The engineering firm where young people are at the forefront

This year, REACT Engineering will mark 30 years in business.

For more than 20 of those years, managing director Phil Redfern has been playing a part in its growth, first during a gap year and now leading the organisation as it works on major nuclear decommissioning projects across the UK.

Phil’s dedication to REACT and, in turn, to developing careers and opportunities for people in his native West Cumbria, earned him the accolade of Business Person of the Year at the in-Cumbria Business Awards in November.

However, he had no idea how big a part of his life REACT, based in Cleator Moor, would be when he first stepped foot inside its doors.

“I was a bit unsure of what I wanted to do with myself,” says Phil, who went to Wyndham School, in Egremont, now West Lakes Academy, before beginning his career on placement at REACT as part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Year in Industry scheme in 2002.

"I did okay at school but I think I probably lacked a bit of focus and drive, so I probably didn't get the A-levels that I could have got. I probably didn't learn that you have to work for things until I was part way through my degree.”

His time on placement at REACT inspired him to study mechanical engineering at the University of Leeds, working for the company over the summer holidays and starting full time in 2007.

Founded in 1994 by three directors - who still remain as shareholders - REACT is an engineering and project management consultancy working across nuclear decommissioning projects in the UK.

"I had a really good experience and I was working on real work from day one,” says Phil.

He was immediately attracted to the challenge of running the business and was appointed as a director in 2014 as the original founders were looking to put a succession plan in place.

"I got a real kick out of building relationships,” says Phil.

“We're a consultancy business and that was the part of the work that I really enjoyed, building a long-term business relationship with clients to identify and scope out pieces of work that they needed to be done to help them achieve what they were trying to achieve.

“We help customers work out these tricky decommissioning projects, what the technical challenges are and then help develop effective, timely solutions to deal with those legacy buildings and then we help them implement the projects.”

He became managing director in 2016 ahead of a management buyout in 2019 which made him the majority shareholder.

Today REACT’s staff of 55 consists of scientists and engineers with technical experience, as well as people from a range of other backgrounds.

There is also a focus on recruiting graduates and individuals at an early stage in their career.

"Part of our USP is trying to think about things a bit differently," says Phil.

"The way you get some of that new fresh thinking is that combination of understanding the reality of what it takes to get work done at some of these tricky facilities, but also trying to bring some new ideas and ask what sometimes may appear to be common sense questions.

"Sometimes if you're in the detail of things, it's difficult to step back and ask: ‘What are we really trying to achieve here?'

“We do recruit from a cross section of industries and some of those people will come from the nuclear industry. But what we found is that bringing in people from either outside the industry or people at an early point in their career can bring that fresh thinking and that inquisitive, challenging attitude that helps us get to the bottom of things.

“If a pump’s broken then a lot of engineering companies might just look to replace it and ask what make it is and what colour. We try and ask why it broke in the first place.

“You might be able to operate the plant differently and save a lot of time and not replace that pump. Or it might be that in three years’ time, you're going to be doing something completely different, so you need a much bigger pump.

“We're independent, so we don't have a particular vested interest in the answer, other than finding the right answer for the client. Ultimately, all of this work is paid for by the taxpayer so if we're saving money on this, we've got more money to spend on other public services.”

In the last two years, REACT has been putting its expertise to work at decommissioning projects from northern Scotland to the south coast of England, competing for work toe to toe with some of the biggest multinational names in engineering.

"As a business we've always punched above our weight and got involved in really interesting and strategic pieces of work that have helped shape the strategy for decommissioning at a lot of these old facilities at sites like Sellafield,” says Phil.

As a leader, he says his approach is to try and get the best out of people by giving them the opportunities, independence and responsibility to take the lead on projects.

"It's really rewarding to operate a business in West Cumbria that tries to tap into that rich vein of talent that we've got and create interesting opportunities for people to make a difference in the work that we do, but also progress their career in whichever way they want to take it,” he says.

“I get a real buzz out of being able to help people and create those opportunities.

One of our core values is about empowering people. We don't have a predetermined path that we want everybody to walk down.

“We put people into challenging situations that are maybe a bit outside their experience but we try and do that in a way where they are supported.

"I like the individualism that people bring because with that you get a diverse range of views and opinions and ultimately if you can create the right environment around that, that's where you get solutions. That bit of creative tension allows you to find different ways of doing things.”

His role as managing director is focused on facilitating, enabling and outlining a clear vision.

"It's about creating space for people but being clear with people what the guiding principles are and what's the why. Why are we doing this?” he says.

“We want to do things for the right reasons, fundamentally. That's something we try to live by. I think the role of the leader is trying to create and enable that environment.

“It's not the job of the leader to be the smartest person in the room, but to make sure that the right smart people are in the right room at the right time, with the right set of parameters to work within and the right direction and support but then giving people the autonomy and empowering them to do what they're good at.”

As someone with his roots firmly in West Cumbria - he still lives in the village of Gilgarran about 10 miles from where he grew up, with wife Becky, who he first met at school, and children Evelyn, 10, and William, eight - Phil is equally passionate about empowering the next generation as well.

This includes fostering the talents of apprentices, including the in-Cumbria Business Awards Apprentice of the Year Charlotte Maxwell, and supporting the REACT Foundation, which aims to inspire young people in West Cumbria to pursue a career in engineering.

"It's really about trying to get kids in Cumbria to raise their aspirations and look beyond the horizon,” he says.

“There's a really big interesting wide world out there and a lot of opportunity in that STEM space. There is a skills shortage across the country for those sorts of professions and certainly in this area. So I think the foundation is trying to do its bit in engaging and inspiring that next generation.”

A keen road cyclist and mountain biker, Phil relaxes by getting out on two wheels around the Lake District, despite fracturing his femur in an accident on Honister Pass 18 months ago.

However, he is now fully recovered and the experience has not put him off throwing his helmet into the ring in the ballot to ride in the 112-mile Fred Whitton sportive next year.

"I enjoy that bit of mindfulness that you get,” he says.

“You're only really thinking about what you're doing at the time and the effort or the obstacle on the trail or the climb that you're on. It's a good way of decompressing.

"You have to have multiple hats on when you’re running an SME. There's a lot going on at any one time. So having something where you can just fully escape from that and disconnect is definitely helpful.”

For the next 12 months, Phil says the focus of REACT will be on growth and profitability.

The company, which opened a new Warrington office in March, will also look to add more geographic locations.

"We also want to keep developing and growing the team over the next 12 months,” says Phil.

“It feels like quite a buoyant market and there's a lot of opportunity in this decommissioning space.”

Sellafield presents a big opportunity in itself as it becomes primarily a decommissioning and waste management site since ending nuclear fuel reprocessing in 2022.

"Over the next few years we're also thinking of staying within the decommissioning sector but moving into looking at the decommissioning of other hazardous facilities,” says Phil.

“In this transition to Net Zero, we are going to end up as a country and globally with legacy assets associated with fossil fuels and petrochemicals that are going to need to be dealt with safely and responsibly.

“We've also got a renewables sector that's going to have similar challenges in terms of assets reaching the end of their operational life. We're passionate about that environmental cleanup piece, and it needn't be constrained to just nuclear.

“I think it’s the challenge that drives me and the opportunity that you've got when you're fortunate enough to be in a position where you don't have a boss.

“That can get a bit lonely at times, but actually, it's really empowering and really rewarding. I like a challenge and I don't like standing still.”