In 2025, the consultancies shaping the built environment no longer define themselves by region or headquarters, but by how intelligently they connect ideas, talent, and data across borders. Few firms embody this evolution better than KEO International Consultants.
Founded in 1964, KEO has grown into a distributed enterprise of more than 2,600 professionals across 12 offices, from the Gulf to Europe, unified by a shared belief that design excellence, sustainability, and digital intelligence transcend geography. Its expansion across Europe is not about scale for its own sake. As Greg Karpinski, Chief Operating Officer and Partner, puts it, “The future of our industry isn’t defined by territory. It’s defined by how effectively we connect expertise, cultures, and ideas.”
In 2020 while the world was grappling with uncertainty due to the outbreak of the pandemic and a raft of related issues, the company pushed forward with its ‘KEO 4.0 Strategy’ and began its international expansion into Europe.
“KEO’s European journey began with the opening of our offices in Portugal in 2020, which were initially set up to support KEO’s large portfolio of projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. As the Portuguese team matured and grew in size, the company naturally sought to win work in Europe. One of the main pillars of KEO’s 4.0 Strategy is to expand and diversify the business beyond the firm’s core markets in the Middle East. KEO’s expansion into Europe is thus part of our long-term ambition to increase our international footprint even further,” explains Karpinski.
Since that initial foray, the company has pressed forward and made a number of strategic moves, including the recent acquisition of Dublin-based Meehan Green earlier in 2025. Meehan Green was founded in 2016 and over its nine years in operation, the firm has established itself as a recognised leader in sustainability consulting in Ireland and has built up a significant brand, client list and reputation.
In 2019, the firm achieved status as the only LEED Proven Provider based in Ireland. More recently, the company’s service offering expanded and now includes HPI, Fitwel, BREEAM, Embodied Carbon Lifecycle Assessments (LCA) and Zero Carbon.
Karpinski adds, “Since our highly successful foray into Portugal, we have continued to expand further across Europe. We opened an office in London in 2024, acquired Meehan Green in Dublin earlier in 2025, and have followed that up with the opening of the Madrid office last month.”
Talking about the mechanics behind the Meehan Green acquisition, Karpinski states, “Following the strategic decision to broaden our international presence by expanding into Europe, the next logical step was to determine the most effective approach for further expansion – whether through organic growth or a targeted acquisition. After a comprehensive assessment of the market, KEO management concluded that an acquisition would provide the most effective and efficient path to scale up the already highly successful Sustainability Division of the firm.”
“Ireland was identified as a key market in part because of the number of high-quality sustainability/environmental practices operating in the country. Ireland’s macro-economic advantages as a base for further expansion in Europe were also clear to the KEO team. As an English-speaking nation within the European Union, it offers a seamless business environment and access to a highly skilled, educated workforce. This made the choice both strategic and straightforward.”
Eoin Sheridan, Director of Environment and Waste, KEO Sustainability + Environment elaborates, “KEO undertook a rigorous market study, identifying over 200 potential firms in Ireland as acquisition candidates. This list was refined to a shortlist of 20 companies that met KEO’s strategic criteria — and ultimately narrowed to four that truly stood out. These firms represented the right combination of scale, service offerings, and key talent. Among them, one company clearly distinguished itself: Meehan Green.”
“Meehan Green emerged as a natural fit – not only fulfilling KEO’s expansion goals but also strengthening its sustainability and environmental consultancy capabilities. Recognised as a market leader in Ireland, Meehan Green’s reputation is built on a strong portfolio of projects, a respected client base, and above all, its people.”
He continues, “At KEO, people are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that the strength of any organisation lies in its talent, culture, and shared purpose. It was the people of Meehan Green — their expertise, ethos, and alignment with KEO’s values — that ultimately made the partnership an outstanding match.”
Distributed capability, shared intelligence
Meehan Green says it has maintained its upward trajectory in 2025, accelerating growth in project volume and team strength. Since joining KEO, the practice has retained 90% of the team and expanded its footprint across Europe – the firm says this shows seamless integration, a thriving culture and strong market performance. The company’s momentum is said to also reflect a shared vision with KEO: delivering high-impact sustainability leadership at scale across the built environment.
Over the last 18 months, Meehan Green has partnered with organisations that are shaping Europe’s tech, life sciences and commercial real estate landscapes. It has advanced major sustainability and wellness programmes for global tech leaders, driven high-performance certification strategies for next-generation life-science campuses, and enabled landmark commercial developments to pursue ambitious ESG commitments. The company works with a broad array of clients including Google, Lilly, Merck and Stryker.
Asked about what impact the acquisition of Meehan Green will have on KEO’s service lines and competitiveness Sheridan responds, “The acquisition represents far more than an expansion of KEO’s geographic footprint – it’s a strategic alignment of two organisations with a shared commitment to excellence in sustainability and the built environment. KEO is among a select group of LEED Proven Providers in the Middle East, while Meehan Green holds that same distinction as one of only two such providers in Ireland. The integration of these two firms creates a unique synergy: uniting market-proven expertise across two key regions and reinforcing KEO’s position as a global leader in sustainable design and consultancy.”
As far as how both companies will benefit from the acquisition from a knowledge and services standpoint, Sheridan explains, “This partnership immediately strengthens KEO’s capacity in both directions. KEO gains access to a highly qualified pool of professionals in Ireland, further enhancing delivery capabilities across its Middle East operations. Conversely, Meehan Green now benefits from KEO’s deep multidisciplinary expertise – encompassing sustainability, environmental and waste management consultancy, digital advisory, cost consultancy, landscape design, master planning, infrastructure, project management, architecture and engineering.”
“The goal of this acquisition goes beyond simply combining or maintaining existing strengths. It establishes a platform for growth, innovation and knowledge exchange. KEO’s regional experience in large-scale, complex developments complements Meehan Green’s specialised sustainability and certification expertise, enabling the combined entity to expand its capabilities and deliver greater value to clients across diverse markets,” he points out.
“With KEO’s resources, experience, and strategic vision, Meehan Green is now positioned to accelerate its growth and broaden its service offerings within Ireland and beyond. At the same time, KEO gains a second strong base in Europe base to extend its influence and reinforce its reputation for excellence in sustainable development,” he confirms.
Since its initial foray into Europe, KEO has already enjoyed success across segments. Detailing the company’s achievements to date, João Sales, Director, KEO Europe states, “In Europe, KEO has built a diverse portfolio across infrastructure, architecture, sustainability, and the energy sectors. Our teams have been involved in major public and private developments, from transportation and urban development programs to high-end residential projects, reflecting the region’s strong focus on sustainable design and regeneration.”
“We have also supported large-scale environmental and energy transition initiatives, including projects related to renewable energy and mobility infrastructure. Together, these efforts highlight KEO’s ability to combine technical depth, design excellence, and multi-disciplinary coordination, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted partner capable of delivering complex projects across Europe and beyond.”
Europe in focus
KEO has made significant progress on its expansion journey into Europe since 2020. Here, Sales says that across KEO’s offices in Portugal, London, Dublin and Spain, the company employs over 120 professionals covering architecture, engineering, planning, real estate development services and sustainability.
Sharing a brief about how services and services lines are structured, Karpinski explains, “Portugal serves as a key delivery hub for European and Middle Eastern projects. In the UK and Ireland the focus of those offices is on the delivery of consulting and sustainability services in those jurisdictions. Spain is our newest addition, and we see incredible opportunities in that market – Spanish investors are expected to invest considerable sums in the next five years to deliver much needed new housing and commercial projects. With that rise in investment will come a need for a large amount of A&E consulting services.”
Outlining the company’s near- and long-term goals, he states, “In the short term, our goal is to consolidate the operations we have established in Portugal, Ireland, the UK and Spain. We will also focus on expanding our digital design and sustainability offerings in Europe because we believe they are best suited to help the group grow across the Eurozone.”
“Over the long term our objective is to make Europe a significant portion of the group’s top line revenues and earnings,” he emphasises.
Pressed for insights into the challenges the company has faced as it has accelerated its European expansion, and the strategies it has in place to mitigate those issues, Sales says, “At KEO we say that culture eats strategy for breakfast. Our leadership team understands that it is vital to maintain cultural and operational alignment as we bring new offices online.”
“Each market brings different regulations, client expectations, and business contexts. To address this, we’ve focused on leadership integration, unified systems, and shared professional development programs that reinforce one KEO culture across all regions. We’ve also invested in talent mobility and hybrid collaboration tools, ensuring teams from Europe and the Middle East can work together seamlessly.”
He adds, “Equally important have been our employee engagement programs, such as the annual ‘KEO Europe Summer Sessions’, which bring together colleagues from across countries to strengthen relationships, share experiences, and align around our common vision. These gatherings have proven invaluable in building trust, cohesion, and a strong sense of belonging, as our European operations continue to expand.”
Europe is a large and diverse market with a number of opportunities and Sales says the firm has identified key areas of focus. “In Europe we are particularly focused on three areas: sustainability &environmental consulting, architecture and urban development, and digital advisory services. These sectors align closely with Europe’s priorities in climate transition, infrastructure modernisation, and digital transformation,” Sales states.
“Our approach is to partner with public and private clients, combining our technical expertise with our Middle Eastern delivery experience. This allows us to successfully compete in large, complex programs where integrated consultancy services provide a clear advantage,” he notes.
The company is also actively looking at other European geographies where opportunities align with its expertise. Sales shares, “Beyond our current markets, we are exploring selective opportunities in Central and Northern Europe, where we see strong momentum in infrastructure renewal, energy transition, and sustainable urban development. These are areas that align closely with KEO’s multi-disciplinary expertise. We believe in a partnership-based approach, entering new markets only when there’s a clear strategic fit, strong client demand, and local collaboration potential.”
Working cohesively across regions
With multiple offices, thousands of staff and a vast portfolio of projects spanning segments, KEO’s various teams possess vital skills and invaluable knowledge that can shape best practice, and ensure new projects are delivered in-line with growing client expectations and government stipulated mandates and regulations. It’s therefore vital that knowledge be shared effectively and a collaborative mindset be embedded across the organisation.
Sales asserts that knowledge sharing and collaboration are “absolutely embedded in the way KEO works”. He explains, “Teams across Europe and the Middle East collaborate daily through shared digital platforms, project management systems and cross-regional task forces that connect design, engineering, and project management disciplines.”
“We also host global technical forums to capture lessons learned and promote innovation across our markets. We supplement the technical forums with company-wide learning programs such as the wildly successful ‘Summer of Innovation’ teaching sessions. These collaborative programs enable us to transfer large-scale delivery experience from the Middle East to Europe, while also applying European sustainability and regulatory best practices to projects in the GCC.”
Elaborating on how KEO’s teams interact and collaborate on projects, Karpinski outlines, “KEO is a highly integrated multi-disciplinary consultancy with ten distinct operating units. Each part of the firm contributes its specialist expertise to a shared pool of projects. Most of the operating units have staff across multiple geographies. It is true that the UK and Irish operations are primarily focused on the delivery of sustainability services but the other offices have the capacity to deliver a wide range of services to clients in their respective locales.”
“That being said, it is quite common to have teams and professionals from different offices collaborate on projects. We may have specific talents in Portugal or Jordan that are required to support a project located in the UAE for example. Or we may have a specialist group in Abu Dhabi working on an exciting opportunity in Riyadh. Our collaborative structure allows us to combine local insight with global reach. Our digital tools and project coordination systems ensure consistent quality and efficient delivery across all KEO offices.”
Commenting on the crossover between Europe and the Middle East, Sales says that the connection between both markets has never been stronger. “European expertise in sustainable design, energy efficiency, and regulation is increasingly sought after in the Middle East, while clients from the region bring vision, scale, and investment to Europe.”
He points out, “The main difference lies in project pace and regulatory context. European developments tend to be more policy-driven and sustainability-led, while Middle Eastern projects move faster and often on a grander scale. KEO’s dual presence allows us to blend the best of both, combining ambition and innovation with technical rigor and long-term value creation.”
As KEO’s leadership reflects on the journey so far, what stands out is how effectively its integrated model is now translating into real results. The teams in Portugal, Ireland, the UK and Spain are not only supporting Middle Eastern delivery, they are driving their own momentum, securing significant project wins across Europe and strengthening KEO’s presence in markets where sustainability, innovation and technical excellence are paramount.
This growing European footprint reinforces a broader shift: Europe is no longer a satellite to KEO’s Middle Eastern operations, but an integral part of a unified enterprise where ideas, talent and digital intelligence flow seamlessly between regions. In that sense, the firm’s European story isn’t a diversion from its roots, but a continuation of the same principle that has defined KEO for more than 60 years: that excellence is created when diverse perspectives meet, when teams collaborate without borders, and when a shared purpose connects people across continents. As KEO continues its expansion, this will remain the foundation, and the competitive advantage, that drives the next chapter of its global growth.
