Engineering, architecture and construction company launches Birmingham HQ

Engineering, architecture and construction company Burns & McDonnell’s has launched its new expanded office in the heart of Birmingham.

Since establishing its first UK and European headquarters in Birmingham in 2017, US-founded Burns & McDonnell has doubled its staff in the UK, including the recent hire of senior project manager Nick Busby, and has plans in place to double again in the next two years.

The company has a 10-year UK investment strategy for developing vital energy infrastructure in the West Midlands and across the country.

Held at new offices in the Cornerblock building in Birmingham’s Colmore Business District, the opening event saw Burns & McDonnell pledge that a third of its senior leadership would be female by 2023.

Signing the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Inclusive Leadership Pledge with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, Jonathan Chapman, Burns & McDonnell’s UK managing director, committed to continue efforts to promote diverse talent in the West Midlands.

He said: “This is a big milestone for Burns & McDonnell and we are thrilled that the mayor is celebrating our expansion with us. His continued support of Burns & McDonnell has been a critical part of our success over the last two years. We are looking forward to continuing to work with him and his team to create the ambitious, innovative infrastructure projects and high-skilled jobs that will generate long-term prosperity in the West Midlands.

“We are absolutely dedicated to growing a skilled workforce in Birmingham, drawn from a diverse pool of talent from across the West Midlands and beyond.  We are here for the long term, as our brand-new office proves, and are delighted to commit to promoting diversity and inclusion in everything we do through the mayor’s Inclusive Leadership Pledge.”

Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Investment from world-leading companies like Burns & McDonnell is essential to the continued prosperity of the West Midlands, and so I am delighted in this vote of confidence in our region.

“As the WMCA and I continue to work to deliver improved transport links and infrastructure across the West Midlands, partnerships with private organisations like Burns & McDonnell, with their expertise and capabilities, will be important.”