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.”

Morham + Brotchie Partnership is delighted to congratulate Fraser Lyall on successfully passing his Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and achieving Chartered Surveyor status with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – the world’s leading professional body for those working in land, property, construction and infrastructure.

Achieving Chartered status marks an important milestone in Fraser’s career and reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment he has demonstrated throughout his professional development journey.

Fraser joined Morham + Brotchie Partnership in 2019 as an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor and has continued to develop his expertise while working alongside senior team members on a diverse range of projects involving both traditional and contemporary buildings. His focused, pragmatic approach and commitment to achieving the best outcomes for clients have made him a valued member of the team.

Reflecting on his achievement, Fraser said:

“I am proud to have achieved Chartered status and grateful to everyone who supported me throughout the APC process. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey, and I look forward to continuing to develop my career at Morham + Brotchie Partnership.”

Fraser also expressed his gratitude to the many people who supported him throughout the process, thanking his colleagues, friends and family for their encouragement and guidance. He made special mention of the invaluable support provided by Sean Miller, Euan Watson and Jamie Mathers during his APC journey.

Everyone at Morham + Brotchie Partnership extends their congratulations to Fraser on becoming a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and wishes him every success as he continues to build his career within the profession.

We are pleased to welcome Robert Hanson to Hawkins as a Senior Associate based in our Manchester office. Robert joins us with a strong technical background in chemical engineering, process safety, and project delivery, across chemical and pharmaceutical environments. Robert graduated from the University of Bath in 2011 with a First Class Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. As part of his studies, he spent six months in New Zealand conducting research on membranes.

Over the course of his career, Robert has been involved in the design, installation and commissioning of a wide range of process plants, from a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing project to a 400 barg supercritical carbon dioxide plant. He has designed multiple plants from concept through to completion, including:

Hawkins Principal Associate Yvonne Ainsworth shared her specialist geotechnical engineering knowledge at the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA) Conference with her presentation, “The Hole Story – Understanding Sinkhole Formation and Investigation”.

In her presentation, Yvonne explored how sinkholes form and why establishing their cause requires a careful understanding of both geology and human activity. She explained how natural sinkholes can develop over thousands of years as water dissolves soluble rock, while washout sinkholes may appear rapidly when large flows of water remove loose granular material. Drawing on case studies, she also highlighted the potential consequences for buildings and communities and the investigation techniques used to determine what has happened below ground.

A Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Yvonne has more than 25 years’ experience in the UK and international construction industry. Her expertise covers civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering, with particular strength in piling, diaphragm walling, complex foundations, and retaining-wall projects. She combines hands-on design and construction experience with specialist knowledge of failure investigation and risk assessment, enabling her to analyse technically challenging, ground-related incidents, and explain their causes clearly.

Yvonne was joined at the conference by Hawkins colleagues Graeme Drysdale, Business Development Manager and Fellow of CILA, and Andrew Moncrieff, Principal Associate and specialist in fire investigation and forensic geology. Together, their attendance reflected Hawkins’ broad technical expertise and longstanding engagement with the loss-adjusting and insurance communities.

Hawkins is pleased to welcome Dr Clare Waller as a Senior Associate Hydrologist based in our Cambridge office. 

With more than 20 years of experience in hydrology and water management, Clare brings a wealth of expertise spanning flood risk, hydrological modelling, water management and infrastructure resilience. Her career has encompassed senior roles across government, consultancy and academia, providing her with a broad and highly respected perspective on the management and analysis of complex hydrological issues. 

Clare holds a first-class degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in river modelling. She is a Chartered Geographer, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management. 

Before joining Hawkins, Clare served as a Senior Technical Adviser within a national flood hydrology team, where she played a leading role in the development of flood estimation guidance and contributed to nationally significant flood risk and infrastructure programmes. Her work included flood forecasting, analysis of major flood events, and the delivery of research projects designed to improve flood estimation methodologies. 

Throughout her consultancy career, Clare has led multidisciplinary teams delivering hydrological assessments, flood risk studies and drainage strategies for major development and infrastructure projects. She has extensive experience in providing the technical evidence required to support planning applications and address complex regulatory challenges. Her work has also included reservoir safety studies and infrastructure investment business cases for risk management authorities. 

At Hawkins, Clare will further strengthen our forensic hydrology capabilities. She combines deep technical knowledge with a practical understanding of flood events and hydrological failures, enabling her to deliver robust, evidence-based analysis. An experienced communicator, she is skilled at presenting complex technical findings clearly and effectively to both specialist and non-technical audiences. 

Clare joined Hawkins in August 2026 and will support clients across a broad range of investigations involving hydrology, flooding and water-related infrastructure.

From October to December 2026, join experts from across Hawkins’ Acoustics Consultancy as they host our Acoustic Insights webinar series.

This series will cover a range of topics, including acoustic failures in buildings, carriageway deterioration due to ground vibration and noise-related personal injury claims.

For webinar details and to register, please see below.

If you would like further information on each webinar before registering, simply click on the titles. Our Events page provides details of other Hawkins events you may find of interest.

We are delighted to welcome Gigi Howard to Hawkins as an Associate Fire Engineer. Gigi brings a strong technical background spanning fire engineering, sustainability, research, and the built environment.

Gigi graduated from Lancaster University with a degree in Natural Sciences, specialising in Mechanical Engineering and Astrophysics. Following her studies, she completed an internship with an international architectural practice, where she worked within the Sustainability Department, contributing to international construction projects focused on reducing environmental impact and promoting the adoption of emerging technologies.

She went on to earn a master’s degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Bath. During her time there, Gigi undertook research into contaminated land and water systems, analysing data relating to heavy metal pollution. Her work culminated in the co-authoring of an academic paper exploring water infrastructure and phytoremediation techniques.

After graduating, Gigi spent two years working in the design and construction sector within the built environment. During this period, she developed specialist expertise in fire engineering and producing fire strategies for a diverse range of building types. She also gained extensive experience in research and data analysis relating to energy and emissions assessment and reduction.

Now at Hawkins, Gigi will apply her expertise in fire engineering, research, and data analysis to the investigation of fire-related incidents and the examination of forensic evidence. Her multidisciplinary background and analytical approach support her work in conducting investigative analysis and examining forensic scenes.

We are pleased to welcome Gigi to the Hawkins team and look forward to the contribution she will make as she develops her career with us.

We are pleased to welcome Matt Clayden to Hawkins as an Associate in our Road Traffic Collision team.

Matt joins Hawkins with a background in automotive engineering and vehicle development. He graduated from Loughborough University in 2018 with a First Class Honours master’s degree in Automotive Materials Engineering. As part of his studies, he completed a year-long industrial placement at Nissan’s NMUK manufacturing plant as an Integrated Factory Automation Engineer, earning a Diploma in Industrial Studies. During his time at university, Matt was also an active member of the Loughborough University Kart Club, representing the university in the British Universities Karting Championship.

Following graduation, Matt joined Nissan NMUK as an Engineer within the trim & chassis department, where he was responsible for engineering delivery across key vehicle areas on the Nissan Qashqai, including the rear end exterior and luggage room interior. During this time, he achieved a Level 4 Improvement Practitioner qualification, further developing his expertise in Lean Six Sigma methodologies, root cause analysis and continuous improvement techniques.

In 2023, Matt moved into a New Model Development role, working on the all-new Nissan Leaf. He led planning and engineering activities across several vehicle areas throughout the physical development cycle, playing an important role in the successful launch and transition to series production. As part of the programme, Matt spent five months at Nissan’s Zama Development Plant in Japan, collaborating with colleagues from NMUK and Nissan Global Headquarters during vehicle pilot build and development activities.

Outside of work, Matt has a longstanding passion for motorsport and modern classic cars. He continues to enjoy working on car projects and taking part in karting recreationally.

Matt joined Hawkins in July 2026, bringing with him extensive vehicle engineering expertise and hands-on experience in automotive development. We are pleased to welcome him to the team and look forward to the valuable contribution his knowledge and experience will make to our road traffic collision investigations.

Hawkins recently welcomed clients to a Escape of Water Masterclass, delivered by materials experts George Jackson and Jacek Czech.

The event combined expert-led presentations with hands-on learning, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of the causes of, investigation into and prevention of escape of water incidents.

The day began with a presentation exploring how escapes of water can result in significant and costly damage, often escalating rapidly if not identified and addressed promptly. Through a series of case studies and real-life examples, George and Jacek demonstrated how forensic investigations can uncover the root causes of losses and support successful recovery actions.

The presentations covered a wide range of plumbing systems and fittings, including compression, push-fit, soldered, press-fit, solvent-welded and threaded connections. Attendees learned that the majority of failures are linked to factors such as poor installation, inadequate maintenance, corrosion, freezing conditions and incorrect system design, rather than manufacturing defects.

The session also examined domestic hot water systems, the unique risks associated with high-rise buildings, and the regulations and standards that govern modern plumbing installations. A key message throughout was the importance of preserving evidence, understanding system design and carrying out thorough investigations to prevent repeat incidents, establish liability and maximise recovery opportunities.

Following the presentations, participants took part in a practical pipe-soldering activity, applying their newly acquired knowledge to create their own pipework assemblies. The completed pipework was then pressure tested, giving attendees valuable hands-on experience and insight into system performance.