As the UK’s largest asbestos management and consultancy company and a market leader in the risk management industry, we have spent the past two years making subtle changes in management and accepting new investment, securing our continued growth and stability for the future.

Our History

Lucion started out in 2003. Our founders, Dr Patrick Morton (former Chief Executive Officer) and Charles Pickles (former Chief Technical Officer) formed Lucion over 16 years ago under the name Lucion Environmental. Starting out as a two-person operation, Lucion Environmental was one of the first asbestos management companies in the North East. Patrick acted as the Lead Surveyor and main business developer and Charles was the Lab Analyst and report writer.

Working in tandem and operating out of a single-roomed office/lab, the pair developed new techniques for sampling, testing and air monitoring. Both have been, and continue to be avid campaigners for the development of research and techniques that protect individuals from the dangers of hazardous substance exposure. Charles has authored several white papers calling for the current asbestos regulations to be reviewed for the benefit of teachers, nurses, construction workers, children and anyone who may be at risk from asbestos exposure.

Through their dedication and persistence, Patrick and Charles have grown the company, expanding their team and their operations to encompass all of the UK and beyond where we now operate internationally in countries such as Brazil, China, Singapore and Turkey. During the past 16 years, substantial acquisitions have been made and developments in technology have secured our growth sustainability.

During this development, new service offerings and company subsidiaries were introduced resulting in the development of our subsidiary companies; Lucion Consulting, Lucion Civils and Lucion Marine. Lucion Services was introduced as the parent brand for all our subsidiary companies in 2015.

One of the biggest developments Patrick made during his time with Lucion was the development of our in-house compliance management software system, NexGen. NexGen has propelled us into 21st-century risk management and now features 3D mapping, placing Lucion as a market leader in the risk management industry.

Our Market Position

During the 2019 Plimsoll review, Lucion Services and our subsidiary company, Lucion Environmental, were named amongst the top 5 companies in the environmental hazardous management industry for productivity. Lucion Services and Lucion Environmental also took 1st and 2nd place relating to growth, demonstrating our organisation as a market-leading, stable supplier.

As part of our continued growth and development, we have accepted external investment from private equity firm Palatine PE.

Palatine PE

Palatine PE are a mid-market regional private equity firm. Their investment in Lucion will allow our business to continue to sustainably grow, providing security for both the organisation and our team members. Through their investment, Palatine PE will be able to offer us support in the development of our operations and help drive our performance.

Palatine PE’s Investment Director, James Winterbottom, commented on the new investment stating:

“Lucion represents an exciting opportunity to back a market-leading business within the testing and inspection sector. With its scale and national infrastructure, together with its industry-leading NexGen operating system, we can see a clear opportunity to work with the team to accelerate the company’s growth both organically and through further acquisitions.”

The investment from Palatine PE, together with a debt funding package provided by HSBC, has provided an exit for the founder shareholders Charles Pickles and Dr Patrick Morton. Patrick, who will retain an advisory role within the organisation, commented on his time at Lucion and the investment:

“[Co-founder] Charles Pickles and I are proud of what has been achieved at Lucion to date. Going forward, the company’s market-leading position will be further strengthened by the support that Palatine’s involvement will offer. This is a very exciting time for the business as it is positioned for further growth under the leadership of the existing management team”

With Patrick taking a step back from the organisation, Phil Rozier, who has been performing the CEO duties for the past two years, will be officially stepping into the role as the new CEO of Lucion Services. Patrick commented on the official handing over of the reins stating:

“When we started to think about succession planning, Phil Rozier was the obvious choice to take on the CEO role, after being with us for 13 years and (through his varied role and responsibilities at Lucion) shaping the company into what it is today, with a clear vision for where Lucion is going and how to get it there. “

Phil Rozier

Phil, who previously held the position of Chief Commercial Officer within the organisation, has extensive experience within the business and in the industry.

Starting as a Regional Manager in our South East office in 2006, Phil was promoted to Commercial Director in 2009 after a sterling performance in managing our largest regional office. Phil was then promoted to Chief Commercial Officer taking overall accountability for the company’s commercial team and charged with driving Lucion’s performance.

Phil has built up a reputation over the years as a trusted industry thought leader, which has seen him speak at multiple conferences across the globe, sharing his knowledge of international risk management.

The new CEO commented:

“I’m delighted to be able to pick up the Lucion baton and build upon what is already an excellent platform for growth. Lucion has always had ambitious growth plans, which can now become a reality with the support and investment from Palatine. It was important for Lucion to find the right partner, one that can not only assist with the funding of acquisitive growth but also offer a wealth of experience and knowledge to help guide us through the challenges ahead.”

Phil will have the continued support of the current executive team members; Chief Risk Officer Ross Boulton and Chief Operations Officer Adam Mead. Jamie McGivern, who previously worked with Palatine at insurance broker Chase Templeton, recently joined the business as Chief Financial Officer.

Supporting the Executive Board in the Leadership Team; Dave Cooper as Commercial Director, Nick Aspinall as Operations Director, Chris Parr as Assurance Director and Lucy Armstrong as Communications Director.

Our Mission

Our new investment and appointment of our new CEO will support us in achieving our mission. As a collaborative group of individuals dedicated to protecting people from exposure to hazardous substances, we are on a mission; to make the world a safer place to live.

What this means for our current clients is that it is business as usual. We will continue to deliver trusted risk management to our clients, in line with our mission, create new opportunities for our team members, provide sustainability and security and continue to build on our strategic growth plan.