Artelia says it has ‘strengthened its position as one of Europe's top 10 engineering companies’ with the acquisition of Pick Everard, a long-standing player in the UK consultancy sector.
Following the acquisition of Austin Newport Group in Birmingham in 2020, and Castons in Suffolk in March 2024, Artelia says this latest development not only accelerates its development in the UK – where it will now have almost 1,000 employees, but also consolidates its foothold in Europe. For Pick Everard, meanwhile, Artelia says joining it ‘represents a unique opportunity to expand into new activities and markets’, benefiting from the group’s multi-sectorial expertise and presence in over 40 countries over the five continents.
The Artelia Group now has over 9,700 staff worldwide to serving clients with projects involving infrastructure, buildings, and industrial facilities, as well as ecological and digital transformation.
Pick Everard’s multidisciplinary teams provide a full range of design and management services to clients across the built environment and infrastructure markets. With a strong focus on customer service and technical excellence, the firm maintains a repeat business rate of over 85%. This has seen Pick Everard enjoy strong and sustained growth, achieving a turnover of £71 m in 2024 (over €84 m).
Operating across both the public and private sectors, Pick Everard is ‘a trusted partner’ on over 60 live frameworks worth over £46 bn,
Artelia says that under the deal its existing teams in the UK will benefit from ‘solid experience in building engineering and project management, particularly in the healthcare, heritage, hospitality, education, retail and alternative energy sectors’. They are, for example, involved, as lead multidisciplinary consultant on the new’ state-of-the-art’ hospital for the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, and work with the Property Strategy team at the Whittington Health NHS Trust to redefine maternity services in North Central London.
Artelia’s CEO, Benoît Clocheret, said: “This external growth operation is fully in line with Artelia’s strategy to develop at a sustained pace in order to reinforce its position as a multidisciplinary leader on the international scene. By joining forces with Pick Everard, we broaden our skills in architecture and design engineering, and strengthen our foothold in the UK, where we have already been present for over 20 years. With its solid economy and strong engineering culture, the UK market offers real growth prospects, whether in healthcare, infrastructure or industry. I am deeply convinced that this merger will consolidate our Group’s development momentum, bringing new services to an increasingly broad UK market, as well as stimulating career development opportunities for our teams.”
Duncan Green, CEO of Pick Everard, said: “Joining the Artelia Group unlocks the next exciting phase of Pick Everard’s long history. The strategic alignment of the two businesses will further enhance Pick Everard’s well-established position, providing the foundation for further growth and success, through diversification of our offer, and access to new clients and markets within the UK and abroad. This move immediately expands our network of colleagues from over 700 people in the UK, to 9,700 people across the Artelia Group, and creates new opportunities to collaborate and share in best practice, innovation, and expertise that will benefit clients worldwide. Culture alignment has been critical in our decision to join the Artelia Group, as we’ve sought a partner that is 100% employee-owned and with whom we share the same core values. In Artelia, we have found an organisation that echoes Pick Everard’s commitment to deliver better together for its people, clients, communities, and the environment.”
