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, 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.
Since 1980, Stephen has been a strong contributor to National, European and International standardisation committees dealing with fire safety and has lead the ISO committees dealing with the cone calorimeter for about 20 years.
Sandra Pasantes has a Bachelor of Science Degree. She joined FTT in 2007 and was appointed as Sales Director in 2015.
She is currently working towards a Ph.D in Fire Science, specifically around the development of a large cone calorimeter and modelling to large scale tests.
Sandra is a member in a number of National, European and International standardisation committees dealing with fire safety and is the UK Expert for the ISO/TC92/SC1/WG11 committee.
Sandra is also Sales Director for Sircal Instruments.
Matthew Backshall has a degree in Physics and a Masters degree in Materials Characterisation.
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.
He joined FTT as Operations Director in 2018, having previously held Operations Director roles at two other businesses within the Judges Scientific PLC group.
Matthew is also Operations Director for Sircal Instruments.
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 has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He joined FTT in 1994 and was appointed as Chief Technical Officer in 2018.
Between 1997 and 2000 Andrew was involved in the research of 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. The successful conclusion and publication of this project resulted in Andrew co-authoring the FIPEC report.
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.
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