Arup appoints APAC Managing Director to drive Asia Pacific growth

Accounting for 39% of global GDP and forecast to continue growth for the next 20 years, Mr Chew expects the APAC region will be an influential global powerhouse in steering sustainable development trends.

“From the unprecedented demand for digital and data services, the strength of  manufacturing for green energy technologies, and acceleration of urbanisation and creation of new capital cities, APAC has the potential to shape global sustainability targets in coming decades.

“Arup’s strengths in supporting sustainable outcomes across a range of growing sectors positions us well to address the sizeable demand for resilient infrastructure, mobility, greener energy and vibrant, inclusive cities. Our focus in APAC will be supported by borderless collaboration across our offices, so our clients can better access the wide range of technical expertise we possess,” said Mr Chew.

Arup has a well-established market presence of over 6 decades with 28 offices across the APAC region and aims to grow its headcount of over 6,400 in APAC to around 10,000 by 2030. The firm launched its first office in the Asia Pacific region in Sydney, Australia in the 1960s to design engineering solutions for the iconic Sydney Opera House. Since then, it has grown into a collective of engineers, designers and built environment specialists shaping the built environment of some of the region’s most dynamic cities. Other major Arup projects have included the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, the Macau Bridge connecting the Macau Peninsula and Taipa, and the Merdeka 118 building in Malaysia.

Mr Chew moves into the Managing Director role from his position as the firm’s Global Rail Business Leader, responsible for the design and delivery of major multidisciplinary projects around the world. Prior to joining Arup in 2018, he held a range of senior executive positions in the APAC region and will be relocating to Singapore for the position. As the base for the firm’s Managing Director and a strong concentration of APAC leadership, Singapore is recognised as a key strategic hub for driving growth and impact across the region.

The broader APAC Leadership Team will be distributed across the region which includes Kate West taking on a newly created role of Chief Officer, Business & Markets, APAC to oversee growth and diversification of the firm’s business in the APAC region. New Market Leaders for the region will implement the growth and transformation ambitions for priority sectors which are Michael McGowan for Transport, Yoong Heng Tan for Energy, Water & Resources, and Anthony Chiu for Property, Science & Industry. Paul Coughlan, Arup’s current global Chief Operations Officer will relocate to Singapore to take up the role of Chief Officer, Performance & Operations, APAC to oversee operations led by Managing Principals, Liam O’Donohue in Australia & New Zealand, Lau Ching Luan in Southeast Asia, and Theresa Yeung in East Asia.

“We will leverage the strong alignment of Arup’s strategic priorities with the APAC region’s accelerating global influence. Although it is one of the most diverse regions, it faces many shared challenges when it comes to confronting the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality, while also being the most vulnerable region to the impacts of climate change,” added Mr Chew.

The new Arup APAC region structure and leadership team will come into effect from 1 April 2025.