It may have lost the Parsons Brinckerhoff (the former professional services division of Balfour Beatty) part of its name but WSP remains one of the foremost engineering and design consultancies in the world. While the Middle East market has faced a challenging 12 months, WSP has a relatively low exposure to the turbulent Saudi Arabian market.
While it awaits opportunities in the Kingdom relating to the Vision 2030 programme, it has maintained a high level of activity in the UAE, securing contracts and is confident that its property and buildings business can continue to be a success. The company is now being led by regional managing director Greg Kane who helped to restructure the firms operating model during the integration of Parsons Brinckerhoff before the departure of predecessor Tom Bower.
In addition to its portfolio which includes the Royal Atlantis on the Palm, the Mall of Emirates expansion and the Jeddah Corniche in Saudi Arabia, it has also emerged as a major contributor to building safety in the region, working alongside the civil defence authority in the UAE on the new fire safety code. It also contributed to developing accessibility within the built environment with the government of Dubai.