黑洞社区

Former Davis Langdon senior partner Paul Morrell has described Aecom鈥檚 plan to scrap the Davis Langdon brand as 鈥渦nutterably sad鈥�.

As 黑洞社区 revealed last week, Davis Langdon will rebrand as Aecom on 1 October this year, less than three years after the US giant acquired the firm.

Morrell (pictured) 鈥� who led the UK consultant from 1999 to 2007 - told 黑洞社区 it was 鈥渙n the whole best to let the [Davis Langdon] name go in peace鈥�. He said it would 鈥渇all to others to fill the vacancy left by Davis Langdon as it used to be鈥�.

Morrell broke his silence on the Aecom takeover in January, telling 黑洞社区 the situation at his old firm was 鈥渃lose to heartbreaking鈥� and that a raft of senior departures at the firm had changed it 鈥渢o the extent that it鈥檚 really not the business that I knew鈥�.

Former managing partner of Davis Langdon鈥檚 London office, Neill Morrison, who exited the firm to set up a construction cost consultancy within Deloitte, agreed the scrapping of the brand was 鈥渋ncredibly sad鈥�.

But he likened the situation to Deloitte鈥檚 ditching of the Drivers Jonas brand last November, two and a half years after buying the 285-year-old surveying firm.

Morrison said: 鈥淟ike many others who鈥檝e left, if you cut me in half it would say Davis Langdon like a stick of Brighton rock.鈥�

鈥淏ut we鈥檝e dropped an old brand here in Drivers Jonas and what I鈥檝e come to realise is that鈥檚 emotion, not business.鈥�

The rebrand of Davis Langdon, whose roots stretch back to 1919, will initially not affect Davis Langdon鈥檚 Asian and Australasian businesses.

Meanwhile, Davis Langdon confirmed a director in its procurement team, Peter Sell, is leaving the business in August.

Sell, a former Davis Langdon partner, worked for the London 2012 Olympic Games delivery partner CLM and is currently working with Crossrail.

Peter Flint, Aecom鈥檚 head of buildings and places in EMEA, said: 鈥淲e understand the Davis Langdon name is important to many, particularly to those who have worked here.

鈥淗owever we are excited about what the future holds for Davis Langdon as part of Aecom.鈥�