Weston Williamson + Partners joins Egis
BCMS has advised Weston Williamson + Partners on the sale of a majority stake in the firm to Egis, an international player in the consulting, engineering and operating sectors.
Founded in 1985, Weston Williamson + Partners is an award-winning architecture and urban planning design practice, with particular expertise in large-scale infrastructure, masterplanning and city-shaping projects. The firm has studios in Manchester, London, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne, and has designed and delivered major infrastructure projects in the UK and around the world.
In 2019, Weston Williamson + Partners won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its outstanding international growth. Recent projects include two soon-to-be revealed Elizabeth Line stations at Paddington and Woolwich, Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel project, and new residential and mixed-use developments across London.
“The advisory team were superb in helping us navigate what was an incredibly complex sale process” – Rob Naybour, CEO, Weston Williamson + Partners
With 16,000 employees and operations in 120 countries worldwide, Egis is one of the biggest consulting, engineering and operating companies in the world. Egis recently produced the Paris 2050 Carbon Neutral Plan and already works with some of the world’s leading architecture firms. By investing in Weston Williamson + Partners’ talent and established global brand, the partnership expands the practice’s design capability and expertise, opens up new international opportunities, and strengthens Egis’ global presence in the infrastructure and design sectors.
Deal insights and commentary
Egis has acquired a majority stake in Weston Williamson + Partners, with the practice’s name, brand and company leadership carried over under the Egis umbrella. The deal will allow Weston Williamson + Partners to expand its global reach and compete for high-profile projects in new markets. The new Weston Williamson + Partners board will be led by founding partners Chris Williamson and Rob Naybour as Chairman and CEO respectively, alongside Weston Williamson + Partners managing partner Philip Breese and four senior Egis-employed board members.
Rob Naybour, CEO at Weston Williamson + Partners, said: “We are thrilled to be joining Egis Group, and excited by the opportunities to bring our skills and expand our influence on important city-shaping infrastructure projects around the world. Like us, Egis Group is a people-centred business with a strong record of delivery and collaboration, and a clear focus on crafting elegant and sustainable places. This means that it is still very much business as usual in terms of our existing client relationships, our culture and our high levels of service. We are proud of our track record opening studios in Australia and North America, and our integration with Egis Group extends our offer to new clients, wherever they may be in the world.”
Claire Davies, UK Managing Director at Egis, added: “In the UK, Egis delivers projects which help connect people, protect our environment and meet emission reduction targets. Weston Williamson + Partners are a great addition to our fast-growing UK team and will enable us to further support clients in meeting their transport, infrastructure and place shaping ambitions whilst driving sustainable change.”
Commenting on the advisors supporting the transaction, Rob Naybour added: “The advisory team headed up by Andrew Sims (BCMS), Kevin Paget and Ralph Mitchison (Menzies), Helen Mead (DMH Stallard) and Oliver Jankowsky (Hall & Wilcox) were superb in helping us navigate what was an incredibly complex sale process – our sincerest thanks to them all. This was a challenging process and we could not have done it without the teamwork and purpose displayed by our team. The advice was solid and collaborative, but the manner of working was superb: calm and considered, yet firm when it was required.”
