LDC Top 50 2026
Gary Holliday, Dr. Suzanne Mansfield and Tim Jackson
Senior Directors
FPCR
Gary Holliday, Tim Jackson and Dr. Suzanne Mansfield all joined Derby-based environmental and design consultancy FPCR as graduates more than 30 years ago. Today they lead the business, which has more than 300 employees across six UK offices and is proudly employee-owned. “Everyone shares in the company’s success,” says Tim.
Over the past year, turnover has increased from £16 million to £21 million. “Even as we’ve expanded, we’ve tried to keep a family atmosphere,” says Gary. For Suzanne, reputation is everything. “Clients come back because they know they’ll get high-quality work, on time and on budget. Doing things properly has always mattered more to us than chasing a number.”
Doing things properly has always mattered more to us than chasing a number.”
Q&A
How have you managed to keep a family feel as the business has grown?
Gary: We work hard to make sure nobody feels like they’re just one of 300. Every office has its own managers, with the freedom to organise social events, training and volunteering. We also bring everyone together. Earlier this year we took the whole practice to Alton Towers for two days. We did team-building activities, had a big dinner and talked about where the business is heading. The second day was simply about enjoying the rides together. It was our way of saying thank you and having fun.
Why did you decide to become employee-owned?
Tim: Becoming employee-owned in 2021 was one of the biggest decisions we’ve made. We could have sold the business, but none of us felt that was the right thing to do. Instead, we wanted the people who’d contributed so much over the years to share in what we’d built. This year around £2 million will be shared through bonuses. Up to £3,600 of that is tax-free under the Employee Ownership Trust rules, so it’s a meaningful amount of money going directly into people’s pockets.
How do you attract talent?
Suzanne: Most of our recruits come straight from university or are early in their careers, so we have a young workforce. The three of us are the old ones! We work closely with local universities including Sheffield, York, Derby and Nottingham, giving talks and building relationships with students. We try to spot potential, sometimes before people see it in themselves, and promote from within.
