Under the terms of the deal, EC Harris will operate as a partnership organisation to Arcadis, with its leadership team remaining in place and chief executive Philip Youell taking a position on Arcadis’s senior management committee.
“We have received a number of approaches from large international companies in the past, but Arcadis is the only one that has been right culturally and strategically for EC Harris, it is an exceptional fit,” said Youell.
Arcadis will finance the merger by issuing three million shares to existing EC Harris partners, plus an undisclosed cash sum.