Kentz Corp. Ltd. was an engineering and construction business serving clients primarily in the oil and gas, petrochemical and mining and metals sectors.
History
The company was founded by Michael Francis Kent as an electrical contracting business in
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
in
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
in 1919.
The business was taken over by his brother in 1948, and then by his son Frank in 1963.
[ The business, which had been renamed MF Kent, expanded rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s as it upgraded the Irish telecommunications network.][ In 1987, it was acquired by Gus Kearney, its general manager, who expanded operations into ]Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.[
In 1992, the company made heavy losses on the refurbishment of the ]Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
The (; ), abbreviated as MNAC (), is a museum of Catalonia, Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, near Plaça d'Espanya, Barcelona, Pl Espanya, th ...
and struggled to survive.[
The company changed its name to Kentz following the purchase.][ Hugh O'Donnell was appointed ]chief executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
in 2000 and the company was subsequently listed on the Alternative Investment Market
AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market, Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in opera ...
in February 2008. Kentz was transferred to the main market of the London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...
in July 2011. Christian Brown became chief executive in February 2012.
On 23 June 2014, SNC-Lavalin agreed to acquire Kentz for C$2.1 billion ($1.95 billion). The sale was completed on 22 August 2014 with Kentz delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Operations
Kentz has operations in 30 countries around the world, including the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Australasia, the Far East, Russia and Europe.
The company's three main business units are:
See also
* Celtworld
References
External links
Official site
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016143140/http://www.kentz.com/ , date=2011-10-16
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1919
Construction and civil engineering companies of Ireland
AtkinsRéalis
1919 establishments in Ireland