Joint Inspection Team for Wales

Dawood Haddadi – Head of Joint Inspection Team, Executive Director, Joint Inspection Team for Building Safety (Wales) Ltd

Dawood is a chartered environmental health practitioner and housing and construction consultant who began his property career working for a Merseyside Local Authority, ensuring that both private sector and the Local Authority’s own housing stock met current standards. He has held several senior managerial positions within local government and has substantial experience in preparing expert and professional reports, attending court, and providing evidence. He has considerable experience in providing consultancy services to local authorities across England and registered providers.

Dawood’s projects have included major developments such as the Olympic Village’s transition from the Athlete’s Village to the East Village, one of the UK’s largest residential developments. He has advised various Housing Associations in London and the Southeast on fire safety, compliance, landlord and tenant matters, disrepair, and inclusivity.

An experienced trainer, Dawood has substantial experience in delivering training courses nationally on a variety of topics, including technical matters.

In his very limited spare time, Dawood enjoys spending time with his friends and family spanning the UK, Germany, and Portugal.

Russ McGrath – Principal Fire Safety Advisor

Russ started his career in the British Fire and Rescue Service in 1987 and has served in both Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, retiring in 2019. Russ has been involved in fire safety both as a compliance and enforcement officer, working during the transition from the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

During this time, Russ attended the Fire Service College Fire Safety modules and successfully completed an HNC in Building (Fire Dynamics) Studies via the University of South Wales. Since leaving the Fire and Rescue Service, Russ has worked for national fire safety and health and safety compliance providers, primarily involved in fire risk assessment, fire strategy, and building regulations work. He has also gained extensive experience in assessing high-risk residential buildings, multi-occupied buildings, HMOs, factories, offices, care homes, and hospitals.

Russ has attained Member Status of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE) and is an IFE Registered Fire Risk Assessor. Russ is a former National Examiner for the NEBOSH Fire Safety and Risk Management certificate.

Tom Marchant - Principal Fire Engineer

Tom graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA (Hons) in Urban Studies and Planning. He joined the Fire Service in 2011, initially working for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. In 2014, he moved to West Midlands Fire Service, first serving as an operational firefighter and junior officer, then as a Fire Safety Inspecting Officer. There, Tom gained a Level 4 Diploma in Fire Safety and became the Planning and Building Regulations team leader, before moving into the Fire Engineering team. These previous roles within legislative fire safety have involved inspecting high-rise residential buildings during construction and occupation, reviewing fire strategies, attending qualitative design reviews (QDRs), validating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fire models, and delivering internal and external fire engineering presentations.

Since 2020, Tom has been studying towards a degree in Fire Engineering at the University of Central Lancashire and has chosen to continue working towards an MEng in Fire Engineering. Outside of work, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and friends and holds a voluntary position as the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Southern Branch Treasurer.

Rob Ellison – Principal Environmental Health Advisor

Rob Ellison graduated in Environmental Health from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2015. Rob was a Technical Housing Officer in the busy local authority of Hastings Borough Council, and thereafter Bristol City Council, focusing on housing standards improvement to enhance public health for a range of residential properties, including large houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).

Rob specialised in housing health and safety and licensed-housing enforcement, tackling poor housing conditions and supporting the safety and health of private rented sector and housing association tenants between 2015 and 2022. Rob took a part-time role to support Wales' approach to contact tracing within Monmouthshire between 2020 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside his substantive housing post. He eventually took up a Specialist Environmental Health Officer post within Monmouthshire County Council's Public Protection Team in 2022.

Rob has been seconded from Monmouthshire County Council to the Joint Inspection Team to focus on the application of fire safety hazards in taller multi-occupied properties through the lens of The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), this being his core specialism across his housing-related posts. In his downtime, Rob has a busy family life, enjoying walks in nature, or at the beach, and less-often motorcycling, when time (and weather) permit.

Kyle Higgins – Principal Building Control Advisor

Kyle has extensive expertise in construction project and risk management. Educated at the University of South Wales, his academic journey has endowed him with a comprehensive skill set encompassing advanced building surveying, a thorough understanding of legislation, and strategic asset management. His professional experience spans building pathology, mechanical and electrical built environments, energy strategy, retrofit coordination, finance, procurement, contract management, and the housing sector, all underpinned by a deep knowledge of related law, policy, and strategy.

Kyle’s career has been distinguished by significant roles in asset management and hands-on experience as a trade operative, further enriched by commendable service in the Armed Forces. These experiences have refined his problem-solving skills and leadership abilities, equipping him to tackle the challenges and duties of his current position. He is instrumental in inspecting high-risk residential buildings, ensuring compliance with regulations, and providing essential advice to enhance safety measures across Wales.

Beyond his professional commitments, Kyle enjoys coaching a junior football team. Family is the cornerstone of his life, and he treasures every moment spent with them.