Letter from the Chair and the CEO

In 2021, Ramboll steered successfully through the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our company has emerged stronger and with a renewed purpose for delivering sustainable impact to clients and society.

Our financial result in 2021 has been the best in Ramboll’s history, with the highest operating margin registered in the past ten years. Once again, our 16,500 employees have gone above and beyond the ordinary to deliver on projects and support our clients.

Our client loyalty remains high, while our project satisfaction score has increased further to a significant 4.46 on a scale of 5. We have won and delivered groundbreaking projects through 2021 as a testament to our ability to create value for clients and partners.

We could not have delivered these strong results without our dedicated employees who have worked under unusual circumstances for a sustained period of time. Some employees, such as in the US and India, have worked through prolonged societal lockdowns, while others have shown flexibility in adapting to new hybrid ways of working and collaborating. We would like to thank all our dedicated employees for staying strong and helping our clients succeed. 

Closing a successful Winning Together strategy 

2021 was the final year of our Winning Together strategy. During the strategy period we have strengthened our geographical presence, including by doubling our number of employees in the US. In Germany, we have grown 12% annually and, in Singapore, we have broadened presence to become a hub for the whole Asia-Pacific region. Our position in the Nordics and the UK remained strong. 

As a means of differentiation, our global specialised ‘spearheads’ have been strong drivers for growth, internationalisation and competence development, just as we have invested significantly in innovation and digitalisation to increase value for our clients.

The integration of the world leading architecture firm Henning Larsen has proven truly successful. In 2021, Henning Larsen achieved a very strong result and joint project wins with the rest of Ramboll have far exceeded expectations.

All in on sustainability

Sustainability has always been at the core of our company purpose. During the past strategy, we have further developed our sustainable offering within Buildings, Transport, Energy, Environment & Health, Water, Management Consulting and Architecture & Landscape.

During 2021, we accelerated the transformation of our energy business into renewables, and we have not only further extended our leading position in areas such as offshore wind but also significantly improved position in emerging technologies such as Power-to-X and carbon capture and storage. Equally, our spearhead for Strategic Sustainability Consulting developed positively, growing by 18% in 2020-2021, which reflects a high market demand for sustainable solutions and advisory.

As of end 2021, we were well positioned for our new company strategy 2022-2025, which is titled The Partner for Sustainable Change. With the strategy, we aim to accelerate the green transition of society by providing sustainable solutions and expertise to our clients. As their trusted partner, we help our clients navigate successfully through the transition to a more sustainable future.

We will align our entire portfolio around sustainability and embed sustainability into everything we do, whether it is on projects or our own operations. We are front runners in the Science Based Targets initiative, with rigorous short and long term climate targets, and committed to net zero.

Making a real difference

In 2021, we noted the highest score in our annual Employee Satisfaction and Engagement Survey. Over the coming year we will continue to strengthen the professional development of our employees through training and further up-skilling in sustainability. And we will work to further develop as an equal, diverse and inclusive workplace where employees thrive by making a real difference for our clients and for society at large.

Through our talented colleagues, and in partnership with our clients and stakeholders, Ramboll will continue to drive the sustainable change that our society and planet so urgently need. This is what it means to be The Partner for Sustainable Change. We look forward to the collaboration.

Chair of the Group Board Jeff Gravenhorst
CEO Jens Peter-Saul