GHD Group

Last updated

GHD
Company type Private company
Industry Professional services
Founded24 September 1928, 97 years ago [1]
Number of locations
200+ offices in 14 countries (2024) [2]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Rob Knott
(Chairman)
Jim Giannopoulos
(CEO)
Products Engineering, management, design, environmental science, architecture
Services Consulting
RevenueAUD 2.9 billion (2024) [3]
Number of employees
Approx. 12,000 (2024) [4]
Website http://www.ghd.com
GHD office in North America GHDGroupMarkham2.jpg
GHD office in North America

GHD Group Pty Ltd (formerly known as Gutteridge Haskins & Davey) is a global employee-owned multinational technical professional services firm providing advisory, architecture and design, buildings, digital, energy and resources, environmental, geosciences, project management, transportation and water services. [5]

Contents

GHD employs more than 12,000 peopleengineers, architects, planners, scientists, project managers and economists operating in over 160 offices across five continents serving clients in water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation markets. GHD has delivered projects in over 135 countries. [2]

History

GHD was founded as a private practice in Melbourne, Australia in 1928 by Alan Gordon Gutteridge who operated as a consulting engineer with focuses on water and sewerage. The partnership of Gerald Haskins and Geoffrey Innes Davey [6] joined with Gutteridge's practice in 1939, establishing the formal partnership of Gutteridge Haskins & Davey. During the 1950s and 60s GHD grew to more than 400 employees while expanding into transportation, manufacturing plants, building and civil works, energy, mining and dams. A notable project of the 1960s was the extension of potable water and sewage infrastructure across Tasmania. GHD expanded globally in the 1970s with a joint venture in Malaysia. [7]

During the 1990s GHD expanded its services into architecture, environmental and business consulting while expanding its presence in Southeast Asia. During the 2000s GHD continued to grow through a series of mergers and acquisitions in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, China, Chile and Malaysia. By 2013 GHD had grown to more than 1000 employees in North America. [7]

In 2014, GHD merged with Canadian firm Conestoga-Rovers & Associates in one of the largest private stock transactions in the engineering and environmental consulting industry, creating a combined company of 8,500 employees. At the time of the merger Conestoga-Rovers had about 3,000 employees mostly in North America and the United Kingdom, while GHD had 5,500 employees across five continents. [8] The combined company became the sixth-largest employee-owned engineering consultancy in the world, with $1.5 billion in combined revenue. [9] Also in 2014, GHD acquired the brand and business of Australian architecture firm Woodhead, later renamed GHD Woodhead. [10] [11]

In 2018 GHD opened a new North American headquarters facility in Waterloo, Ontario. At that time, the company said that the North American region accounted for over half of GHD's US$1.7 billion global revenue. [12]

On 2 April 2024, Jim Giannopoulos was appointed CEO, after serving in leadership roles in Canada and leading the America's region. [13]

Market sectors

In FY2024 30% of revenues were in the Environment sector, 21% in transportation, 19% in water, 18% in property and buildings, and 12% in Energy and resources. GHD saw 8% organic growth over FY2023 with revenues of 2.888 Billion AUD (1.822 Billion USD). [14]

Achievements

The International Water Association awarded GHD's Birmingham Resilience Project the bronze medal for Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery at its 2018 Innovation Awards. [21] The American Council of Engineering Companies of California honored GHD for Comprehensive Large-Scale Habitat Restoration for the wetland mitigation work the firm did with for the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority. [22] The Australian Institute of Project Management recognized GHD for the firm's Pesticide Container Management in the Pacific. [23] GHD received an Award of Merit, Environmental from Engineering News-Record for the firm's involvement in the closure of a Puerto Rico Dump and the construction of Eloy S. Inos Peace Park. [24] GHD Woodhead received the Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture and a national award for sustainable architecture from the Australian Institute of Architects for the design of the Barwon Water HQ in Geelong, Australia. [25]

In 2024, GHD was ranked #14 Environmental Analyst in the Top 100 Global Environmental & Sustainability Consultancy Firm Rankings.

In 2018, GHD was ranked 16th in Financial Review’s annual top 500 private companies in Australia list. [26]

In 2024, GHD was ranked 27th in Engineering News-Record’s annual Top 500 Global Design Firms. [27]

References

  1. Arneil, Stan (1988). A firm foundation : the story of Gutteridge, Haskins & Davey, consulting engineers, 1928-1988. Sydney: Gutteridge, Haskins & Davey. ISBN   0-7316-2096-8.
  2. 1 2 GHD 2016 Annual Review. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. "Year in Review 2024". 15 December 2024.
  4. "GHD | 2023 Annual Review - About GHD".
  5. "Company Overview of GHD Group Pty Ltd". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. "Davey, Geoffrey Innes (1906–1975)". Davey, Geoffrey Innes (1906 - 1975) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. Adb.online.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  7. 1 2 "History". GHD.com. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  8. Simone, Rose (8 March 2014). "Conestoga-Rovers merging with Australian engineering firm". Waterloo Region Record .
  9. Bleby, Michael (14 March 2014). "Consultancy GHD engineers merger with Canada's CRA". The Australian Financial Review .
  10. Johnson, Nathan (7 July 2014). "GHD in massive merger with Conestoga-Rovers & Associates and takes on North American market". Architectureanddesign.com.
  11. Aliento, Willow (9 April 2014). "Woodhead liquidation – many questions and few answers from GHD". The Fifth Estate. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  12. "GHD opens North American headquarters in Waterloo". Canadian Consulting Engineer. Association of Canadian Engineering Companies. 26 March 2018.
  13. "GHD Names Jim Giannopoulos as New Global CEO". Yahoo Finance. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Year in review 2024". GHD Group.
  15. "Water Projects". GHD 2018 Annual Review. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  16. "Environment Projects". GHD 2018 Annual Review. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  17. "Property & Buildings Projects". GHD 2018 Annual Review. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  18. "Transportation Projects". GHD 2018 Annual Review. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  19. "GHD - Who are we". GHD Communications. 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  20. "GHD - Digital". GHD.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  21. "18 Winners at the 12th IWA Project Innovation Awards". International Water Association. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  22. "2018 Engineering Excellence Awards". American Council of Engineering Companies of California. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  23. "National Winner 2018". Australian Institute of Project Management. Retrieved 19 June 2019.[ dead link ]
  24. "Award of Merit, Environmental: Regulatory Closure of Puerto Rico Dump & Construction of Eloy S. Inos Peace Park". Engineering News-Record . 27 September 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  25. Farago, Peter (5 November 2018). "A million reasons why Barwon Water HQ wins national award". RealCommercial. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  26. "Top 500 Private Companies 2018: the full list". The Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  27. "ENR 2018 Top 150 Global Design Firms 1-100". Engineering News-Record . 1 July 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.