Royal HaskoningDHV reports excellent performance in 2023

Marije Hulshof, CEO: “Royal HaskoningDHV had a good year in 2023. We made the right strategic choices to focus on markets where we have clear strengths. The accelerating impact of climate change created significant demand for our services in climate resilience, renewable energy and the decarbonisation of industry.”

Marije Hulshof: “Gross revenue grew by 5%. This was company-wide, with the exception of South Africa where the market remained challenging. EBITA recurring ended the year at €51.6 million, a significant increase of almost 22 million euro compared to 2022 related to good sales and utilisation, and reduced costs.”

In 2023, the number of employees further increased to 5,675. There was significant focus on creating a safe, inclusive work environment and learning & development. Marije Hulshof added, “We are pleased with the high employee engagement score, which indicates that 80% of our people are enthusiastic and motivated. Additionally, the percentage of female employees has increased to 28%.”

Royal HaskoningDHV exceeded its CO2 emission targets in 2023, with 1,751 tons of CO2-eq (scope 1 and 2) and 13,596 tons of CO2-eq (scope 3). Consolidation and sustainability efforts related to offices contributed to this achievement. Notably, the CO2 emissions in scope 3 rose, primarily due to increased business travel compared to 2022, when parts of the world were still under COVID-19 lockdowns.

Sustainability

Royal HaskoningDHV aims to create positive impact for people and the environment through its projects. In April 2023, the company began systematically assessing proposals and projects based on their ability to make that difference. Marije Hulshof said, “We do this across the following five themes: climate change, biodiversity, circularity, social value, and safety & well-being. In 2023, larger projects, accounting for nearly half of our revenue, were analysed in this manner. This self-assessment helps raise awareness among employees and enables us to monitor our own impact and enhance it in collaboration with clients”.

Acquisitions and divestments

In 2023, previous acquisitions, such as supply chain consultancy Districon, were further integrated into the company. Royal HaskoningDHV acquired a minority stake in the Hungarian company IN-EX for data centre services. The Canadian-American business unit InterVISTAS continued independently after a management buy-out.

Early in 2024, the company sold its share in the Singaporean company H2i to Pluvia. The South African HaskoningDHV entity was sold to local management and employees, allowing them to focus on markets that are off-strategy for Royal HaskoningDHV globally. Royal HaskoningDHV retains a minority stake in the South African entity, and collaboration continues on projects in specific markets.

Outlook

Marije Hulshof: “We see strong growth opportunities for 2024 even as economic and geopolitical instability continues. We see a growing demand for our expertise in various markets, ranging from industry and transport to water technology and supply chain consultancy – Asia Pacific being a significant growth market. We anticipate increasing demand for our services related to ESG and the transition to sustainable energy sources, driven by growing awareness and regulatory changes.

“We look forward to the opening of our office at the TU Delft Campus in the Netherlands. This will facilitate collaboration on innovations and attract new talent. The campus is a prominent hub for R&D and knowledge development in Europe, making it an ideal environment for us.”