Case Study - Arup

Background

Arup is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious engineering design consultancies. It has 70 offices and operates in more than 30 countries across the globe including Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the USA. The firm employs 7000 people with group turnover exceeding £400m.

The Challenge

Arup had a group of 40 engineers and technicians designing public health and water systems for individual buildings and multi-use sites. The team included senior public health engineers and graduates with environmental science and civils backgrounds.

In order to retain competitive advantage through capitalising further on the skills in the group, Arup decided it would significantly increase its range of environmental services. A new role of Associate Director – Environmental Services was created to lead the development of the business and build a strong team offering extensive capability. As this required an individual profile not currently found within Arup, it was decided that the new Associate Director would be an external appointment.

The Solution

We developed a search campaign which involved targeting a wide range of engineering, environmental and water consultancies. The challenge was that there were very limited number of people who had the required knowledge and experience. Through ongoing dialogue with the client we were able to identify new target areas including research institutes. We located a small number of prospective candidates, all of whom had not been looking to change jobs, presented the opportunity to them, and developed their interest.

The Outcome

Following a thorough search and in-depth discussions and interviewing by us, a particularly suitable candidate emerged and was presented to the client. Arup then undertook its own interviewing and assessment. An offer was made, and we played a key role in ensuring a successful appointment, particularly as the candidate’s employer was not keen to lose him. We maintain regular contact with the Associate Director, his Director and our HR Partner, all of whom are pleased with his performance and progress within the firm.

Visit our other Case Studies for Iron Mountain, Fujifilm and Goss.

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