Future Foundations. Co-Creating the World to Come.

This article was first published on LinkedIn by President of Global Operations, Patrick Hill.

Beginning in the coming weeks, Jacobs will be sharing a closer look at how we’re thinking about pivotal global trends and what we’re doing to help navigate them: 

• In the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Risks Report, survey respondents listed the “failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation” as the top long-term risk by impact. We’ll look at how to respond to climate change by co-creating healthier, more resilient places.
• European International Contractors have estimated that global infrastructure investments needs will reach $94 trillion by 2040 to address economic and demographic trends worldwide. We’ll talk about ways to transform critical infrastructure systems to deliver for current populations and future generations. 
• A 2021 study by McKinsey found that the energy transition will be universal and significant, risky—but ripe with opportunity. We’ll explore how to pioneer and navigate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy future. 

For the past 25 years, I’ve been part of an organisation dedicated to co-creating and delivering critical infrastructure with public and private sector owner-clients across nearly every industry sector. 

Resilient, sustainable, world-class infrastructure is the backbone of thriving societies—and the scale and complexity of these large-scale infrastructure projects has never been more challenging than it is today. 

Long-standing economic systems are increasingly vulnerable, and the business environment is more volatile. The World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risk Perception Survey found 54% respondents expect this to continue in the short term. These are not isolated issues, but interconnected global challenges faced by all project owners, such as climate change, rapid urbanisation and provision of secure and affordable essential services through inflationary cost-of-living events. Our industry is being challenged to deliver positive and enduring impacts of infrastructure for communities and ecosystems while meeting the heightened expectations of expanding stakeholder groups. 

Almost without exception, the project-owners that I engage with around the globe are aware of these challenges and committed to being part of the solution. 

However, operationally, many are constrained by limited financial, physical, and human resources with the experience and horsepower to bring their objectives to life at the required urgency.

Public sector owner-clients are often exposed to the whims of electoral commitments that are sometimes more focused on vote-attracting announcements and ribbon-cutting than the more unheralded background work to ‘front-end-load’ projects to unlock innovation, reduce risk, and deliver the best value for money solution to their stakeholders. 

Private sector clients have obligations to their shareholders. They need certainty and predictability in delivery. Once a strategic investment commitment has been made, they need reliable partners who can assure delivery to help them get their product to market, just as they committed to their customers and investors. 

Facing such challenges, government-owned enterprises and private sector organisations around the world are looking for trusted advisors to help them thrive in an uncertain future—relying on foundational partners that co-create innovative yet practical approaches to help provide the required outcomes. 

Together, we’ll lay the foundations for a more sustainable, prosperous, and secure future. 

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