COWI group brings its companies closer together 

COWI A/S has taken another step towards bringing its companies closer together to form a strong, integrated consultancy group with shared values, goals and basis for business activities. At the same time, the group has appointed four new directors.

The reason for transforming COWI from a group of companies into an integrated consultancy group lies in the increasingly competitive situation at international level, explains managing director and CEO Klaus H. Ostenfeld:

"The international consultancy sector is undergoing a strong consolidation process in which only the best will survive and where customers naturally expect to receive the best consultancy service wherever in the world they meet us. Therefore it is essential that we concentrate our strengths within the group. Close integration will make it easier for us to always put together the strongest consultancy team across country and company borders."

The COWI group's business will in future be run by nine business units - eight in Denmark and COWI AS in Norway – and four subsidiaries. The majority of the group's specialised subsidiaries in North America, Africa, Asia, and eastern and western Europe will be integrated into the nine business units. For the time being, the Hjellnes COWI AS (Norway), COWI Almoayed Gulf (Bahrain), ETC (Germany) and COWI Baltic (Lithuania) subsidiaries will continue under their present organisational association with the group.

Over 60 per cent of COWI's annual turnover of DKK 2.5 billion is earned from markets outside Denmark, and the international business area is expected to grow further in the coming years. The company is enjoying robust international growth in areas such as construction of major infrastructure projects (bridges, roads, tunnels, marine engineering), environmental consultancy, socio-economic analyses, industrial consultancy, development planning, geographic information systems and mapping.

COWI has 3400 staff who provide consultancy services within engineering , environmental science and economics.

Four new directors

The four new COWI directors, appointed on 1 January 2005, are:

• Lars-Peter Søbye, 44, who as Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the Danish market has been appointed a new member of the executive board.
  
• Henrik Rossen, 47, has been appointed director of the Building and Operation business unit.
  
• Birgitte Brinch Madsen, 41, has been appointed director of the Industry and Energy business unit.
  
• Rasmus Ødum, 38, has been appointed director of the Geographic Information and IT business unit.

By John Jørgensen, jhj@cowi.dk

Posted: 06.01.2005