The company will be led by Mathieu du Plooy, who took over the role of managing director for WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff, Africa from 1 March 2015.
Mathieu has been the managing director of WSP in Africa since 2010. A professional mechanical engineering technologist , he is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the South African Institute for Mechanical Engineers (SAIMechE) and the South African Institute for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (SAIRAC). He obtained his MCom in Financial Management and his MBA at the University of Cape Town, and holds a BTech Mech from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
“I am very excited about the future of our company in Africa,” he says. “Our businesses’ complimentary skill sets and offering on the continent mean that we will be able to provide our clients with an even wider set of services, with the same trusted expertise and passionate professionalism they have come to expect when dealing with WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff.”
The two companies share similar values, and a commitment to technical expertise and excellent client care. This means the combined organisation’s people and its clients remain its top priority as it manages the change that will be necessary in combining its operations. “Our people will have even greater opportunities to work on exciting and challenging projects, with world-class teams of experts. For our clients this means best of class, innovative solutions that will help to ensure the delivery of sustainable projects on a continent that offers abundant opportunity for growth,” Mathieu explains.
Ian Maclean, former managing director of Parsons Brinckerhoff Africa and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has been announced as UK managing director for energy and industry, bringing together the former WSP industrial engineering discipline and Parsons Brinckerhoff’s power and energy arm.
Ian will continue his involvement with South Africa through his responsibility for the Medupi project. “I am extremely excited to be leading this well respected capability in our industry out of the UK, and to remain involved in the African business,” Ian says. “I believe my experience in the industry, particularly in power, will ensure continued excellence in client delivery across both countries. As we move forward my focus will be on ensuring continuity in service delivery on our African power projects as we join our two great businesses.”
WSP’s acquisition of Parsons Brinckerhoff was completed in November 2014, creating one of the largest pure-play multidisciplinary consulting firms worldwide, with combined revenue of $4.8 billion ($3.8 billion net) and approximately 32,000 employees in 500 offices across 39 countries. This joining of forces is an opportunity to leverage the strength of both brands, and the solid client relationships developed in Africa, to create an organisation that is the envy of its competitors.