Aurecon strengthens Malaysia presence with strategic investment in ERE Consulting Group
Aurecon makes its second strategic investment in Malaysia this year, strengthening its commitment to growing its business in Asia and bolstering its sustainability, climate change, environment, and planning practices.
Leading international engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon announced its strategic investment in Malaysia’s ERE Consulting Group (ERE), a multidisciplinary environmental consultancy today. ERE is now a member of the Aurecon Group, effective 1 August 2021. This is Aurecon’s first strategic investment in the environment, water and sustainability sector in Asia and its second investment in Malaysia this year, following the investment made in GCU Consultants Sdn Bhd (GCU) in April.
William Cox, Chief Executive Officer at Aurecon, says the investment in ERE reflects Aurecon’s ongoing commitment to growing its business in Asia. “Under the leadership of Stephane Asselin, we are building our scale and our capabilities across Asia,” he said. “Recently, Aurecon has been recognised as one of ENR’s Top 200 Environmental Firms globally. As we welcome ERE to the Aurecon Group, I am confident that this further strengthens Aurecon’s environmental, water and sustainable development capabilities across Asia Pacific and will help clients to design resilient solutions that are ready for the future.”
Resilient Malaysia
Even as the country continues to face the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, economists and analysts are optimistic Malaysia’s GDP growth will recover in 2021, underlining the resilience of the country’s economy and highlighting the strong scope for growth. According to the World Bank, the country could register 4.5% GDP growth this year.
Significant investments in water supply, sanitation, waste management and energy are expected in Malaysia and these will present major work opportunities to Aurecon and ERE. More recently, Malaysia’s Water and Environment Ministry (KASA) has committed to a Sustainable Malaysia 2030 target. This is in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which will be rolled out through its Strategic Plan 2020 – 2030: Environmental Sustainability in Malaysia.
Stephane Asselin, Chief Executive, Asia at Aurecon says the investment in ERE will position Aurecon well for future opportunities in Malaysia and beyond. ERE’s sustainable development expertise and track record in the delivery of water strategy and resources management, green infrastructure, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable transportation projects, will add greater strength to Aurecon’s overall business offering.
“We are excited about the integration with ERE as it will allow us to accelerate our growth and pursue more opportunities with governments and organisations who are considering how sustainability and climate change will affect their business models, supply chains, infrastructure and investments in Malaysia and internationally,” he said.
Established in 1995, ERE is a well-regarded multi-disciplinary consultancy that provides sustainable development solutions to governments, industries, and organisations across Asia. Key services they offer include environment impact assessment, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management, natural resources planning and management, water resources management, green infrastructure, sustainable transportation, industrial environmental management, public outreach, and social sciences.
In Malaysia alone, ERE has helped shape the country’s various national and sub-national policies, plans and standards in water, environment, sustainability, and biodiversity; developed and executed public outreach programmes; worked on environmental, social and heritage impact assessment and wildlife management programs; and conducted environmental and social planning and management for various major transportation projects, water resources projects as well as large industrial projects.
Exciting times ahead
With a team of 50 environmental and social specialists, ERE has undertaken over 600 projects and supported more than 150 businesses and government organisations in Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia during the last 25 years.
Dr G Balamurugan, Managing Director of ERE, said the company is excited to begin a new chapter in its history.
“We are looking forward to being a member of the Aurecon Group and to work with the team to take on even bigger and more complex projects,” he said. “We see a positive synergy between us and Aurecon’s business, growth strategy, brand values and more importantly, our shared passion to deliver meaningful, sustainable and resilient solutions. We are confident we can achieve great things together and deliver solutions that will enable our clients to be engineered for life.”
