New Birmingham base spurs year of growth at engineering and professional services consultancy

WSP, the engineering and professional services consultancy, has announced a strong year of growth in Birmingham, recruiting 110 employees in 2019.

This follows the opening of its 46,700 sq ft office in the city 12 months ago.

This makes it one of the firm’s fastest growing offices outside of London. WSP moved into the city’s iconic Mailbox building in November 2018 following a major refurbishment, bringing more than 700 staff together from offices across the Midlands.

WSP also welcomed specialist town planning consultancy Indigo into its Mailbox office in 2019 following an acquisition in April, with the team moving from Birmingham’s Colmore Row.

Forming a key part of its recruitment drive has been securing emerging talent, including a major boost to its graduate intake – 50 university leavers are now completing a three-year scheme in Birmingham.

WSP’s success follows a series of major contract wins over the past year, including a £1.7m contract with Transport for West Midlands that will see it support the delivery of an over 100km testbed facility for connected and autonomous vehicles, running between Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry.

In addition, a five-year framework with Birmingham Airport will see WSP provide a range of services for its Capital Investment Programme – a major overhaul of the Airport’s current infrastructure to support domestic and international growth.

By expanding key sector teams, the firm is also bolstering its work on current projects such as Moda Living’s 42-storey The Mercian on Broad Street. WSP is the appointed consultant, advising on civil, structural and other building matters for the residential development, set to be one of the city’s tallest buildings and delivering 418 apartments.

Malcolm Davidson, director at WSP Birmingham, said: “It is an exciting time for WSP in Birmingham as we help the Midlands region to achieve its ambitions. We look forward to continuing to support the transformation of the region as the Midlands Engine becomes a key driver behind the UK economy.

“Opening our state-of-the-art workplace in the Mailbox was a milestone moment for us and has become a springboard for our success during the last 12 months. We have been delighted to welcome new talent and expertise to our team as part of our continued commitment to Birmingham and the Midlands.”