黑洞社区

Aecom has poached the Education Funding Agency鈥檚 (EFA) deputy director Mairi Johnson to head up its education consultancy globally.

Johnson was head of design at the EFA and in charge of drawing up baseline designs for schools.

黑洞社区 understands Johnson was recruited by Aecom鈥檚 global head of buildings and places Jason Prior, in move likely to be seen as a major coup for the consultant.

The hire will also bolster Aecom鈥檚 education team after its schools lead in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Darren Talbot, left for rival consultant Ridge in August.

Sources close to Johnson said large elements of her work at the EFA in terms of drawing up baseline designs for schools had been completed.

An EFA spokesperson said Mairi Johnson was leaving the EFA at the end of this year. Mike Green, EFA director of capital, said she had been 鈥渋nstrumental鈥� in leading the design work at the EFA during the introduction of baseline designs.

She will leave the EFA in December and join Aecom in January. The departure is understood to be amicable.

Prior said: 鈥淲e are in the midst of a global revolution in the design of schools and other education facilities, one in which Aecom has taken a lead through its work on major programmes in the US, Middle East and Africa.

鈥淭he UK has always been a world leader in driving innovation for education and having someone with the experience and quality of Mairi lead our education team will greatly enhance our integrated offer as we strive to provide the best possible learning environments for young people across a range of social and cultural contexts.鈥�

Marcus Fagent, partner and head of education at EC Harris, said Johnson was an important figure at the agency: 鈥淚鈥檓 sure they鈥檒l be disappointed to lose her as she鈥檚 managed the baseline designs and the relationships between the design community and procurement community well.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this suggests in any way that the standardisation adventure is faltering. The creative bit is coming to an end, but I actually think the implementation is only at the beginning, it鈥檚 critical they get that right.鈥�

The news came after Aecom posted full-year financial results on Tuesday, which revealed the consultant had returned to a profit.

The US-based global construction group reported a $239m (拢150m) profit for the year ended 30 September 2013, after a $58.6m (拢36.9m) loss the previous year.

The results did not disclose detail on its European division, which includes the former Davis Langdon business, but the firm said in a statement it had enjoyed 鈥渟olid growth鈥� in the region.