Overview
Arup was founded in 1946 by Sir Ove Arup during the post-war reconstruction era, and is headquartered in London. It operates worldwide as a design, engineering, planning and consulting firm focused on the built environment. Its core mission is to shape sustainable infrastructure and urban development in collaboration with clients, communities and governments.
Mission and focus areas
Arup’s goals include delivering multidisciplinary services that embed sustainability, innovation and value-creation into infrastructure, buildings and energy systems. It specialises in climate and sustainability consulting, helping organisations evaluate and respond to future risks such as net-zero transition and environmental regulation. In the realm of environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration, Arup assists clients with ESG strategy, reporting and sustainable investment, thereby aligning its work with sustainable finance and value-driven outcomes.
Structure and governance
Arup is owned by a trust on behalf of its current and former members (employees) rather than external shareholders. It is led by a global leadership team and governance framework defined by its board and trustees. From April 2025 a revised structure will see a non-executive chair and a CEO leading the board and executive management respectively, enhancing oversight and strategy execution.
Programs and offerings
Arup provides advisory services, technical design and consulting programmes across infrastructure, buildings, energy and water-related systems. It develops tools and frameworks for sustainability, for example helping clients invest sustainably and embed ESG criteria into business models. Additionally, Arup publishes governance and sustainability reports and offers expertise in domains such as land-use analysis, urban overheating and net-zero transitions — resources useful to finance and sustainability practitioners seeking guidance on integrating ESG into infrastructure and built-environment investments. If you like, I can pull together recent case-studies of Arup’s sustainability work or highlight its infrastructure engagements in APAC.
