With a global headquarters in the U.S.A., the roots of CPP Wind extend back more than half a century to the very beginning of wind engineering.
In 2007, Accru Harris Orchard started working with CPP Sydney when it became the first office outside of the U.S. for CPP Wind. It began with a team of just four to provide industry-leading wind consulting services to architects, engineers, and developers. Founding Director, Dr Matt Glanville was soon joined by Peter Bourke to help establish the Australian business. Peter is now the Global Chief Technical Officer and Australian Managing Director.
“I joined CPP for the opportunity to be part of building a new business from the ground up, which was extremely exciting to me,” Peter explains. “It also allowed me to be part of setting up a new test facility, including the design and construction of a 40-meter-long wind tunnel.”
The Sydney office boasts a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and laboratory, some of the most innovative experts in the field, and an outstanding record of projects across Australia, Asia and the Middle East. In fact, in the last 10 years, revenue for CPP’s Australian subsidiary has grown substantially, the team is now more than 60 people, and the laboratory and office space has tripled.
Accru Harris Orchard Audit Director Luke Bollmeyer started doing the audit work for the Australian subsidiary in 2013 and says, “To get from the early stages of designing the wind tunnel to today, where they’ve built a significant presence in Australian and international markets, is a significant achievement.”
Challenges along the way
The path hasn’t always been easy.
“The company had to deal with the Global Financial Crisis in the early stages of their operation in 2008,” says Luke. “While this had the potential to put a brake on things, it also created an opportunity for the company to focus on Southeast Asia and grow into a new market, as well as building a post-GFC presence in Australia.”
COVID brought plenty of headaches and complications, too. Luckily, Accru Harris Orchard was able to lend a hand and offer support when revenue streams and operations were affected by lockdowns.
“There were various effects on the markets we serve, creating significant disruptions to our laboratory operations,” remembers Peter. “Plus, there were various government support schemes for which we needed expert advice on applicability and reporting requirements.
“That was a stressful period, but every time I needed advice, I gave Accru’s Director Daniel Melino a call, and he jumped to action to get us answers and guidance within hours so we could navigate a way forward. I always felt he genuinely wanted to help us as much as possible and promptly.”
Building a great business
Peter says that having a strong team of people who are passionate about the organisation, what it does, and its growth is vital to building a great business.
“You have to be willing to fail in order to innovate and be on top of performance data so that you know what’s working and what’s not,” he says.
He adds, “At a high level, CPP strives to be the leader of our industry worldwide. To me, this means constantly being innovative and leading our niche industry forward.”
However, he feels that just being technically advanced is not enough. “What’s just as valuable to us is being responsive to our clients and being a true partner on their projects,” Peter says. “We also prioritise providing opportunity and career potential to our team who are on this journey with us. And all this while maintaining good financial health in an otherwise dynamic and cyclical marketplace.”
Accru Harris Orchard’s role in the journey
“The team at Accru Harris Orchard helped us set up the Australian business, and they’ve been our tax and accounting experts ever since,” says Peter. “They’ve been on the entire journey with us.”
In recent years, Accru Harris Orchard’s role has included full financial audits of the business, advising during the setup of a satellite office in Malaysia, and capital expenditure funding decisions. With the majority of CPP’s finance professionals working at the company’s U.S. headquarters, Accru Harris Orchard’s team has served as experts on Australian tax and accounting matters, regulations, and practices, particularly during the 2008 GFC and throughout COVID.
“I feel that in working together, our knowledge of international transactions, transfer pricing, and tax-related matters improved,” says Peter. “Their assistance has enabled us to operate more efficiently internationally, and through our audit processes, we’ve learned a lot about how to set up our business to achieve and demonstrate compliance most effectively.”
Luke says that working with Peter and the team at CPP has been an exciting experience for him, too.
He explains, “For me, it’s been fascinating to build a greater understanding of not only what the effects of wind have on some of the biggest structures in our cities but also to work with a group of passionate people who set out with a clear vision and to get to see them achieve that.”
Future plans
In the years to come, Peter believes that CPP’s growth will continue, with expansion into new engineering services and new markets.
“In conjunction with our new Malaysian test facility, which the Australian office manages, I expect our strong presence in many areas of Asia will continue to expand,” he says, “and we anticipate the launch of some innovative product offerings that we have brewing in the pipeline, too.”
To learn more, visit the CPP Wind website.
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