Fire safety guru Ryan Hilditch appointed to lead Hydrock international fire safety division expansion down under

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve appointed Dr Ryan Hilditch as director of fire safety for our expanding Australian division.

With a PhD in Fire Safety Engineering, a diverse history in pioneering fire science research, and over a decade of experience in the field, Ryan brings unparalleled expertise in fire safety and a passion about making the world a safer place.

As a champion for our strong, technical-focused international brand, Ryan is dedicated to developing a trusted and like-minded client base in Australia. This will involve establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with leading academic institutions, such as the University of Queensland, so we remain at the forefront of cutting-edge research and technical delivery.

Commenting on his appointment, Ryan said:

Ryan's career is marked by significant contributions to the field of performance-based fire engineering design, including novel research of mixed-convection entrainment, large-scale tests with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh investigating the influence of ventilation paradigms on travelling fire propagation in open-plan compartments, and award-winning research into failure mechanisms of combustible gas detection in high-hazard environments.

His national research and strategy work has focused on; performance-based design of mass timber structures developing an analytical approach to demonstrate the adequacy of a design where prescriptive standards fall short; first-principle methodologies to assess the consequence of cladding fires and understand their impact upon the fire safety strategy of a building; and the practical and long-term approaches to address the consequence of electric vehicle and battery energy storage system fires.

Kevin McKeown, Divisional Director Fire, said:

Brian McConnel, CEO, added:

With an exceptional track record in fire safety and Ryan Hilditch now at the helm in Australia, we’re poised to further cement our international reputation for providing cutting-edge fire safety solutions for the built environment.