Ramboll to fast track growth through global expansion

Engineering consultant Ramboll UK is set to increase turnover from £58m to £75m by 2015 through international expansion and acquisitions, says the firm’s UK managing director.

Charles McBeath is the group’s first ever UK managing director following the firm’s acquisition of fellow engineer Gifford in March last year for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition doubled the size of Ramboll. Staff numbers rose to 1,000 and turnover grew from £35m to £58m.

Speaking to Building, McBeath said he was now focused on growing the group further to reach a £75m turnover within three years and grow the firm’s international revenue from 25% of the group’s overall turnover to 40% by 2014.

McBeath said: “Our headline strategy is to grow. We will increase the size of our infrastructure revenue through Gifford’s existing expertise and focus on the environment sector.”

He added that further acquisitions could be on the cards: “We want to grow and anyone who thinks they are going to grow dramatically in 2012 without acquisition is kidding themselves, really.”

In terms of international expansion, Ramboll will focus on north Africa and Russia, with a “cautious approach” to China, a market McBeath said was already “sewn up to an extent”.

Since acquiring Gifford last year, Ramboll has grown to become one of the biggest engineering specialists in the UK.