AECOM unveils ‘ 2020 Strategy for Africa ’
Integrated professional and technical services company AECOM unveiled its ‘ 2020 Strategy for Africa ’ at a media brie ng at its Centurion head office on �ursday 7 July .
Carlos Poñe , newly-appointed Chief Executive - Africa , AECOM .
Speaking to editors and journalists from the trade press at the event , newlyappointed Chief Executive – Africa Carlos Poñe highlighted that AECOM is looking to double its revenue from African projects . “ Our vision for AECOM in Africa is that we foresee revenue on the continent being at least as good as in South Africa . �us we could be doubling our revenue in a very short space of time ,” Poñe reveals . “ �ere is an incredible amount of enabling infrastructure that goes along with large-scale private sector projects . If you look at a Green eld mine , for example , there o�en is no power , roads , housing or water and sewerage . Everything has to be built from scratch , and this represents huge opportunities for potential investors ,” Poñe explains . Poñe brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role at AECOM , which he took up in October 2015 . �is
ranges from being MD for a major mechanical construction company in Mozambique in 1982 , to b eing production manager for a major South African pump manufacturer in 1985 . From 1993 , he held various positions at ABB Sub-Saharan Africa , including VP and CEO . He also spent close to three years in the United Arab Emirates as CEO of ABB UAE and Middle East , overseeing part of the Middle East , and nally becoming an Executive Director at AECOM UAE . While Poñe is focused rmly on Africa , he stresses that AECOM is not neglecting South Africa , where it opened new offices in both Durban and Cape Town to service the local market . “ South Africa may not be the biggest economy in Africa anymore , but it is still the most sophisticated ,” he reiterates . “ In terms of investment , infrastructure , banking and insurance , it is number one in all of these areas . Secondly , it is much easier to source engineering skills here for the rest of
Africa . �erefore our aim is to deploy the global competitiveness of AECOM to assist our customers in terms of all of our capabilities . With the devaluation of the rand , it has also meant that we have become even more cost-competitive ,” Poñe adds . AECOM originally entered the South African market in 2010 with the acquisition of Davis Langdon , following which it absorbed multi-disciplinary rm BKS in 2012 . While these two legacy companies form the basis of AECOM South Africa , it is the intention of Poñe to ensure that AECOM b e c o m e s a s w e l l - k n o w n , a n d entrenched , as it is in the rest of the world . One of Poñe ' s aims is to change the perception of AECOM in the local market , where he admits it has been something of a “ hidden secret ” to date . “ We need to get away from this idea that we are a construction consultant or company ,” he concludes .
Page28 | May - June 2016
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