The acquisition advances Ayesa’s plan to expand into English-speaking markets.

ByrneLooby’s management team will remain in place following the transaction. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Founded in 1998, ByrneLooby has employs more than 225 staff in 14 offices across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East. The firm provides engineering and design services in sectors including marine and coastal, buildings, transportation, energy, environment, water and waste management. It currently turns over €24m a year.

Ayesa employs more than 5,400 people in 17 countries across Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, and has an annual turnover of €256m. It recently received a major investment from A&M Capital Europe (AMCE) to fund its expansion plans. It intends to double its turnover to €500m over the next five years.

Ayesa chief executive José Luis Manzanares Abásolo said: “ByrneLooby and Ayesa are fully united in their passion for finding the best solutions to the world’s greatest engineering and technical challenges, making our businesses a perfect fit for each other. Looking forward, the robust scale of Ayesa internationally and the sophisticated resources and infrastructure that underpin our business across each market will enable ByrneLooby to grow at an accelerated pace, thus realising the full potential of the ByrneLooby business and its team of industry renowned professionals.”

ByrneLooby managing director John Byrne said: “This transaction brings two highly complementary businesses together and represents a significant expansion to our service offering in ByrneLooby. We are hugely excited to join one of the world’s biggest engineering and technology firms and our aim now is to drive significant growth for Ayesa across our core markets through our blended capabilities and expertise, leveraging Ayesa’s market-leading reputation.”

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