July 27, 2016: The global professional services consultancy Turner & Townsend has increased its turnover by eight per cent to £409m in the year ended 30 April 2016.

The company, which employs nearly 4,300 staff across 97 offices worldwide, has now notched up six consecutive years of revenue growth. Its profit after tax of £30m has almost tripled in five years. The success has been achieved in the face of volatile market conditions over the past year, and thanks to a flexible and resilient long-term strategy. Turner & Townsend’s diverse activity is spread across three core sectors – real estate, infrastructure and natural resources – and 41 global markets.

This flexible approach has helped it absorb market shocks and continue to thrive. For example, the company’s Middle East operation balanced last year’s abrupt fall in oil prices through increased real estate and infrastructure work – and successfully grew total revenue by 24 percent.

Annual revenue rose by a quarter (24 percent) in the company’s Australia and New Zealand operation, nine percent in Europe and 14 percent in the UK and Ireland – where turnover reached a record £180m. Revenue also grew in Africa and Latin America.

Across its sectors, the company recorded strong growth in global real estate revenue (up 15 percent to £196m) and infrastructure (up 16 percent to £123m), which more than offset the impact on revenue from challenging conditions seen in the natural resources sector.

A series of high-profile project wins underpinned this success, including commissions to support the delivery airports in Houston and Dallas, the UK’s High Speed 2 rail line and Australia’s largest-ever hotel and residential complex, The Jewel.

Vincent Clancy, CEO for Turner & Townsend commented:  “Our achievements are a testament to the strength of our business, despite a backdrop of significant volatility.

“The past year has seen us become the partner of choice for many of the world’s largest capital programmes, and our diversified business model continued to serve us well – giving us the flexibility to adapt to changes in individual markets.

“Through our partnership, we’ve continued to invest in our people by giving a pathway for our most talented employees to become partners – with a say in how the business is run and a share in our success.

“With the UK set to leave the EU and volatility in other global markets, these are changing times for our industry. However, 70 years on from our formation, I am confident our strong business model and investment in our capability will continue to see us on the right path to deliver long-term sustainable growth.”

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July 5, 2016: Independent professional services company Turner & Townsend has relocated its global head of major programmes to Singapore and appointed a new managing director for South East Asia to further strengthen business in the region.

Ashley Prail, who has led the consultancy’s major programmes across the world for the last five years and been in charge of aviation and rail in the region for the past two, is to permanently relocate to Singapore.

Prior to taking up his current global role, he was instrumental in growing the company’s project controls business in the UK to more than 200 staff. During his tenure, he supported high-profile clients in aviation, nuclear power, water, rail, mining, oil and gas, and property.

Mark Richards, who has held senior positions at Turner & Townsend for the past 16 years, has been appointed the region’s managing director after a highly successful three years heading up the business in India. He will still retain executive oversight for India.

He has extensive public and private sector experience both in the UK and internationally, having been responsible for programme management in Birmingham, UK for a decade before taking on the role of country manager in Kazakhstan and then managing director in India.

Both appointments underline the importance Turner & Townsend places on continuing growth in South and South East Asia with opportunities to expand in Malaysia, which is currently investing in major infrastructure and property projects. Combined with developments in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, the independent professional services company aims to strengthen its presence in the region.

Duncan Stone, Managing Director Asia for Turner & Townsend, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ashley and Mark to Singapore at such an exciting time in South East Asia.

“Their depth of knowledge and international experience leading some very significant projects and programmes within infrastructure, property and natural resources puts them in an excellent position to drive and grow the business in the region.

“The economic outlook in Singapore, according to our International Construction Market Survey 2016, looks positive in the finance and insurance industries with forecasts of 5.9 per cent growth. Wholesale and the retail trade are also expected to record solid growth with higher construction demand from the public sector.”

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July 5, 2016: Global professional services consultancy Turner & Townsend has opened an office in Kenya as the country sees solid economic growth, with the outlook for continued investment in infrastructure and construction.

The company is currently involved in more than 40 projects across Africa, mainly in the telecoms, oil and gas, infrastructure, health, education, and hotel and leisure sectors. Much of this portfolio has been built from the consultancy’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa and Kampala, Uganda.

The independent consultancy now looks to expand further into Kenya, the largest economy in the East African region, introducing new services and developing skill sets in the region.

Heading up the office is newly-appointed Daimon Keith who is the country manager for Kenya. Keith is a chartered surveyor with considerable international experience. Prior to his appointment, he was responsible for leading the rail sector in the UK for Turner & Townsend, working with Network Rail, London Underground and Transport for London.

His team is expected to quadruple in the next two years, supported by staff from other regions, who will transfer relevant skillsets and support the ambitious growth plans for Africa.

Daimon Keith, Country Manager for Turner & Townsend in Kenya, said: “Nairobi is our second East African office, joining Kampala, Uganda, set up in 2012. In Kenya, and other East African countries, the significant GDP growth rates mean that we will see multi-location property programmes and ambitious infrastructure plans, seeking inward investment that will require new skills. There are also substantial natural resource reserves in East Africa.

“The opportunities for us are significant across the sectors we support. Over and above traditional quantity surveying services, we offer project management, project controls and dispute resolution services.”

“Combined with our knowledge and understanding about the local market and its supply chain, our service portfolio gives us a differentiated and competitive proposition for companies in East Africa that need project support to secure greater capital efficiency and create more affordable assets.

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