Meet The Team - Fire Testing Technology

Junta Directiva

James Haywood

Director Gerente

James Haywood is an experienced Board Director, has a Beng, Chemical Engineering, Manchester University and an MBA, INSEAD.

He has previously worked as MD, for another UK Engineering and Manufacturing SME. Prior to that James has held senior international roles at several large corporate organisations and has strategic management consulting experience with Bain & Company.

James is also Managing Director of Aitchee Engineering Ltd and Sircal Instruments (UK) Ltd.

Stephen Grayson

Co-Founder & Director

Stephen Grayson, Chemist with over 40 years’ experience in fire research, co-founded FTT in 1989. Outside of his involvement with FTT, Stephen has set up and managed academic and contract fire research and testing laboratories, published several Books, is the Editor in Chief of the International “Fire and Materials Journal” , published by John Wiley and he Chairs the international Interflam and Fire and Materials conferences.

Together with the inventor of the Cone Calorimeter; Vyto Babrauskas, he developed the Cone Calorimeter usage and several standards in Europe. In 1992 he and Vyto published the textbook “Heat Release in Fires” which reviewed all methods of measuring heat release and using it for predictive modelling. Stephen developed and managed the European Commission (EC) Fire Performance of Electric Cables (FIPEC) project, which formed the scientific foundation for the Construction Product Regulation (CPR) classification testing of electric cables.

Desde 1980, Stephen ha contribuido en gran medida a los comités de normalización nacionales, europeos e internacionales que se ocupan de la seguridad contra incendios y ha dirigido los comités de ISO que se ocupan del calorímetro de cono durante unos 20 años.

Sandra Pasantes

Directora de ventas

Sandra Pasantes es Licenciada en Ciencias. Se incorporó a FTT en 2007 y fue nombrada Directora de Ventas en 2015.

Actualmente está trabajando para obtener un doctorado en Ciencias del Fuego, específicamente en el desarrollo de un calorímetro de cono grande y modelado para pruebas a gran escala.

Sandra es miembro de varios comités de normalización nacionales, europeos e internacionales que se ocupan de la seguridad contra incendios y es la experta del Reino Unido para el comité ISO / TC92 / SC1 / WG11.

Sandra también es directora de ventas de Sircal Instruments.

Matthew Backshall

Director de Operaciones

Matthew Backshall tiene una licenciatura en Física y una maestría en Caracterización de Materiales.

A Chartered Physicist, Matthew has extensive experience in scientific instrumentation, having worked in a range of businesses, including; vacuum science, spectroscopy and medical devices. He has over 25 years’ experience in the industry with over 15 years experience in leading operations teams.

Se unió a FTT como Director de Operaciones en 2018, habiendo ocupado previamente cargos de Director de Operaciones en otras dos empresas dentro del grupo Judges Scientific PLC.

Matthew también es director de operaciones de Sircal Instruments.

Kieran Yaxley

Finance Director

After completing a degree in Architectural Engineering & Design Management at Loughborough University in 2008, Kieran began his professional career by training as a Chartered Accountant with Mazars, qualifying in 2016. He subsequently joined KPMG’s audit department, where he gained further experience working with a wide range of clients across multiple sectors.

In 2017, Kieran transitioned into industry, joining MCL as Financial Controller. Over the next five years, he played a key role in the company’s financial operations, contributing to its growth and development. In early 2022, he was promoted to Finance Director of MCL and later its subsidiary, roles he held until June 2025. During his tenure, he led on strategic financial planning, compliance, and reporting, supporting senior leadership in key business decisions and operational improvements.

Andrew Green

Director técnico

Andrew Green tiene una Maestría en Ingeniería Mecánica y Ciencia de Materiales. Se incorporó a FTT en 1994 y fue nombrado Director Técnico en 2018.

Entre 1997 y 2000, Andrew participó en la investigación del proyecto FIPEC (Fire Performance of Electric Cables) de la Comisión Europea (CE), que formó la base científica para las pruebas de clasificación de cables eléctricos según el Reglamento de productos de construcción (CPR). La exitosa conclusión y publicación de este proyecto resultó en que Andrew fuera coautor del informe FIPEC.

Andrew has developed all FTT‘s instrument software, he has worked closely with FTT‘s Engineering Team in the design and development of all instrumentation and is also actively involved in National, European and International standardisation committees dealing with fire safety.

Franck Balducchi

Technical Director

Franck leads FTT‘s engineering and product development teams, bringing together his passion for innovation and engineering.

After completion of his PhD at the French Space Agency, he spent his early career developing a range of products elegantly bridging the gap between research and real-world application.

Franck has worked across several advanced manufacturing sectors, ranging from oil and gas to agriculture, leading projects that combine mechanical design, electronics and software integration.