Arup has reported a marginal fall in operating profit for the year to 31 March 2025 while booking almost £20M in redundancy costs as part of a global reshaping of the business. The consultancy delivered an operating profit of £58.5M, equivalent to a 2.71% margin before profit‑share, down from £59.1M (3.9%) the previous year. Group revenue slipped 2% to £2.16bn, which the firm linked to uneven economic conditions across its international markets.
The latest accounts filed at Companies House show Arup incurred £19.8M of “headcount reduction costs” in 2024‑25, following £23.6M the year before. Over the last two financial years the group has therefore spent £43.4M on redundancies, a sharp increase on the £1.8M recorded in 2022‑23. Average monthly headcount fell 4.5% from 17,740 to 16,930, with 597 engineering and technical roles and 213 administrative positions removed.
Arup said the reshaping programme was designed to align staff numbers, locations and skillsets with anticipated forward workload and client demand, and stated that the actions taken had enabled it to maintain profitability. The firm noted that some of the net reduction of 810 employees was achieved through natural attrition. During the year it also overhauled its governance, introducing a new group board structure with, for the first time, a non‑executive chair and a chief executive.
Performance varied significantly by region. The UK remained Arup’s largest and most profitable market but saw revenue fall 5.2% year‑on‑year to £652.2M. Asia grew strongly, with revenue up 16.9% to £455.0M, moving it ahead of the Americas, where turnover declined 9.4% to £441.6M. Europe was broadly flat at £274.7M, while Australasia dropped 22% to £272.6M, slipping behind Europe in the group’s regional rankings. The Middle East and Africa delivered the fastest percentage growth, up 24.2% to £63.1M.
Despite the mixed regional picture, Arup reported robust demand in energy transition, resilient water infrastructure, data centres and transport, set against weaker activity in arts, culture and property. The firm pointed to a healthy pipeline of large schemes and a series of strategic wins that underline its pivot towards infrastructure and sustainability‑led work. These include the Victoria Park masterplan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games precinct and a role in the joint venture appointed as general planner for the Fehmarnsund Link, the 2.2km connector to the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Germany and Denmark.
Arup also highlighted progress on a number of high‑impact projects during 2024‑25. In Asia it advanced the 37,000m² Innovent Global R&D Centre in Shanghai, combining laboratory, community and sustainability principles as part of its growing life‑sciences portfolio. In Europe it is involved in Baltic Towers in Gdańsk, described as Poland’s first large‑scale offshore wind facility, and in North America it has supported Delta Airlines’ digitally enabled Terminal C at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. In the UK, Arup applied data analytics and AI to Severn Trent Water’s wastewater network upgrades in Gloucester.
The group has launched a new five‑year strategy to 2030 focused on leading the transition to sustainable and resilient systems, with priority growth sectors including water infrastructure, low‑carbon energy, data centres and transport. On its own operations, Arup reported a 39% reduction in total carbon emissions against a 2018/19 baseline and a 48% reduction in emissions intensity per member, attributing this to ongoing investment in energy efficiency and sustainable working practices. Senior leadership said the governance changes and strategic refocus are intended to position the firm for long‑term growth as it approaches its 80th anniversary, with an emphasis on delivering net zero and resilience outcomes across global infrastructure portfolios.
