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This year marks 10 years since Hawkins established teams in Singapore and Hong Kong, expanding our global presence and enabling us to better support clients across Asia. Over the past decade, we have witnessed remarkable changes in industry, infrastructure, shipping, and technology, while continuing to help clients understand failures, resolve disputes, and learn valuable engineering lessons.
As we celebrate this milestone, we are also reflecting on the people and projects that have shaped our journey.
Hawkins Singapore
One of the earliest cases undertaken by our Singapore team was the investigation of a fire aboard a vessel. The case was led by David Rose, who today serves as Hawkins’ Regional Director in Singapore.
Since joining Hawkins in 2001, David has undertaken more than 1,000 forensic investigations involving fires, explosions, petrochemical incidents, confined space accidents and marine losses. His experience spans everything from domestic and commercial fires to major multi-million-pound losses involving industrial facilities, petrochemical plants and vessels around the world. He has also provided expert evidence before courts, arbitration panels, and public inquiries across multiple jurisdictions, including Singapore, China, Thailand, and the UK
We asked David about his time in Singapore:
We’ve come a long way in the 10 years since Graham Cooper and I opened the office in Singapore. Today our growing team works on multi-disciplinary cases across the region including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. We have grown to meet the needs of our clients and broadened the core skills of our investigators to include structural and geotechnical civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, myself a chemist and a Master mariner.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the past decade has been the relationships we’ve built with clients and colleagues across the region. It’s been a pleasure to see the Singapore office develop, and I’m excited about the opportunities the next 10 years will bring and to see how our office will grow.”
Hawkins Hong Kong
Our Hong Kong team is headed up by Dr Sophie Parsons. She brings extensive experience in marine incidents, materials failure analysis, corrosion and contamination. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Sophie investigates failures involving glass, ceramics, plastics and metals, as well as lift and wire rope incidents. Her marine work includes cargo and hull damage, marine coating failures, cargo liquefaction, and associated laboratory testing, while her contamination investigations assess the effects of fresh, salt and foul water and other substances on working components. She has also given expert testimony in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK.
Sophie had the following to say:
“We’ve built a great team here in Hong Kong over the last 10 years. Whilst we started off mostly as fire investigators for land-based and maritime clients, we now investigate materials failure, mechanical failure, and structural/civil engineering claims. We can also support our clients in Cantonese, Mandarin and Indonesian languages. To mark our 10 years, we’ve expanded into a new office where we recently held our first face-to-face CPD training sessions. We look forward to welcoming more of you to our office in 2027.”
As we mark 10 years in Singapore and Hong Kong, we would like to thank the clients, insurers, law firms, brokers, loss adjusters and industry professionals who have been part of our journey. Their trust and partnership have enabled us to support some of the region’s most challenging and interesting investigations.
Join us at the 2026 Drinks Receptions
To celebrate this milestone and look ahead to the next chapter, we will be hosting two complimentary evening drinks receptions for clients and colleagues. Our Hong Kong reception will take place at Cooshti Quarry Bay on Thursday 5 November 2026. The next month our Singapore reception will be held in The Singapore Cricket Club on Wednesday 9 December.
Both evenings will offer an opportunity to meet Hawkins’ forensic experts, reconnect with colleagues, clients and friends old and new. You will also have the chance to enjoy drinks and canapés while sharing memories from the last 10 years and discussing the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Places are free, but registration is required:
