Leading environmental consultancy Ecus has secured further finance to continue its national expansion.
Entrepreneur Vincent Ewan has made a significant investment in the Sheffield company, becoming a shareholder and taking the role of non-executive director.
Cumbria-based Vincent, 57, founded the Ewan Group, a water sector consultancy which he established in 1987 and grew to 300 staff, with seven regional offices and turning over £15million. He negotiated the sale of the business to Mouchel Parkman Plc in 2006.
Vincent’s arrival follows Ecus opening new offices in Cheltenham and Stirling, with a further location in the south of England being planned.
He said: “I have first-hand experience of establishing, successfully growing and selling my own multi-office consultancy business, so I was asked if I could help Ecus with its expansion.
“With this experience I will be able to assist by providing advice and support in managing the growth Ecus desire. There are many potential pitfalls associated with fairly rapid expansion and in moving from a single base to a regional office structure. By working together we will be looking to anticipate and avoid these.
“I am pleased to be involved. Ecus is a strong business, with good people behind it. It has the potential to go a long way, so I decided to take the opportunity to invest in the company when this was offered. I see it as a good investment to make in the type of business I understand well.
“The range of services Ecus has and the expertise already in place has given me confidence the company can increase its market share very substantially indeed over the next five to ten years.”
Nick Birkinshaw, managing director of Ecus, added: “I took a while to find the right non-executive director and we spoke to some impressive people, but Vince stood out as a perfect fit for our business.
“We are really pleased to have Vince join the company and he has had an immediate positive impact with the way we are managing the office roll out and planning for the future. His knowledge and experience of the sector will be invaluable in expanding our business into a UK wide multi-office operation.
“We have recently announced new offices in Cheltenham and Stirling, with a fourth office to open in Basingstoke later this year. This is an exciting time for the business as we aim to double staff numbers and increase turnover significantly in the next few years.”
Established in 1986, Ecus offers a range of services assisting clients through the planning process including environmental impact assessment, ecology, landscape, heritage, geoscience and environmental management.
A spin-out company from the University of Sheffield, Ecus currently employs more than 30 staff.
