Bristol-headquartered international environmental consultancy Eunomia Research & Consulting is to open a new European HQ in Athens and bolster its existing Brussels base as it prepares for Brexit.
The firm, which has clients across Europe including the European Commission, said the move supported a growing demand for public and private sector work at a European level.
After Brexit, UK firms bidding for contracts with the European Commission and some other European institutions will need to be headquartered in a member state.
It has registered a new company domiciled in Greece in what it described as a “strategic business decision made to ensure smooth continuation of services to existing European client base”.
This new southern European office in Athens will be led by Hara Xirou, who has spent the last decade developing Eunomia’s presence in Brussels.
Meanwhile, one of its directors, Joe Papineschi, is moving to Brussels to lead its European operations.
The firm employs more than 80 people in its Queen Square, Bristol, head office, along with its bases in London, Manchester, Brussels, Athens, Auckland and New York.
Eunomia chairman and founder Dominic Hogg, who founded the business in Bristol in 2001, said: “Many countries and businesses are looking at how they can address environmental targets and aspirations in a forward-thinking way.
Whether it’s working towards the recycling targets in the European Commission’s Circular Economy package or putting in place measures to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, Eunomia is a natural partner for those seeking to make positive changes.
“It makes sense for us to develop our growing European offices. Many of our projects seek to address global issues such as marine plastics and air quality, types of pollution which don’t respect borders, so there will be lots of opportunities for collaborative partnership working.”
Joe Papineschi added: “This is an exciting time of growth for Eunomia and I am looking forward to leading our already well-established Brussels office and supporting in the delivery of the projects we currently have underway.
“Cementing our presence in Brussels is a key strategic goal for us. We are seeking to maintain and enhance our growing reputation for quality delivery with organisations within the EU. We also want to develop further our work with major businesses who want to partner with a company that marries a progressive environmental viewpoint with a commercial outlook.”
Eunomia is currently delivering a range of high-profile European environmental projects including an assessment of the circular economy potential for EU product policy for the European Commission, a review of existing waste and recycling systems for the Finnish environment agency and a review of investment opportunities in waste and recycling infrastructure for the European Investment Bank, among others.
