INTRODUCTION BY CEO ROYAL HASKONINGDHV

The world in which we operate changes constantly and significantly. New challenges arise in our economies, environments and societies at large. Many of these challenges are driven by climate change and related policy changes and by the acceleration and impact of digital and data.

These two fundamental trends – climate change and digital – influence the needs and desires of society, our clients, our current and new colleagues. Three years ago, we started with a strategy that enables the company to be prepared and ready for growth helping clients to navigate through and lead in a complex, volatile and rapidly changing world.

From the 2019 client survey it is clear that our clients find us a reliable partner with great technical expertise and that we’re easy to work with. In addition, the majority of our clients also see us as a trustworthy organisation to buy digital services and products from. This shows that our strategy is the right one and puts us in a great position to further expand and grow.

At Royal HaskoningDHV, we are constantly curious, applying our creativity and intellect to develop new solutions. Solutions that do not exist today, but which will help to enhance society tomorrow. It is therefore exciting and inspiring to see the impact of combining our creative human intelligence with analytical intelligence, leading to new data and better insights.

In 2019 we accelerated our focus on bringing data science and digital technology into the domains we are active in. The opportunities and possibilities that are emerging are revolutionising our solutions and the way we deliver them. Our knowledge of both asset and process help our clients to make quicker decisions, build smarter places, create adaptive designs and achieve higher efficiency. For example, we measure and analyse people flows for the central rail station of Milan to optimise throughput while predicting potentially unsafe situations before they materialise. Our early warning system for flooding in the Philippines alerts citizens threatened by flood, potentially saving thousands of lives.

I am pleased to report that we have had a positive 2019. Our business continues to grow with a steady operating margin and increasing order portfolio. Our EBITA recurring improved compared to 2018 and our focus on project management yielded significantly higher project results. We are fairly pleased with the overall financial performance as we continue to invest in and transform our organisation.

Our Annual Report 2019 describes the many ways in which we are mastering the new art of intelligence and what that means for our people, our clients and for society. Read on, be inspired and stay curious with us as we embrace the opportunities ahead, enhancing society together.

Erik Oostwegel
CEO Royal HaskoningDHV