RSK Group grows on both sides of the Tasman with Cogency and BTW Company deals

Global environmental and engineering consultancy RSK Group has struck on both sides of the Tasman this month, picking up Cogency in Australia and BTW Company in New Zealand.

Based out of Melbourne, Cogency is a specialist planning, environmental assessment, and engagement consultancy founded in 2022, while BTW Company has been around for more than fifty years and provides a wide range of technical services.

The double September acquisitions follow the July addition of Perth-based ecological consultancy Biota Environmental Sciences and its subsidiary Helix Molecular Solutions, continuing RSK Group’s stated strategy to keep growing its footprint across the A/NZ region.

Now with a headcount of more than 1,300 people across Australia and New Zealand and revenues exceeding $400 million, RSK Group aims to accelerate annual revenue to $1.6 billion by 2030, with mergers and acquisitions set to remain an integral part of its growth strategy. Since the UK-headquartered group entered the A/NZ market in 2021, RSK Group has acquired more than a dozen companies.

Cogency

As for its most recent purchase, Cogency advises public and private sector clients on major renewables projects throughout their life-cycle, from site selection, due diligence, and approvals strategy to development applications, environmental and social assessment, and stakeholder and community engagement, with particular experience in wind, solar, and battery storage projects. The firm has around 15 employees.

“The energy transition is creating strong demand for advisers who can combine strategic thinking with detailed knowledge of planning, approvals, and stakeholder engagement, said RSK Group CEO Alan Ryder. “Cogency has built an impressive reputation in these areas and will help us provide an even more joined-up service for clients from the earliest stages of project development.”

Cogency will retain its brand and continue to be led by co-founders Rebecca Wardle and Adam Terrill as managing directors out of Melbourne, the pair stating: “We are delighted to be joining a values-aligned organisation in RSK, whose global presence and breadth of expertise will enable us to extend our reach and deliver more for our clients, communities, and the environment.”

BTW Company

Founded in 1973, BTW Company provides civil, structural and geotechnical engineering, surveying, planning and resource management, environmental science, geospatial, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), light detection and ranging (lidar), geographic information system (GIS) and building information modelling (BIM) services.

The company operates from five North Island offices in New Plymouth, Hamilton, Taupō, Taumarunui and Raglan, and has a team of around 100 professionals delivering projects nationwide.

“BTW Company is a highly respected New Zealand consultancy with strong technical capability, trusted client relationships and a culture that closely aligns with RSK,” said Ryder. “Its strengths in water, infrastructure, environmental science, surveying and digital delivery make it a strong strategic fit as we build our Asia Pacific platform and support clients facing increasingly complex environmental and infrastructure challenges.”

Grant Aitken, Managing Director of BTW Company, said: “Joining RSK Group gives us the scale, technical depth and international network to support the next stage of our growth while maintaining the local relationships, regional presence and values that have shaped the business for more than 50 years. Our clients will continue to work with the same trusted team, with access to a broader range of specialist expertise and delivery capacity.”

RSK Group

Cogency and BTW Company join a global group of more than 200 companies, employing some 17,000 people under the RSK Group banner. Other Australian additions over the past year include Biota Environmental Sciences, Civil Geotechnical Consultants, Renzo Tonin & Associates, and Capire, while earlier consulting-focused acquisitions include SJA, Projence and Edge Impact.

McGrathNicol was among the advisors to RSK on its two most recent acquisitions, supporting buy-side financial due diligence on Cogency and BTW Company’s performance, key value drivers, and transaction considerations. Sell-side advisors on the deals included Queensland-based AMC Advisory for Cogency.