TURNER and Townsend, a global player in construction and management consulting with a strong presence in South Africa, has won Britain's Queen's Award for Enterprise in its international division.

The award recognises exceptional high standards of service in every country in which it has a presence. Group chairman Tim Wray said:

"This award recognises the skills and dedication of all our staff worldwide. It is a wonderful achievement and everybody at Turner and Townsend can take pride in it.

"The foundations we have laid within the group as a whole have given us the skills and confidence to take on new challenges and new markets all over the world."

For Wray, the Queen's Award was especially significant, since he was instrumental in starting the group's international operations 21 years ago with the first office in South Africa.

Other branches followed, in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Now with 36 offices, the majority outside the traditional UK base, the overseas staff numbers have risen from 191 to 367, while turnover figures have soared by more than 100%, doubling the international division's turnover and profit.

Southern Africa remains the group's biggest base outside the UK. The company tackles projects on any scale from domestic housing up to large-scale developments, such as the domestic terminal at Johannesburg International Airport.

Other large projects carried out is the Cape Town Convention Centre, which was secured against stiff international competition, as was the case for the De Beers head office in Johannesburg, due to be opened next month.

The Sonnenberg Hoffman and Galombik House office development on the Foreshore is due for completion in October 2004, and is the biggest office development undertaken in the CBD in many years. Ian Donaldson, Partner in Turner and Townsend Africa, said:

"The company has invested in its staff over a long period and has built up a strong skills base, with expertise that enables the African operation to compete strongly in the global market and provides the capability to undertake projects internationally.

Our South African business continues to grow steadily on the back of a diversified approach, with an ever-increasing number of blue-chip clients."