Celnor Group Acquires John Turner Consulting in Strategic U.S. Expansion

Date: 13 March 2025

By: Lumina CF

LONDON – Celnor Group, the UK-based testing, inspection, certification and compliance (TICC) platform backed by Inflexion Private Equity, has completed its first international acquisition, acquiring John Turner Consulting (JTC), a multi-disciplinary geotechnical and environmental consulting firm based in New England, USA.

Lumina Corporate Finance introduced John Turner Consulting to Celnor Group, facilitating initial discussions and helping navigate the partnership process. The deal highlights Lumina's role as an advisor in high-impact cross-border M&A within the TICC market.

About the Deal

• Target firm: John Turner Consulting, founded in 1997, employs approximately 150 staff across eight offices in New England, with core services in geotechnical engineering, materials sampling and analysis, environmental consulting, inspection services, building sciences, energy consulting, and construction engineering.

• Strategic importance: The acquisition marks a significant milestone for Celnor, transforming it from a UK & Ireland-based consolidator into an international platform serving North America. At the time of acquisition, Celnor supported over 1,300 colleagues across 20+ member companies and served 5,500 clients with annual revenues exceeding £130 million.

• Leadership continuity: Founder and president John Turner will remain actively engaged in JTC’s day-to-day operations and continued relationship building with clients. Simon Parrington, CEO of Celnor, described Turner’s values and vision as closely aligned with the group’s ethos.

Strategic Rationale

By adding JTC, Celnor extends its environmental, geotechnical, and inspection specialties into the U.S. market, serving sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, and transportation across New England. JTC will also act as a platform to expand further into the US market.

The acquisition aligns with Celnor’s broader strategy of scaling its compliance and technical platform through thoughtful, founder-aligned deals. Earlier acquisitions included Riverside Environmental, Vintec Laboratories, and Ground Investigation & Piling (GIP), followed by further roll-ups in workplace safety and ecological compliance Celnor.

Quotes

Simon Parrington, CEO and Founder of Celnor, said:

“JTC represents a pivotal moment for Celnor as we expand our coverage beyond the UK and Ireland. … John’s decades of experience in the industry and his values align perfectly with Celnor. … The growth of JTC is impressive and a testament to John and his team … I look forward to working with John and the team over the long term.”

John Turner added:

“Over the years, many firms have approached me about acquiring JTC, but for the first time, I met someone who truly aligns with our vision. … This transition isn’t just right for me personally; it will create new, accelerated opportunities for the JTC team.”

Outlook

This acquisition positions Celnor Group as a high growth, transatlantic player in the TICC space, opening new pathways for development across both compliance engineering and environmental advisory services.

The transaction underscores the growing appetite for cross-border platform expansion in the TICC market—a trend Lumina expects to accelerate through 2026 and beyond.