Game changer Aurecon and Ashurst announce industry first advisory alliance

The two organisations already deliver advisory services that cover sustainability and climate change issues, including the financial and physical asset risks associated with regulatory compliance. Both have been boosting their capabilities, investing in talent as the global transition towards a low carbon future gathers momentum. 

The partnership will bring together the legal and risk expertise of Ashurst and Aurecon’s deep technical understanding of asset intensive businesses. The partners are both client-centric firms with a reputation for problem solving the technical and organisational challenges organisations are increasingly facing. 

Aurecon CEO, William Cox, said that the first-of-its-kind alliance would seamlessly combine engineering, technical and legal and risk advisory solutions, bringing clients the best of both worlds. 

“Growing public and investor expectations on climate change, alongside tightening regulatory requirements, are putting the transition to net zero high on the strategic risk agenda for boards of asset-intensive organisations,” he said. “Clients are actively seeking solutions to pressing climate change risks. The alliance with Ashurst will disrupt business-as-usual thinking about how to solve complex problems at the intersection of asset and legal risk exposure.”

Ashurst Global Chief Executive Officer, Paul Jenkins, reinforced this point when he said the alliance was a response to demand for end-to-end expert advice, that might also cross business lines and territories, and include both compliance and ambition for a future ready state.

“Today’s organisations are looking to craft solutions from multiple expert perspectives, rather than generalist templates. Clients are accelerating their sustainability efforts as we all move towards a low carbon future and, together with Aurecon, we will provide them with bespoke solutions in what is a complex landscape.  With the Ashurst Aurecon alliance, our clients will benefit from our future focus, the unique perspectives we bring, and our collaborative approach to problem solving. "

Mr Cox emphasised the strengths Aurecon brings to the Alliance in noting: “Our advisors have an established record in harnessing leading-edge digital tools, techniques and futures insights to transform ambiguity and risk into clear direction and opportunity. We advise organisations and governments on how to protect and enhance performance and respond to the risks and opportunities presented by sustainability and climate change. However, the work that needs to be done to transition to net zero and create social value in the next decade will require new thinking. Organisations expect deep expertise from multiple perspectives, delivered cohesively to drive progress and achieve results.” 

He added that combining the market leading offers of the two organisations in technical, legal and strategic risk was a game changer and that it delivered a new and compelling alternative to a generalist approach. 

“Our teams include some of the preeminent minds in this space and both advisory practices are on a rapid growth trajectory,” said William Cox.

Aurecon Advisory Group Managing Principal Julian Dolby  anticipates that the alliance will be in a unique position to meet client demand for end-to-end advice on climate transition risk which is likely to increase following the COP26 Climate Change Conference. 

“Climate change is a challenge the scale of which we, as a society, have never faced before. We know that advising clients on their net zero journey requires more collaboration, not less, which is why the alliance with Ashurst is built on shared methodology and values,” said Dolby. 

Ashurst partner Philip Hardy, who leads the Risk Advisory practice, welcomed the alliance with Aurecon. 

“We launched Ashurst’s risk advisory practice in June last year and have grown rapidly with now over 80 professionals, including five partners. Our focus has been on risk and compliance and how best to anticipate, manage and operationalise it, within a changing regulatory and legal environment.

“Market demand has seen us assisting clients manage their most pertinent risks including regulatory, cyber, technology and workplace predominantly across banking and financial services . A focus on sustainability, transitioning to a lower carbon economy, and the growing importance of social license issues for investors, employees as well as customers is now driving the importance of managing these risks, for private and public sector leaders across all sectors,” he said.

The Ashurst and Aurecon advisory alliance is based on a ‘Strategise, Execute, Validate, Iterate’ model, however, the partnership is underpinned by a simple proof-point. Both Ashurst and Aurecon are implementing net-zero and social license strategies for themselves, and attract premier talent who also live these values.

Both Ashurst and Aurecon have made commitments to achieving net zero. Aurecon is also signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and is a supporter of the Australian Industry Energy Transition Initiative to accelerate the impact of emissions reductions across hard-to-abate sectors.

Since launching in 2020 Ashurst Consulting, which includes Risk Advisory, has experienced rapid growth and increased demand for offerings across all areas of the risk advisory business such as financial crime, transformation, health and safety, cyber and data, regulatory compliance, conduct and enterprise risk management.

Aurecon’s deep technical understanding of asset-intensive organisations has seen its Advisory portfolio expand over the last five years, including significant growth of its climate transition risk advisory offering. The company has been investing in talent and has ambitious growth plans for the Advisory Group, particularly in helping clients to manage emerging risks, including climate change, social value and asset integrity. 

For more information please visit the Ashurst Aurecon Advisory Alliance page.