RSK Australia, the local entity of Searchlight Capital Partners and Ares Management-backed global environmental consulting and engineering business RSK Group, has acquired Sydney-based acoustic services consultancy Renzo Tonin & Associates (RTA).
No financial details of the acquisition have been disclosed.
RTA, which also has offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Kuwait and Singapore, provides acoustic services to architects, engineers, planners, developers and builders. The company’s clients include developers John Holland, Landcom and Lendlease as well as Sydney Airport, Sydney Trains and Transport for NSW.
Recent projects have included 3D noise modelling at Sydney Airport, acoustic services for NSW road infrastructure projects including WestConnex and the Rozelle Interchange and acoustic planning for Sydney Metro stations.
Divisional director for RSK Australia, Mark Haydock, said: “RSK has steadily expanded its environmental consultancy services in Australia to provide clients with integrated, multidisciplinary support for major projects.
“Acoustic expertise is a critical requirement on many key contracts and RTA’s capabilities will further strengthen the value we bring to future opportunities.”
Since being established in 2021, RSK Australia has acquired environmental consultancy Edge Impact, water management company ADENCO, civil engineering business Binnies Australia, environmental consultants EDP Australia, heritage and archaeology consultants Extent Heritage, critical infrastructure design company Pensar, project management consultancy Projence, and project management and quantity surveying company SJA.
RTA managing director Peter Karantonis will continue to lead the business. He said RTA had regularly received acquisition approaches over the years; it had turned them down because it did not want to lose its identity and culture. RTA had accepted RSK’s offer because it would allow the business to grow and develop more than would have been possible as a standalone entity, while retaining its team, brand, values, strategy and culture.
Searchlight and Ares committed £500 million ($1 billion) in equity investment to UK-based RSK Group in 2024. In addition, Ares committed to an additional £300 million debt facility to further support the group’s growth plans. This brought total debt facilities provided by Ares to £1.4 billion.
Image: RTA provided acoustic services used in the planning of Sydney’s new Metro stations.