APEM swoops for second acquisition Down Under
Stockport headquartered environmental consultancy APEM has made its ninth acquisition and its second in Australia, as the private equity backed group cements its foothold down under and builds momentum.
The acquisition of AARC Environmental Solutions increases APEM Group’s headcount in Australia to over 275 employees at 11 locations and adds a new offering in rehabilitation capabilities to the Group’s expanding range of services.
Established in Queensland in 1996 and now one of the country’s leading independent environmental consultancies AARC provides expert environmental advice to the resource industry, planning and development sectors and agribusiness.
WestBridge has supported an ambitious M&A growth strategy at APEM Group since backing an MBO in March 2019, and funding nine acquisitions, cementing its strategy of growth and international expansion.
Leah McGimpsey
Leah McGimpsey, APEM Group CEO, said: “As we evolve our platform for growth in Australia, I am delighted to welcome AARC Environmental Solutions, one of Australia’s leading providers of environmental and rehabilitation services to the resources industry, into APEM Group.
“Our Australian business has already gone from strength to strength in 2024. Adding AARC to the Group further enhances our business in Australia and expands our ability to support clients across the Asia Pacific region.
“Bringing more specialist experts into the Group, in combination with Biosis, Attexo and our Offshore Environment Team, means we now have over 275 colleagues on the ground in Australia, collaborating to deliver a wide variety of projects and showcasing the combined Group offering available to our clients.
“With a technically diverse workforce throughout Australia, we are well placed to meet the growing demands of our clients across a wide variety of industries, bringing our unique perspectives and approach to projects critical for Australia’s future growth.”
Thomas Dutton, Investment Director at Westbridge, said: “APEM Group’s focus on growing and strengthening their Australian business is a key pillar of the Group’s strategy to further expand into Asia Pacific. Bringing another world class environmental consultant into the Group showcases how attractive a proposition APEM is for other consultancies looking to join a global group.
“Bringing some of the leading names in the resource sector into the Group validates the leadership team’s ambition to scale the Australian business at pace. The acquisition of AARC offers immediate opportunity to cross sell services across the Group, unlocking commercial synergies and strengthening our client offering.”
Jim Fjeldsoe, Partner at Attexo, part of APEM Group commented: “This is a significant step forward for the Group’s business here in Australia. The team at AARC bring additional skills, expertise and capacity to the Group that will enable us to better meet the needs of our clients and tackle projects of greater scale and complexity.
“Adding AARC to our existing Australian proposition will allow us to unlock new areas of growth for the Group, particularly across the key industries of resources and renewable energy.”
