Business & Money | Monday 9 February, 2015 8:10 am |

ARCADIS, the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, announced its new Middle East regional leadership following the acquisition of Hyder Consulting in October 2014.

Wael Allan will take the role of ARCADIS CEO for the Middle East region. Wael was previously Hyder Consulting’s Group Operating Officer and Chairman for the Middle East. Wael has a strong background in multinational business management having worked for a number of major engineering and construction companies before joining Hyder in 2009. Current Middle East lead John Williams will take up the role of Chief Operating Officer and, together with Wael, will lead a 2,200 person, €170m business in the Middle East, focused on winning major programs by combining the firm’s design and consultancy capabilities.

Neil McArthur, CEO of ARCADIS said: “The strategic rationale for bringing Hyder and ARCADIS together included further strengthening our design and consultancy position in the Middle East. Wael is a vastly experienced business leader who I am excited to be working with to help our clients and our people realize the full value of our joint offering. We have already seen synergy in our coming together through client wins such as Crossrail 2 in the UK and anticipate further successes in the future.”

Wael Allan, CEO of ARCADIS Middle East said: “The strength of ARCADIS and Hyder capabilities enables the combined business to deliver evolving client demands and allows ARCADIS to provide its full range of design and consultancy services to clients in the Middle East. I am looking forward to leading the combined business to future success.”

Graham Reid, currently Hyder’s UK Managing Director will become ARCADIS Global Design Director, offering clients access to a wider pool of world leading design solutions and resources from across the world. Graham has led Hyder’s UK business for the past five years and in this time, he established and developed Hyder’s Indian global design centers.

ARCADIS has also announced its new leadership in Australia Pacific and the UK.

Greg Steele will become the Regional CEO for Australia Pacific, which will become ARCADIS’ seventh region. Greg has been the Hyder MD in Australasia since 2010. The extension of the ARCADIS business into Australia Pacific opens up new opportunities with clients.

Alan Brookes, the current ARCADIS UK CEO, will lead the combined UK team to create a 3,900 person, €370m business. Alan has been UK CEO since January 2014, having been a member of the EC Harris senior leadership team in the UK and Asia for over seven years. The combined capabilities in the UK now span from business advisory through to program, project and cost management, to engineering and environment services.

Alan Brookes, Graham Reid, Greg Steele and Wael Allan will all join ARCADIS’ Senior Management Committee.

Ivor Catto, who has been global CEO of Hyder Consulting since 2008, has decided to step down from Hyder and ARCADIS in order to seek other business opportunities.

Neil McArthur continues: “I would like to thank Ivor for his help in Hyder’s smooth transition to ARCADIS and facilitation of the alignment of Hyder’s capabilities at both regional and global levels. Under his leadership Hyder has successfully built the operating model based on global design excellence which was a major consideration for us when acquiring Hyder. I have great respect for his leadership and wish him well.”