“What continues to unite us is a shared vision: to increase resilience and reduce flood risk in the places where we work, live and play.”
Russell Burton, Managing Director
This year marks 20 years since RAB Consultants was built on one simple but important aspiration: to help communities and businesses become more resilient to flood and climate risk. Two decades later, that ambition remains the same, but the company behind it has grown somewhat.
Russell Burton, Managing Director, founded RAB in 2006 when his role as the ‘Midlands Regional Flood Warning Team Leader’ at the Environment Agency presented the need for a specialist consultancy.
Having responded to major national incidents such as the floods of 1998 and 2000, the Foot and Mouth outbreak and fuel protests, Russ reflects on the point where the idea for RAB really grew legs, stating “those experiences showed me there was a growing need for specialist support to help risk management authorities prepare for, respond to and recover from major incidents, particularly as climate change was increasing future risks.”
So, what started as a one-man consultancy focussing primarily on flood exercises and resilience training has evolved into a nationally and internationally recognised consultancy working across four key sectors – Flood Risk and Drainage, Engineering, Resilience and Property Flood Resilience (PFR).
The Early Years of RAB
The company might have been in its infancy, but it didn’t take long for RAB to establish trust in the resilience sector, as it played a vital part in the roll-out of the UK’s first national flood exercises, including Exercise Triton and Exercise Watermark.
As workload increased quickly, Russ took a big step forward by appointing his first employee which sparked the beginning of RAB’s core value of investing in people and thus, the start of steady growth.
By 2008, Resilience Director Bryan Nelson had joined the business as the fifth employee, bringing with him expertise in flood forecasting and resilience. Bryan quickly got stuck into helping deliver Base Controller training for the Environment Agency.
With its flagship office thriving in Lichfield, there soon came a need for geographical expansion. Enter the second office in Durham and a third in Bedford. These presented the perfect opportunity to broaden RAB’s capabilities and recruit specialists from the local area.
There was one stand-out moment which came following the severe winters of 2013 and 2015, when RAB trained 250 military personnel to carry out emergency inspections of the nation’s flood assets, “helping to train personnel to inspect critical flood infrastructure during major flood events was something we were extremely proud to support,” Russ recalls.
The Value of Investing in People
What started as a small team has grown into a business which now employs more than 40 people across the UK. And it’s this investment in development and a desire to build long-term relationships that Russ attributes to RAB’s success. “Being part of so many people’s growth and development has been enormously rewarding,” he said.
“Many of our team have spent their whole careers with us. We have grown together, with several team members gaining chartered status through professional institutions and achieving great recognition.”
This increased reputation for development includes RAB’s ICE-approved apprenticeship pathway. Several employees that started out as apprentices have now achieved chartered or incorporated professional status and progressed within the company working in highly skilled leadership roles.
The company also continues to gain industry recognition for its specialist expertise, including recent international award success.
Reflecting on two decades in business and the people that helped him reach this milestone, Russ said “I’ve learned not to try to do everything alone. Find the right people, trust them, treat them well, and they will deliver.”
Evolution of the RAB logo 2006-present
A Look Ahead
So, what’s next for RAB? As climate change continues to create greater flood and resilience challenges across the UK and internationally, one thing for sure is that RAB will only get busier and the work even more important.
Russ says the company will continue to diversify its services whilst continuing to support established areas that need it most, such as resilience, business continuity, sustainable drainage, flood asset maintenance, nature-based solutions and property flood resilience.
“I’m particularly excited about a number of upcoming projects,” he shares.
“In particular, I’m looking forward to working with CIWEM to share PFR successes and challenges to help inform New Zealand’s approach to introducing PFR, and hopefully to working again with Flood Re on the future development of Flood Performance Certificates.”
But while landscapes naturally change and Russ continues to set goals for the future, after 20 years, the company’s values remain as clear as ever.
“What continues to unite us is a shared vision: to increase resilience and reduce flood risk in the places where we work, live and play,” Russ concludes.
A Celebration of 20 Years Together
To celebrate the 20th anniversary in style, colleagues and their families from all offices were invited to a special event at The School House in Lichfield. The location provided a poignant countryside backdrop for everyone to reflect on the company’s journey over the past two decades and celebrate with the people who have helped shape its success.
The afternoon included food, drinks and plenty of time to catch up. A pianist welcomed guests to the venue while tableside magic added fun throughout. Most importantly, the celebration carved out time away from the office environment to connect, share memories and recognise how the business has changed over the years.
During his speech, Russ shared a message from the company Director Bryan Nelson who has been intrinsic in the company’s story. Unable to make the celebration, Bryan said: “20 years, what an achievement. I joined the company in 2008 as employee number six, and it’s been incredible to see how far RAB has come. From those early days working on FRAs and EA frameworks to becoming a respected name across Flood Risk and Resilience. The future is bright, and that’s down to all of you. A special thank you to Russ and Joy for all their support over the years, and to everyone at RAB. Always celebrate your successes.”
After 20 years in business, it’s clear that RAB’s success has not only stemmed from genuine technical expertise, but from the people and connections that have been built from day one.
Here’s to the next 20!
