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Stantec buys environmental consultancy ESI to expand UK presence

Canadian engineering consultant Stantec has increased its presence in the UK market after acquiring the UK-based hydrogeology and contaminated land consultancy ESI Consulting.

Stantec is a 22,000-strong built environment design and professional services consultant based in Canada and the US, with operations in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East. It has now taken on more than 50 team members with ESI holding three offices in England and Wales, including Shrewsbury, Reading, and Cardiff. 

With more than 20 years of history in the marketplace, ESI is one of the UK’s leading independent scientific environmental consulting firms with services in groundwater, land and sustainable development to the UK water utility, transport, infrastructure, minerals & waste and property industries.

Additionally, as part of the £1.5bn Highways England project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon, ESI developed a groundwater flow model of the shallow groundwater system to assess the effect on key receptors of dewatering using the proposed borrow pit and recharge lagoon system. 

Commenting on the acquisition, Cath Schefer, Stantec managing director of Stantec’s Europe-Africa & India division, said: “ESI brings the experience and highly-respected project work that complements the longstanding presence we’ve held throughout the United Kingdom. Our combined teams will provide creative solutions, leading edge analysis, and proven value for our clients across a wide range of industries.”

Stantec currently employs around 2,400 people with the vast majority coming on board after the firm bought water infrastructure consultant MWH Global in April 2016 for £560m in a move to designed to expand the global reach of the newly merged business.

ESI managing director Jon Cooke said: “Just like Stantec, we have a commitment to the communities we serve throughout the UK and we look forward to connecting to a larger network of technical support to expand our reach throughout the region and beyond”, said. “We also appreciate that our talented team members will be exposed to a global portfolio of projects and career opportunities as we integrate into the Stantec company community.”

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