RSK Group has acquired Octavius Infrastructure, a Tier 1 civil engineering and electrification transport infrastructure business with more than 700 employees working across rail and highways. The purchase was made from Sullivan Street Partners, further expanding RSK’s position in a sector benefiting from continued investment.
Octavius Infrastructure has long-standing relationships with major clients including Network Rail, National Highways and Transport for London, supported by a portfolio of more than 30 frameworks. Its current project workload includes the refurbishment of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight and Waterloo Station Roof, the construction of new railway stations at Okehampton and Charfield, the A46 Walsgrave Junction Upgrade, a new link road in Colchester and the recently opened A140 Long Stratton Bypass.
Octavius, headquartered in Reigate, will continue to operate under chief executive John Dowsett, supported by the existing executive team, including Matt Smith and Gavin Pritchard, managing directors for the rail and highways sectors. The acquisition strengthens RSK’s presence in transport infrastructure and adds significant capacity to its existing operations.
John Dowsett said: “I am very excited about joining the RSK Group and embarking on the next stage of the Octavius journey. Having thrived under the ownership of Sullivan Street Partners, expanding our capabilities, reputation, revenue and profitability, RSK feels like the natural long-term home for us to continue our ambitious growth plans. We will retain our proud Octavius brand and maintain a strong level of autonomy, while enjoying a wealth of support from the considerable expertise within the RSK Group.”
RSK founder and CEO Alan Ryder welcomed the addition. “I am very proud to see Octavius, a high quality and trusted partner in the UK rail and highway sectors, choose RSK as its long-term home. John and his team have built a remarkable business, and I look forward to working with them as they continue to lead Octavius through many more successes. Infrastructure is one of RSK’s core strategic growth markets and, in Octavius, we have found a large, well-established business with a proven track record in safety-critical infrastructure delivery. With many complementary businesses already in the group, we see significant opportunity for collaboration, further improving the value we can bring to our shared client base.”
Sullivan Street founding partner Layton Tamberlin said: “Our journey with Octavius has been a fantastic one. From carving out the business, to executing the organic growth plan and adding additional capabilities through add-ons, the business has been transformed into a national player of considerable scale. It has been a pleasure working with this excellent management team throughout our ownership, and we have every confidence that Octavius will continue to thrive as part of RSK Group.”
Advisers to Sullivan Street on the transaction were DC Advisory for corporate finance, Taylor Wessing for legal, Alvarez & Marsal for financial, PwC for tax and Strategy& for commercial matters.
