My take on my company's £29.9m acquisition of project manager Symonds Group last month is that it is a bloody good strategic fit with us.
Symonds brings complementary geographical coverage, first-class clients and high-quality staff.

Symonds will strengthen our London, South-east and South-west operations – areas we have been really keen on for a while.

The client list is impressive with a number of high-profile projects. These include the new national stadium at Wembley and the All England Club at Wimbledon. The centre court roof will keep us in the news for a few years.

Symonds has achieved a virtuous circle with quality staff and major projects such as these. The two attract each other. And the Symonds deal adds 750 people to the 2000 already employed by Capita Property Consultancy.

It is important that we reassure all our people in this time of change. The acquisition is about growth and there will be no redundancies.

This week I am visiting all of the Symonds offices to present our vision for the future and to listen to ideas.

By the time you read this I will have met most of Symonds' staff.

Perhaps the biggest change for all of us will be the name. We will be rebranded Capita Symonds from 1 June.

At that point we will be a £150m turnover group and a top 10 UK consultant. We will be able to handle major infrastructure projects and our joint scale and expertise creates a very attractive offering.

Our stated aim last year was to become a £200m turnover business by 2005, with growth partially driven by acquisition. We have been true to our word so far and we are well on the way to realising our ambition.

Postscript

Richard Marchant, Managing director of Capita Property Consultancy