Australia's GTA Consultants joins global counterpart Stantec
Melbourne-based transport advisory firm GTA has been picked up by global engineering and design community Stantec for an undisclosed sum, in a bid to boost the latter’s presence across Australia and New Zealand.
GTA has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, serving some of the region’s largest public and private sector clients – a presence built over more than three decades of operation. Roughly 150 employees at GTA will now join Stantec’s global outfit of more than 22,000 professionals – across 350 locations on six continents.
“GTA adds immediate depth to our existing transportation service offerings in Australia and New Zealand,” said Stantec President and CEO Gord Johnston, noting how the firm “has been involved – and remains involved – in many of the most substantial transportation projects in Australia.”
Highlights from GTA’s portfolio include: the Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail, a 12 km corridor connecting the city’s business district to major transportation hubs; Chadstone Shopping Centre, the largest shopping complex in the Southern Hemisphere; and a contract with Australia’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources to work on FIshermans Bend – the country’s largest urban renewal project.
GTA supports these projects with the full stack of transportation advisory services – spanning strategy, planning, engineering, design and implementation in various capacities. The proposition aligns largely with Stantec – which boasts far greater scope and scale.
Indeed, Stantec’s ANZ operation alone spans more than 1,400 employees. “Joining Stantec will enable us to better serve our clients, providing us access to the deeper and broader capabilities of a truly global firm,” said GTA managing director Michael Durkin.
Market opportunity
The combined outfit is now poised to serve a market where opportunities abound. Australia has always been at the cutting edge of global infrastructure, although the recent disruption from digital, sustainable and purpose-driven engineering has put the industry in a state of flux.
The response has been to invest heavily in transforming infrastructure, with a particular focus on efficient and sustainable transportation that makes up the new mobility paradigm. GTA’s technical capabilities combined with Stantec’s expertise in environmental sciences and urban planning present a strong partner for these investment journeys. And its not just a technical fit: the two firms align at a cultural level as well.
“Stantec shares our commitment to strong growth, offers access to specialists across the globe, and aligns with our vision to make a tangible difference in our communities. Both Stantec and GTA strive to create a better world and contribute to the way communities are planned, making them highly connected, liveable, progressive, and sustainable,” noted Durkin.
Johnston backed up this sentiment. “GTA's culture of excellence and collaboration aligns very well with our core values, and we’re pleased to welcome them to our growing global community.”
In related news, Australian-origin Elton Consulting and Transport Engineering previously also both joined global engineering groups.
