Stockport headquartered environmental consultancy APEM has made a third acquisition this year, which also takes the private equity backed ‘buy and build’ group to a headcount of 215 Down Under.

The transaction further reinforces APEM’s presence in Australia and comes just three months after it expanded its presence and capabilities in the country with the acquisition of ecology and heritage consultancy, Biosis.  Bringing Attexo into the Group means that Stockport-headquartered APEM now has 215 consultants based in 11 offices across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, and opens up significant opportunities in the high growth Asia-Pacific region.

Backers WestBridge said the deal was part of a strategy to build “the world’s leading environmental consultancy”.

Leah McGimpsey

Leah McGimpsey, chief executive told TheBusinessDesk.com that the acquisition of Attexo, one of Australia’s leading providers of advisory and environmental consultancy services to the renewable energy sector, was aligned with APEM’s ethos.

“Bringing Attexo into the Group builds on our commitment to grow our Australian business while giving our colleagues in Australia and across the Group, the chance to collaborate on new and exciting client projects and pursue opportunities to further expand their careers,” she said.

She added that Attexo will “further enhance our existing capabilities in environmental approvals, biodiversity, heritage and geospatial and add new capabilities in Land, Tenure and Environmental Management to the Group.” 

“We look forward to demonstrating the depth and breadth of our capabilities in Australia to support our clients throughout the lifecycle of their projects,” she said.

Private equity investor WestBridge said the all APEM’s acquisitions are being “thoughtfully integrated into the core business” and are expected to contribute to growth in the coming year through APEM’s collaborative cross selling approach.

Peter Barkley

Peter Barkley, partner at WestBridge, said: “With eight strategic acquisitions under its belt, it’s no surprise that APEM has grown so phenomenally and is on track to become the world’s leading environmental consultancy. 

“The team’s immediate focus is to ensure that all three acquisitions completed this year are fully and sympathetically integrated into the business so that all clients continue to receive a best-in-class service that has breadth and depth of expertise. 

“The Australian government’s commitment to developing renewable energy, coupled with the team’s dedication to helping the world move towards Net Zero, sets the stage for an ambitious and exciting future organic trajectory for APEM Group across all geographies. Furthermore, as a preferred home for ambitious founder led businesses, there remains tremendous potential for future acquisitions once those complete in 2024 have been brought fully into the APEM fold.”

Guy Davies, Managing Partner at WestBridge, said: “The acquisition truly caps a phenomenal year for the business. Looking forward to 2025, the greater than expected AMP cycle determination, the position the business has built in Australia, the cross-selling opportunities from the 2024 acquisitions as well as the tail winds that continue to drive the core business mean that APEM has tremendous potential for organic growth over the next few years.”

WestBridge operates across the UK with offices in London, Manchester and Cardiff.