What Thomson Environmental Consultants does

Thomson Environmental Consultants is a UK-based professional services firm providing environmental and ecological consultancy to public and private sector clients. Founded in 2005, the company operates from eight regional offices across England and Wales (Harrogate HQ, Guildford, Leeds, Kenilworth, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, East Anglia) and serves clients in government, Tier 1 infrastructure contracting, rail, highways, utilities, marine and ports, renewable energy, commercial and residential development, and global multi-disciplinary consultancies.

The firm's offering spans seven service areas: arboriculture, climate change and sustainability (including EU Taxonomy and Biodiversity Assessments), ecology surveys (covering all major protected species and Biodiversity Net Gain), GIS consultancy and habitat mapping supported by its proprietary Thomson Interactive Mapping App (TIM), habitat management, marine ecology (with in-house macrobenthic, particle size and video imagery analysis), and water consultancy. Technical differentiators include UAV drone-based habitat surveys, eDNA species detection techniques, and an in-house marine laboratory. The company holds CIEEM Registered Practice status alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, RISQS, CHAS, SMAS, SSIP, ConstructionLine, CIRAS, and Achilles UVDB Verify accreditations, and is appointed to key public sector frameworks including the Environment Agency's EcoSF4 and Hampshire County Council's Gen5 Consult.

Thomson generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements priced via custom quotes, sold through a sales-led model combining direct enterprise field sales, public sector framework procurement, and industry events/associations. Notable enterprise references include Network Rail, HS2 (with project teams of over 50 staff), DP World London Gateway, Rockwool, and Carillion Utilities, alongside government clients such as the Environment Agency and Hampshire County Council. The company was employee-owned for most of its history, transitioned to private equity ownership under Mornington Partners in 2023, and was acquired by Adler & Allan (backed by Goldman Sachs) in December 2025. Leadership comprises CEO Lucy Hunt (former Environment Agency COO) and a team of associate directors managing regional offices and specialist ecology disciplines.

Name

Thomson Environmental Consultants

Legal name

Thomson Environmental Consultants Limited

Website

https://thomsonec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Thomson Environmental Consultants is a UK-based environmental consultancy delivering ecology surveys, marine and freshwater ecology, arboriculture, habitat management, GIS mapping and climate/sustainability advisory services to government bodies, tier 1 contractors, infrastructure clients and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consultancy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Renewable Policy & Regulatory Strategy (National/State/Local) (EUAMANAA), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ), Environmental Aspects/Impacts Register & Legal Register Development (EUAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Ecological consultancy services
• Environmental impact assessment
• Biodiversity net gain
• Protected species surveys
• Habitat management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consultancy Services: Thomson Environmental Consultants generates revenue by providing professional environmental consultancy services to public and private sector clients. Services are delivered project-by-project, typically through frameworks, tenders, and direct commissions. Revenue is driven by the volume and scale of infrastructure, development, and energy projects across the UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thomson Environmental Consultants provides professional environmental and ecological consultancy services to public and private sector clients across the UK. Its offering spans arboriculture, ecology surveys, habitat management, marine and freshwater ecology, climate change and sustainability advisory, and GIS-based ecological mapping and data capture. Services are delivered project-by-project through direct commissions, public sector frameworks, and competitive tenders to help clients meet regulatory compliance, biodiversity net gain, and protected species requirements.

Product overview

Thomson Environmental Consultants offers a unified suite of environmental consultancy services structured across seven core service areas: Arboriculture Services, Climate Change and Sustainability, Ecology Surveys, GIS Consultancy and Interactive Mapping Services, Habitat Management Specialists, Marine Ecology Consultants, and Water Consultancy Services. The firm also provides proprietary tools including the Thomson Interactive Mapping App (TIM) for real-time ecological data capture and spatial analysis, complemented by three specialist publications (Blue Newt, Deep Blue, and the Thomson Ecology Handbook). The service portfolio spans from individual species surveys and habitat assessments to large-scale infrastructure project support, environmental impact assessments, and regulatory compliance advisory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arboriculture Services
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Ecology Surveys
• GIS Consultancy and Interactive Mapping Services
• Thomson Interactive Mapping App (TIM)
• UAV Surveys & Analysis
• Habitat Management Specialists
• Marine Ecology Consultants
• Water Consultancy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Missed ecological windows can delay programmes by up to 12 months — Thomson's early engagement and proper planning consultation can help avoid these delays.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• HS2 (High Speed 2)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThomson has been a key ecological consultancy partner on the HS2 project since 2018, delivering thousands of ecological surveys through a project team of over 50 staff. The partnership enabled the client to meet project programme and maintain compliance with protected species legislation.
• Adler & AllancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThomson Environmental Consultants was acquired by Adler & Allan in December 2025. Adler & Allan is a UK-based environmental services provider backed by Goldman Sachs. The acquisition expanded Adler & Allan's environmental consultancy capabilities within the UK. Thomson operates under the Adler & Allan Group while maintaining its brand and operations.
• AECOMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThomson supported AECOM with Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF) surveys, providing ecological input on storm overflow impacts for water sector projects.
• AtkinsRéalisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a co-approved supplier alongside Thomson on the Hampshire County Council Gen5 Consult framework. Both firms are approved suppliers for environmental and infrastructure consultancy services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RSK Group: UK-headquartered environmental, engineering and technical services group with a sizeable ecology practice serving infrastructure, energy, and property clients. RSK has executed an extensive roll-up of niche consultancies and is the most comparable mid-market consolidator to Thomson's positioning under Adler & Allan.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consultancy with strong UK ecology, EIA and water practices serving infrastructure, mining, energy and development clients. Directly comparable service mix and client base to Thomson, with similar private-equity ownership history.
• Wardell Armstrong: UK-based environmental, engineering and planning consultancy providing ecological survey, EIA, and environmental compliance services across development, infrastructure and mining sectors. Closely comparable mid-market UK environmental consultancy with similar service breadth.
• Ecology Solutions: UK specialist ecological consultancy providing protected species surveys, habitat management and BNG services to developers, local authorities and infrastructure clients. Direct niche competitor with overlapping species expertise and client segments.
• CSA Environmental: UK independent ecological consultancy delivering surveys, ecological impact assessment, and mitigation design for development and infrastructure clients. Comparable in scale and specialisation to Thomson's terrestrial ecology practice.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global multi-disciplinary infrastructure consultancy with a sizeable UK ecology and environmental services practice that sub-contracts specialist ecological input. Thomson already supports AECOM (e.g., SOAF surveys), making it both a buyer of Thomson's services and a competitor for direct EIA commissions.
• Jacobs: Global professional services firm delivering environmental assessment, water and ecological services to UK infrastructure and government clients. Comparable in environmental consulting breadth though ecology is a sub-practice within a much larger portfolio.
• AtkinsRéalis: Global engineering and project management consultancy with established UK environmental and ecology capability. Co-listed with Thomson on the Hampshire CC Gen5 framework, illustrating direct competition for framework-level commissions.
• Stantec: Global engineering, environmental and design consultancy with growing UK presence in water, infrastructure and EIA. Comparable environmental capability set though much broader portfolio and global delivery model.
• WSP: Global professional services consultancy with a UK environmental planning and ecology practice serving transport, property and energy clients. Overlapping capability set though delivered as part of a much larger multi-disciplinary portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thomson-environmental-consultants
• Xx.com/thomsonec

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thomson Environmental Consultants