Currie & Brown has won a consulting role on a major project to build an orbital road around Madrid, as part of a bid for global expansion under new chief executive Euan McEwan.

Currie & Brown was chosen by the client, a joint venture comprising three banks: Société Générale, Dexia Sabadell and Caja Madrid, which are funding the project. The road will be called the M30.

McEwan, newly recruited from AWG, revealed that the job was part of a strategy to expand geographically in regions offering the best opportunities.

He said Currie & Brown would be increasing existing operations in the Middle East in particular, where a building boom is attracting the likes of EC Harris, Hill International and Hyder.

McEwan said the firm was looking at setting up new offices in various regions, but final decisions would depend on market conditions: “There is no point setting up an office in another country if you haven’t got any clients,” he said.

The firm has offices in the UK, Europe, Africa, Australia, as well as in India, China, Japan, North America and Mexico.

McEwan added that the focus of his new role would be to bring together various skills at Currie & Brown to deliver occupier services. He will be hiring new manpower and training existing staff.

He said he was keeping an eye out for potential acquisitions both in the UK and abroad.

Currie & Brown’s former chairman and chief executive, Angus McLean, is now chairman. The role was split in line with “good corporate governance”, according to McEwan.

McEwan, aged 49, from Glasgow, was previously an executive director at AWG. He left in April 2004 when in-coming chief executive John McDonough slimmed down the board. McEwan did not work in the intervening period.

Source

QS News