Introduction by our CEO

Welcome. I am pleased to report that 2024 was another very successful year for Royal HaskoningDHV. The hard work and dedication of our entire team has delivered excellent progress across our priorities of people, impact and performance. Our employees are inspired and energised in their work. We have developed eye-catching solutions for our clients while making positive impact across the five themes of our purpose, Enhancing Society Together. For the second year in a row, we have achieved the best financial result ever for Royal HaskoningDHV.

Growth was a consistent feature of 2024 even while the economic environment continued to be challenging. We saw organic growth across the company. In addition, we grew through acquisitions and investments, strengthening our portfolio.

The acquisition of food industry specialist Uticon extends our knowledge and expertise in food and beverage production facilities and processes. We acquired renewable energy consultants, Pondera Consult, which boosts our energy transition offering. We extended our presence in southern Europe with a new office in Spain to deliver data centre design and engineering across the Iberian Peninsula. A new entity in New Zealand will help meet demand for climate resilience, water management and maritime projects in the Asia-Pacific region.

Our purpose, Enhancing Society Together, defines our activities. We are proud to have achieved the Platinum award from independent rating agency EcoVadis, recognising how well sustainability is integrated into our business and management systems. This puts us in the top 1% of all companies they evaluate globally. Special praise was given to our Purpose Matrix, which enables us to assess the tangible impact of our projects.

During 2024, increasing numbers of projects and proposals have been appraised using this tool. It also brings transparency to choices we make and guides our conversations with clients, accelerating our positive impact in the areas we can influence. A good example is our Green Port Initiatives project at Apia Port in Samoa (pictured) which won our Enhancing Society Together Award. Within our own organisation, we are ahead of our ambitious science-based targets to reduce our footprint.

We are stronger when we work together, pursuing a shared ambition. This is as true for our people as for our client relationships. We focused on both during the year. We are developing an inclusive, motivating workplace that enables all our people to work smart, fast and achieve their goals. Our employee survey showed engagement levels are high, at 83%. One of the features that motivates our people and attracts new talent to our organisation is the freedom and independence offered by our ownership model. We are a steward-owned company, with ownership embedded in the Foundation HaskoningDHV and the Trust Office HaskoningDHV, which holds shares for more than 2,000 employees. This means we prioritise our independence and purpose over profit maximisation. One of the benefits it provides is in giving us the freedom to make long-term commitments. An example is our collaboration with Wageningen University in the Netherlands, which led to the launch of another breakthrough solution for the water industry: Aurea targets micro-pollutants in wastewater treatment plants to eliminate pharmaceutical residues, antibiotics, pesticides and more. This ground-breaking technology received the prestigious Dutch Vernufteling Award in 2024 for ingenious engineering with significant social value.

Great solutions, incorporating innovation and new ways of thinking, emerge through collaboration and trusted partnerships. Digital technology and artificial intelligence are a vital part of the mix. In 2024 we saw the market for digital twins truly taking off. For example, at Naples central station in Italy, our digital twin improves pedestrian safety and comfort. Collaboration is key in our activities to support global brewer Heineken meet its ambitious net zero targets. We are among a team of strategic experts bringing expertise and knowledge of the best available technology. A similarly collaborative approach lies at the heart of our work to assess the safety of more than 300 bridges and viaducts for Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands. We are part of a team of engineering firms and knowledge institutes, sharing methodology and insights to accelerate and professionalise the maintenance of ageing infrastructure. As well as helping industry reach net zero, we have long been involved in making healthcare more sustainable. A CO₂ flowchart we developed for a hospital in the Netherlands, Maastricht UMC+, provides a transparent picture of emissions and information to reduce their carbon footprint through targeted actions. Climate resilience is increasingly in demand as the impact of climate breakdown becomes ever more apparent through severe weather events.

Our climate risk analytics solution is helping telecommunications provider BT in the United Kingdom futureproof its infrastructure by understanding the exposure of its assets to flood risk. A project completed in Vietnam in 2024 marks a significant step towards improving environmental sustainability and enhancing public health. The Phu My wastewater treatment plant is the first of its kind in the country, employing innovative biological treatment processes to efficiently manage both municipal and industrial wastewater.

It is a continuing source of joy for me to lead this organisation, which has such a long heritage of trusted relationships and engineering excellence. In 2026, we will mark 145 years of our business. Meanwhile, in 2024, we celebrated anniversaries for NACO of 75 years, 50 years of operations in Thailand through our JV CRH (Chuchawal Royal Haskoning) and 20 years in the Philippines.

Thank you to our clients and partners who continue to place trust in our solutions. As well as to our people for their unfailing energy and enthusiasm, placing us ahead of the curve in innovation and impact. We extend a warm invitation to talented people across the world to join our growing team and work with us on our mission to Enhance Society Together.

Marije Hulshof
CEO