Hill to increase staff in Iraq

Renny Borhan, who leads Hill’s UK and Middle Eastern business, said the extra staff would have to be lured to the region with higher salaries due to the “danger element” associated with Iraq.

Hill plans to send around 90 reinforcements to Iraq in 2006 to assist the existing team, which is providing management services on a $10-12bn (£5.6-6.7bn) job for the US government.

Borhan said only a small team had worked on the project so far due to the unrest in Iraq. “There is not much point in building a factory if it’s going to get blown up the next day,” he said.

But he expressed confidence that the situation would stabilise enough next year for more work to get underway.

Iraq’s parliment was attempting to agree on a new constitution as QS News went to press.

Hill currently supports the US army’s corps of engineers in Iraq with work on infrastructure, healthcare, factories, schools and process plants.

There is not much point in building a factory if it’s going to get blown up the next day

Renny Borhan, Hill International

Elsewhere, Hill is poised to open offices in Turkey, Poland and the Czech Republic.

The firm has European bases in London and Athens, and has opened several offices in Eastern Europe in the past three years.

Borhan was wary of China, however: “We have had a cautious approach to opening an office there. Lots of other firms have gone in and then had to get out. Rates of profitability there are lower than elsewhere. We won’t go in unless it’s profitable.”

Hill is expecting to grow turnover by 30% in 2005, beating its 25% target. Borhan said the firm would make over $100m in profit by year-end. He said that most growth had come from the Middle East, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It has added 150 staff this year, primarily in the Middle East.

Hill is currently in talks to buy a ten-man cost consultancy in the North East of England. It is looking to make two to three further UK acquisitions.