Laing O’Rourke has purchased Barclay Mowlem from its UK parent, Carillion plc.

The business will be integrated with Laing O’Rourke’s existing Sydney-based operation, Laing O’Rourke Australia, established in late 2004, to create a new business hub for the Group that will look to develop opportunities in Australia and selected South East Asian countries.

The combined Australian business will be led by Laing O’Rourke’s Matthew Furrer (Managing Director) and Andrew Wilson (Executive Chairman)

Laing O’Rourke Group Chairman and Chief Executive, Ray O’Rourke says, “Laing O’Rourke has a clear Group strategy to build operating hubs in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and Australia that contain complementary business streams in construction and capital development.

“Building on our already established capital development and delivery business in Australia, the acquisition of Barclay Mowlem provides us with a high quality construction and services company, substantially adding to our operational capabilities.

“We have been impressed by the quality of the Barclay Mowlem people, the engineering skills of the company and its market presence. With the integration of Barclay Mowlem and Laing O’Rourke, there is great potential to grow both in Australia and internationally. We have a very exciting future planned underpinned by an ambitious and entrepreneurial private company environment.”

Matt Furrer, Managing Director Laing O’Rourke Australia says, “The great attraction of Barclay Mowlem is its excellent people, their technical expertise and the fact that the group is working in growth markets.

“Complementing our existing capital development and construction operation, Barclay Mowlem gives us immediate scale and brings with it, excellent talent, credentials and track record. We welcome our new employees aboard and will work hard to become an employer and constructor of first choice for our staff and clients.”

Barclay Mowlem operates in Australia and selected South East Asian countries. The company has delivered some of Australia’s best known infrastructure projects over the past 50 years’ including the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway and the recently completed Sea Cliff Bridge, which hugs the New South Wales coast, south of Sydney.

Barclay Mowlem operates in the specialist sectors of Rail Infrastructure, Rail Maintenance, Mining Industry Materials Handling, Marine Engineering, Water & Wastewater Infrastructure, Civil Engineering, Building Contracting and Asset Management.

The Laing O’Rourke Group is the UK’s largest privately owned construction company undertaking infrastructure, building and development operations in Europe, Middle East, India and Australia. The group continues to deliver world class projects such as the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, London, creating the new grandstand facilities at the internationally renowned Ascot Racecourse, the new Terminal at Dubai International Airport and the iconic indoor Snow Dome in Dubai.

As well as construction, the group invests in development opportunities and Private Finance Initiatives (PFI Projects) in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Laing O’Rourke’s operations in Australia were established in late 2004 as a capital investment and delivery business.