Building Phenna Group’s Next Chapter of Growth In Asia-Pacific: In Conversation with Brett Coleman

Asia-Pacific is a major growth market for Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC). Across the region, infrastructure, manufacturing and supply chains continue to expand alongside rising expectations around regulation, quality, safety, sustainability and technical assurance.

Phenna Group has developed rapidly within this evolving TICC landscape. In five years, our Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has grown from one business and 35 people to 19 businesses and around 2,500 people across nine countries, with expertise spanning all five of our specialist divisions.

Leading that growth is Brett Coleman, Divisional Managing Director for APAC. We spoke with Brett about where he sees the greatest opportunities ahead, what Phenna looks for in acquisition partners, and how collaboration, investment, and regional support are essential to helping our APAC businesses succeed.

Find out more below.

Meet Brett Coleman

Brett brings more than 35 years of experience across the oil and gas and TICC sectors, including leadership and business development roles with Baker Hughes, Shell, SGS, and Intertek. He joined Phenna Group in May 2021 to help grow its presence across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

As Regional Managing Director for APAC, Brett supports the growth of businesses across the region and Phenna's continued acquisition activity. His previous Building a Career interview explores the experiences that shaped his leadership approach and why Phenna's model first appealed to him.

Asia-Pacific: A Major Growth Market for TICC

Phenna Group has built a substantial base in APAC and currently operates across multiple countries, sectors, and technical disciplines. Brett sees further potential in both existing and underrepresented areas, from extending Certification and Compliance capabilities to strengthening Phenna’s presence in Australia, Singapore, and selected markets across the wider region.

In Conversation with Brett: The APAC Opportunity

When you look at Phenna’s position in APAC today, how would you describe the opportunity ahead for the Group?

When I look at the opportunities ahead, I think about how far we've come. In the last five years, we've gone from one business and 35 people to 19 businesses and around 2,500 people across nine countries. We have a solid foundation, with significant opportunities to grow both our existing businesses and the Group through further acquisitions across different countries, markets, and industries.

APAC covers a hugely diverse mix of countries, industries and economies. What makes the region particularly exciting for Phenna over the next few years?

APAC is incredibly diverse, but there’s still huge potential for us. There are sectors where we're currently underrepresented or don't yet have a presence, along with countries where we're increasing our focus. The last five years have been very exciting, and I believe the next five are going to be even bigger as we advance the breadth and depth of the Group.

Where are you currently seeing the biggest potential for growth?

From a sector perspective, we see real potential to develop a stronger network of Food and Life Sciences and Certification and Compliance companies across APAC. Geographically, we're determined to keep growing in Australia and Singapore while pursuing selected opportunities elsewhere across Asia-Pacific where they complement our existing capabilities and regional strategy.

The Next Phase of Phenna’s APAC Growth

Phenna's regional strategy combines growth within the businesses already in the Group with targeted acquisitions that add technical capability, geographic reach, or complementary services. The aim is to establish a robust and more balanced regional network across the five divisions while keeping each company close to its customers and local market.

That approach also creates openings beyond individual acquisitions. A wider mix of services and locations can help Phenna’s APAC businesses support more of a customer's requirements, bring expertise together for larger projects, and establish capabilities in markets where another Group company already has people, facilities, or infrastructure.

Brett on the Strategy for Growth

What does the next phase of Phenna’s APAC growth strategy look like, and what are your biggest priorities?

I'm looking to double our APAC business in the next five years. A major priority is building our presence in Certification and Compliance, as well as Food and Life Sciences, while continuing to pursue opportunities across our other divisions where businesses can bring new or complementary services into the Group. We want a more balanced portfolio across our five divisions while continuing to optimise the markets and capabilities where we already have a good position.

How do you balance acquiring new businesses with growing the companies already within the Group?

The focus is always on both. We want our existing companies to deliver organic growth at 8% or higher, while our acquisition activity moves at pace. Acquisitions expand what the Group can offer, while investment and development within our existing companies ensure we're also making the most of the knowledge, capability, and opportunities already within Phenna.

When you are assessing a potential acquisition, what makes an APAC business particularly attractive beyond the financials?

It always comes back to people and culture. We spend time with the leaders, understand what's important to them, and learn how their business operates. We're looking at whether their leadership and culture fit Phenna, and equally whether Phenna's people and culture are right for them. Ultimately, we need to know whether we can work well together and share the same ambitions for the business.

How important is it to add complementary capabilities, rather than simply increasing Phenna’s scale?

It’s critical. In APAC, we have a range of services that cover a broad cross-section of industries, geographies, and customers. We want to – and can – provide end-to-end services across various projects or operations. However, there are areas where we need to enhance our service provision, and this is always a key consideration when targeting and assessing acquisition opportunities.

Can existing Phenna companies also expand their expertise into other APAC markets?

Absolutely, and we're already seeing successes. An existing Phenna company can provide a base for another business to enter a geography, and they can share facilities, assets, and technical expertise. Our scale can also give APAC businesses access to larger prospects that may have been harder to pursue independently. That's an important part of what being within the wider Group can provide.

Investing in APAC Businesses After Acquisition

An acquisition is the beginning of the next stage for a Phenna APAC business. Our operating model makes sure experienced local leaders stay close to their customers and markets, while giving them access to investment, specialist support, and other companies across the Group. The individual business retains its identity while gaining additional ways to improve its services and reach.

Brett on Scaling APAC Businesses After Acquisition

Once a business joins Phenna in APAC, where do you typically see the greatest opportunity to accelerate growth?

Collaboration with our other APAC businesses is one of the biggest drivers of growth: 1+1 = 3. We have a broad range of capabilities across the Group, and the real value comes from making those accessible to customers. We've already seen many successes, but we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible. There is still considerable potential to connect businesses, services, and customers more effectively across the region – exciting times ahead!

How do you give individual businesses the freedom to stay entrepreneurial while helping them use Phenna’s wider scale and resources?

It’s all about showing leaders what those resources can help them achieve. Most want to use the expertise, scale, and wider benefits of Phenna Group because it supports the growth ambitions they already have for their business. Ultimately, we all want the same thing – continued growth with sustainable and increasing margins.

What opportunities are you seeing for better collaboration between APAC businesses?

As I mentioned earlier, we’re only just scratching the surface. As of now, we're already sharing capital assets and technical specialists, bringing expertise from one company into tender opportunities led by another, and using our regional coverage to support customers across multiple APAC markets. We're also sharing facilities and helping existing customers access additional services from elsewhere in the Group.

As the portfolio becomes larger and more diverse, how do you make sure businesses still feel locally led?

Leadership is central to the Phenna model. Each company still leads its own day-to-day business because its people are the experts in the services they provide and the customers they serve. Phenna is there to support and guide, bringing supplementary experience and proficiency while allowing local teams to continue making the decisions that help them stay responsive to their markets.

Regional Support for an Expanding Group

As Phenna's APAC network expands, the regional platform around those businesses is progressing with it. Smaller TICC companies in particular can benefit from access to functions that would be difficult or inefficient to assemble independently.

Brett explains:

"As our APAC business numbers have increased, we've added support resources to make sure our companies can access everything they need to keep developing and delivering for their customers. Legal, finance, HR, IT and sales support become increasingly important as the region scales, particularly for smaller businesses.”

That investment is already continuing. Former Phenna Group General Counsel, Tom Gray, is relocating to Australia as Legal Counsel, Asia-Pacific, bringing dedicated legal and governance expertise closer to Brett and the region's businesses as Phenna continues to evolve.

Looking Ahead: Phenna Group’s Ambitions for APAC

Brett's focus over the next five years is clear: build a larger, more balanced regional group, strengthen the areas where Phenna has room to improve, and make better use of the expertise and resources already available across its APAC businesses to create more value for customers, employees, and founders.

Brett on What Success Looks Like

If we were having this conversation again in three to five years, what would you like Phenna’s APAC region to look like?

I'd like to see a relatively even spread of revenue across our five divisions and a business that's around double its current size. I'd also like our companies to be fully integrated in the sense that we're making the best use of the synergies between our services, geographies, capabilities and specialisms, while each business retains its own strengths and local leadership.

Beyond revenue or the number of APAC businesses in the Group, how will you judge whether Phenna has been successful?

Happy customers, happy teams, and strong employee retention are all important measures. I also want to see active collaboration between our businesses and teams choosing to work together because they recognise what they can achieve across the Group.

What would you like Phenna to become known for amongst TICC business owners and entrepreneurs across the region?

I want Phenna to be known as the acquirer of choice for high-quality TICC businesses across APAC. That means business owners understanding the model, seeing what it has delivered for other founders, and recognising Phenna as a partner that can support their ambitions while respecting what they've already built.

What would you want the owner of an established APAC TICC company considering its future to understand about Phenna?

With Phenna, you can realise your financial and operational goals with the support you need, while maintaining the culture and way of working that make your business successful. We want founders and leadership teams to still bring their specialisms and entrepreneurial approach to the business, supported by the capabilities and scale of the wider Group.

Considering the Future of Your TICC Business in APAC?

Asia-Pacific’s ongoing development offers significant potential for TICC companies with the specialist knowledge, reputation, and ambition to grow. With Phenna Group behind them, founders can build on that position, access wider capabilities and investment, and pursue opportunities that may be harder to realise alone.

For the owner of an APAC business considering succession, a partial or full exit, or additional support for the next stage of growth, our M&A team can discuss your objectives confidentially and explain how the Phenna model could work for you.

Speak to the Phenna Group M&A team today to discuss how a partnership with us could support your long-term goals.