Alan Brookes

Chief Arcadian. People Champion. Passionate about sustainable transformation and finding solutions to global challenges. Playing his part in helping to preserve the planet and improve quality of life.

Alan was born in Chester in the United Kingdom. He has lived and worked abroad in Asia, but home now is in Warrington, just over half an hour away from where he grew up. He’s married to Tracy and has four children – who are now (young) adults – and is a ‘retired’ amateur singer and lover of all kinds of music.

Alan was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2023, and leads Arcadis with a clear vision: to create a blueprint for a sustainable future. Under Alan’s leadership, Arcadis has positioned itself at the forefront of global efforts to address climate change, accelerate clean energy transition and build resilient, livable cities. Today he works with and leads more than 36,000 talented and gifted Arcadians in over 30 countries, all dedicated to improving quality of life.

He started his career as a surveyor, where he grew to lead a chartered surveying practice and then chair Povall, Flood and Wilson, which was eventually acquired by EC Harris in 2000. Alan helped transform the business into a global force, moving to lead the Asian business in 2011 when he became an EC Harris Board member. When EC Harris was acquired by Arcadis, Alan continued to lead Asia supporting the acquisition of Langdon and Seah before returning to the UK in 2014 to integrate the businesses into one Arcadis team.

In 2019, Alan was appointed as Group Executive to lead the UK, Europe, and Middle East businesses across €1.2bn revenue, 12,500 people and 14 countries. In 2020, Alan became Global Chief Operating Officer and led the development of the global operating structure of Arcadis - a structure which has firmly positioned Arcadis to be successful in a rapidly changing future.

Alan is convinced that the most important aspect of his role is to unleash the potential of all Arcadians, so they can continue improving quality of life and helping clients with their biggest challenges.

To do this, Alan is helping explore new approaches using digital and human innovation to deliver world-changing solutions that keep clients ahead of the curve. He is personally committed to Arcadis’s 2035 net zero targets, as well as ensuring Arcadian knowledge and advice can serve as a force for good for the planet. Since 2014, Alan has also chaired and been actively involved in Crash, the UK construction industry homelessness charity.

Alan wants to build an even more diverse and inclusive team at Arcadis. He believes that background and experience is what makes Arcadis an interesting and dynamic business - ultimately bringing different ideas and solutions to the table. He’s committed to the fact that everyone at Arcadis should feel included, have a sense of belonging and respect for human rights.

Alan is passionate about improving quality of life and championing solutions to create a better world. With sustainability embedded in every project decision at Arcadis, Alan champions a future where profitability and sustainability reinforce one another. His stewardship ensures Arcadis is not just adapting to the world’s environmental challenges but actively shaping the solutions needed to create a better, more sustainable future, designed to thrive.

Discover more about Alan’s vision and how he is channeling his passion to lead Arcadis in driving meaningful, sustainable change in this article published by The Guardian.