NRC will bring considerable additional capability and geographic coverage to SLR's existing Asia-Pacific (APAC) business, particularly in relation to its focus on the mining & minerals sector. NRC's services include environmental approvals, compliance, hydrogeology, hydrology, hydro-geochemistry, soils, environmental monitoring, ecology and mine closure and rehabilitation.

NRC will join SLR's APAC business, led by Paul Gardiner, which will be 260-strong with 12 offices across Australia and New Zealand. Marty Costello, NRC's director and principal environmental scientist will join the SLR APAC management team and take on the role of APAC regional sector leader for mining & minerals.

Neil Penhall, SLR's chief executive said: "We're delighted to bring NRC's capabilities into SLR. I am sure Marty and the team will strengthen SLR's position in the mining sector and bring significant additional value to our business. Our business in APAC has grown strongly in 2018 and NRC will only add further to that. This is also the first acquisition we have made since Charterhouse Capital Partners came on board as our external investment partner earlier in the year, so is an important first step in progressing our growth plans in the coming few years."

Marty Costello, NRC's director, added: "We are looking forward to joining the SLR team and adding NRC's talents to the business. We all recognised very quickly how well the two businesses fit together in terms of culture, clients and capabilities, so I am confident our combined future is bright. The extensive range of services SLR already provide in APAC will benefit our clients and I am equally excited by what we can bring to SLR's existing clients."