Arup revenue increases by a fifth to £2.2bn

Income and profit were both up at Arup last year, bolstered by strong growth in climate-related sectors. 

The architecture and engineering firm’s latest results, published at the end of last week, showed revenue up to £2.2bn from £1.8bn the year prior. 

Profit also increased in the 12 months to 31 March 2023, from £37m to £39m. 

The UK once again made up the biggest portion of revenue at £777m, a 21% increase on the previous year. The Americas was the only market where revenue shrank, and there only marginally. 

Alan James Belfield, chair of the employee-owned business, identified energy and water as strong performers, with the pair growing 22% and 11% respectively. 

“Beyond our top-line performance, our energy and water businesses both delivered solid growth, allowing us to continue to scale and broaden the work we undertake for many of our clients directly engaged with the climate crisis,” he said. 

In April 2024, at the end of his five-year term, Belfield will hand over leadership of the firm to Jerome Frost, current chair of the UK, India, Middle East and Africa region.  

Staff numbers at the firm were up 9% to 16,946, with an increase in the number of engineering and technical staff employed largely responsible for the increase. 

During the year, Arup diluted its investment in AI business Neuron Operations Limited, which, treated as a disposal of a subsidiary, resulted in a gain of £3.8m for the group.