Market Briefing – September 2009 issue

- Fair weather ahead for ecological consultancy. While not booming, many ecology divisions within multidisciplinary environmental consultancies have been surviving recession reasonably well, thanks to the growing importance afforded biodiversity regulation as well as continuing demand for field work from the public sector, wind farm developers and other energy clients. Rob Bell reports

- Heading west: AEA focuses on growing in the USA. AEA Technology is one of the largest players in the UK environmental consultancy sector, known for the instrumental role it has played in the development of climate change policy. Erin Gill speaks with Robert Bell, director of operations, and Daniel Waller, carbon management knowledge leader, about AEA’s enviable reputation and plans to sell its climate and energy expertise in the USA

- Giant in the North: DNV steers towards green services growth. With its corporate base in Norway, but with offices in one hundred countries, Det Norske Veritas has ambitions to grow further still. Erin Gill hears about DNV’s sustainability-focused strategy

- Environmental consultancies aim for success in Romania. A fledgling environmental consulting sector has developed rapidly in Romania with both international consultancies and home-grown businesses seeking to sell their expertise. Andreea Petrisor investigates

- Buyers searching for solid value and resilient growth. What type of merger and acquisition activity within the environmental consultancy sector should we expect over the coming year? Kristian Gavan, a director in Livingstone Partners’ business services team, offers his thoughts