• Swindon & Wiltshire M&A, deals
• Thursday May 2 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol engineering design firm acquired by Canadian rival

Bristol-based engineering design business Hydrock has been acquired by Canadian design and engineering firm Stantec.

The transaction coincides with the retirement of CEO and founder of 29 years, Brian McConnell.

Headquartered in Bristol, Hydrock has over 950 employees across 22 offices located in the UK. It has a large and diverse client base across a wide range of sectors including education, energy, healthcare, industry, defence, leisure, retail, hospitality and residential.

The takeover marks a successful exit by capital investor BGF. Since its original investment in March 2018, BGF has provided £5.6 million to support Hydrock’s organic growth plans as well helping to fund the acquisition of seven complementary consultancy businesses.

During the time of BGF’s investment, Hydrock has significantly scaled its operations, expanded into new geographies and service lines, and focused on larger projects in high growth sectors.

As a result, Hydrock has seen revenue increase from £30 million to £84 million. The investment has delivered a 6x multiple return and a 40 per cent IRR for BGF.

Hydrock, which is regularly listed in the 100 Best Large Companies to Work For survey and was recently crowned Engineering Consultant of the Year at the Building awards, has a well-established reputation for developing sustainable solutions for major infrastructure projects and landmark buildings across the UK.

It combines supporting the energy transition and decarbonisation across UK infrastructure with operational delivery capabilities across the whole infrastructure lifecycle.

Dr Brian McConnell, retiring founder and CEO of Hydrock said: “BGF has been an excellent partner and its investment in the business has played a critical role in our growth story.

“Over the course of the investment partnership, Hydrock has expanded its services and reach which has been supported through a programme of strategic acquisitions. I’m proud of the progress we have made in the last six years – all while keeping our distinctive culture very much alive.”

Paul Oldham, Investor at BGF, said: “We are delighted to have supported the excellent Hydrock team through a highly successful six-year period of growth.

“Hydrock is a leading light in the field of sustainable engineering design. With a fantastic internal culture, it has always demonstrated a strong alignment with BGF’s principles of uniting purpose and profit. It has been a privilege to be part of Hydrock’s fantastic growth journey and we wish the entire team all the best for their next exciting chapter.”

Leading Hydrock through the integration journey with Stantec will be Dr Scott Elliott, in the role of managing director.

Pictured: Brian McConnell and Paul Oldham of Hydrock