French engineering and consulting group Egis has significantly beefed up its Middle East presence with the acquisition of Omrania, a Saudi architectural and engineering firm with around 700 staff. PwC provided buy-side deal advisory.
With the addition of the Omrania team, which comes just months after the group purchased Dubai-based design firm U+A, Egis has now eclipsed the barrier of 3,000 staff in the Middle East.
“The purchase of Omrania will help Egis create a true leadership position in high-end design and architecture services in Saudi Arabia. Together with Omrania’ s team, we have a shared vision to design sustainable and contextual environments that enrich the quality of everyday life,” said Laurent Germain, CEO of Egis.
During the deal process, Germain and his corporate M&A team were supported by experts from PwC, which provided M&A advisory and transaction support services. PwC’s cross-border deal team consisted of experts from its Saudi and London practice, among others.
One of PwC’s partners that worked on the deal, Zubin Chiba (Head of Corporate Finance), stated on LinkedIn: “We’re proud to have advised Egis on its acquisition of Saudi-based Omrania. This marks another step towards building strong infrastructure capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of the country’s Vision 2030.”
“And a big shout out to my fellow partners Joseph Bou Eid, Norma Taki, Ebrahim Karolia, Suleman Mulla, Maher ElAawar and the wider PwC team for their involvement in bringing this deal to a successful closing.”
Other members of the buy-side deal team (nor sell-side) were not known at the time of writing.
Headquartered in Riyadh, Omrania has more than 50 years of experience in rchitectural and engineering projects. The firm works with government entities, cultural institutions, the private sector, and other organisations. Landmark projects on its roster include the Tuwaiq Palace, Kingdom Tower, King Abdulaziz Cultural Center, King Salman Park, and the Public Investment Fund Tower.
Egis meanwhile has been active in Saudi Arabia for years, and prides itself on its contribution to projects for The Royal Commission of Riyadh City, Neom, Seven, Qiddiya Investment Company, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Red Sea, Soudah Development, The Royal Commission of AlUla, Saudi Railway Company, and Riyadh Airports, among others.
“We look forward to welcoming Omrania’s employees and joining forces with such a well-respected, Saudi grown architectural and engineering consulting name,” concluded Germain.
Omrania founder and managing partner Basem Al-Shihabi said joining Egis on the firm’s 50th anniversary would fulfil “our dreams of perpetuity”. He added that their two companies had been working together since 2013.
Sourced from Consultancy.me