support nationally. The school, on which we provided a multidisciplinary team, will be one of the UK’s largest single-storey facility to cover the whole spectrum of SEND. At the University of Portsmouth, we supported a £250m campus transformation spanning strategy, cost management and stakeholder engagement.
We’ve also embedded innovation into delivery. Our drone-as-a-service capability reduced per-property survey time from six hours to under 20 minutes on one retrofit programme.
Investment in our people has underpinned the year’s performance. We delivered 9,500 hours of formal training, supported 124 apprentices through our Elevate programme, and had 299 employees working towards professional qualifications.
The year also saw us launch a new brand identity, built around the idea of Practical Brilliance, giving us a platform to scale and to differentiate ourselves in a competitive market.
This has been a remarkable year for Ridge. We’ve grown, invested in our people and delivered brilliant work for our clients. And we’ve finally given our brand the confidence it deserves. What makes me most proud isn’t any single achievement - it’s that everything we’ve done reflects who Ridge truly is. A business built on doing the right thing, brilliantly.”
Adrian O'Hickey
Senior Partner
