Work begins on merger planning and collaboration to create new Nordic water powerhouse.
With regulatory approvals secured and the transaction finalised, Ramboll and Envidan will begin merger planning and immediate collaboration to build a single Nordic water powerhouse that strengthens Ramboll’s presence globally and across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Ramboll has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Nordic water and wastewater specialist Envidan from the European private equity firm Waterland and a group of minority shareholders. Following completion, Ramboll’s water division will be further reinforced with additional technical capabilities and expertise, creating value for clients and societies by converting all types of water- and climate-related challenges into opportunities.
Christian Jensby, group CEO of Ramboll, said: “We are proud to welcome Envidan’s specialists into Ramboll. This is an important step forward for Ramboll’s global water business. Joining forces with Envidan significantly strengthens our capabilities in key markets and enables us to better support clients with the full spectrum of water solutions, as we can accelerate sustainable outcomes for our clients and society.”
As part of the combined organisation, Envidan’s three core business areas, consulting, turnkey and software, will become part of the joint portfolio of services and products. Envidan brings around 500 specialists and offices across Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Together with Ramboll’s water experts, the combined water organisation will comprise approximately 1,500 people.
The wide-ranging skills in Envidan and Ramboll span advisory and specialist technical services to be applied on every kind of project from flood risk management and water resource planning to dam engineering, treatment works design and river restoration.
Esther Bosman, managing director of Ramboll Water, said: “Our approach to this integration is to treat it as a true merger. We will protect what works and not harmonise solely for the sake of standardisation. Our immediate focus will be on clients, people and culture, getting to know one another, collaborating on projects and proposals and ensuring continuity for clients and partners as we plan the further merger process.”
To ensure effective collaboration from day one, the two groups will begin working together immediately on proposals, projects and knowledge sharing guided by shared principles for client engagement and internal cooperation. As a first leadership step, Ole Fritz Adeler assumes the role of senior director, Water Nordics and will report to Esther Bosman, managing director of Ramboll Water.
“Becoming part of Ramboll brings together two highly complementary organisations with strong values and a deep commitment to sustainability. I look forward to working across Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland to build a unified Nordic water organisation that combines Envidan’s technology-driven engineering strengths with Ramboll’s international scale and breadth of services,” said Ole Fritz Adeler, former CEO of Envidan and newly appointed senior director, Water Nordics, at Ramboll.
For now, Envidan will operate under the name and brand ‘Envidan – part of Ramboll’ to create clarity in the market and clearly signal that Ramboll and Envidan are building one joint Nordic entity – one Nordic water powerhouse.
“The Envidan transaction is an important milestone for Waterland as our first exit in Denmark. The transformation of Envidan into a leading Nordic water company is a strong example of how we create value through close partnership with management to unlock the company’s full potential. We are confident that Ramboll is the right partner for Envidan and we look forward to following its continued journey,” says Nicklas Guldberg, principal at Waterland Nordics.
