Dutch consultant Arcadis has announced that its chief executive, Neil McArthur, is leaving the company by "mutual agreement".
Arcadis issues a statement saying that its supervisory board and McArthur had agreed to a separation because of "a difference of opinion on Arcadis’ path moving forward".
Renier Vree, the company’s chief financial officer, will serve as chief executive on an interim basis with immediate effect while the board searches for someone to lead "the next stage of Arcadis’ development".
Neil McArthur (LinkedIn)
McArthur had held the post since May 2012. In January 2015, he was reappointed to a second four-year contract.
The firm says it will honour its contractual obligations with McArthur, including the payment of a $688,000 one-year base salary.
Niek Hoek, chairman of the Arcadis’ supervisory board, said: "Neil McArthur has provided Arcadis with excellent leadership since he became chief executive.
"Neil and the board have agreed that it is the right time for a new leader to take Arcadis forward. We are pleased that Renier Vree has accepted the interim role. With Renier’s knowledge and experience of Arcadis and its stakeholders, we are confident that he is best positioned to lead the company in the interim."
Neil McArthur said: "I am proud of what we have achieved as a company over the past five years. Together, we have expanded our core business organically and through acquisitions, going from a $2.18bn, 15,000 people organization in 2012, to a $3.7bn global multinational with 27,000 people under a single global brand, with a collaborative structure and culture.
"Now it’s time for someone else to lead Arcadis through the next stage of our journey. I have no doubt that our people will continue to deliver exceptional and sustainable client solutions, and improve quality of life across the globe."
In January this year Arcadis warned of lower profit growth in 2015 as a result of lower revenue, restructuring costs in North America and difficulties in emerging markets in the fourth quarter.
