Shaping cities from the start – Andrew Tompson’s journey from Grad to CEO

The engineer who learned technical German to help design Europe’s tallest tower wasn’t looking for easy wins – he was chasing challenges, delivered to the highest standard.

From seismic zones in California to property investment banking at Macquarie Bank, Andrew Tompson has built his career on pushing himself further.

Now, as CEO of TSA Riley, that same drive is pushing our business to grow faster, reach further, and aim higher than ever before.

Pictured (above): Andrew Tompson, left, with one of TSA Riley's Australian founders, Brian Smart.

After university, Andrew joined Arup as a Structural Engineering Honours Graduate, and he received the advice that would shape his career.

“I came out of my undergraduate degree with a very technical approach, and I learned to temper that with the practicality of working in the real world. Why build a really complex model, when you can achieve basically the same thing with a simple one? It’s advice that has stuck with me: focus on what matters.”

At Arup, Andrew would travel to Europe to work with architects Norman Foster & Partners on what was the tallest building in Europe at the time: Commerzbank in Frankfurt. And in what some might view as an obstacle, Andrew took on as a challenge. “We had to design to German standards – so I learned technical German to submit the design calculations. It was a fascinating challenge – a lot of fun.

“I was lucky to have a lot of early career experiences like this. I have family in the UK and hold dual Australian / UK citizenship, and so I travelled around the UK and Europe working on some fascinating projects and really having my first introduction to the UK market. Little did I know how well this would prepare me for the time I spend with our UK team these days!”

From Europe it was off to the States. On a study grant, Andrew spent a year at the University of California, Berkeley, before working for Arup in San Francisco.

“It gave me a whole new way of looking at things. I went to learn about seismic engineering – and California is the place to do that! Again, I found myself working in a new jurisdiction, and a new culture, with new rules and adapting to that. It was a great experience.”

It was at Lendlease where Andrew stepped into leadership as a construction project manager for high-rise buildings in the Sydney CBD. “Very quickly I learned it was all about people. Technical strength is so important, but understanding people is absolutely critical. You have to take the time to understand perspectives – whether it’s clients and what they need, the community and what this project means to them, or the construction team on site. Every stakeholder’s input shapes how you deliver.”

For Andrew, 7 years at Lendlease would build a diverse professional portfolio – working across health, sports and stadia, hospitality, commercial and residential. “It taught me the value of transferrable skills. It means your CV can send you to where the really interesting projects are – the sectors where there is growth, and where you can add the value that comes from well-rounded experience.”

As Andrew’s career developed, he looked to focus on the financial, moving to Macquarie Bank’s real estate group. “At Macquarie, I honed my sense of commerciality. I had just finished my MBA, and a development management leadership role came up with the real estate team. It was a great opportunity to take my technical and delivery background and bring it into the financial world.” Across office, hospitality, residential, and leisure, Andrew’s team led projects in Australia and South-East Asia, further growing his understanding of the international markets and project commercials that would one day be so significant to his role at TSA Riley.

In 2009, Andrew saw an opportunity at the smallest company of his career to date: the then-named TSA Management. “It was a very different business to what we are today. Thirty to forty people, Sydney based and focused on the rail and aged care sectors. The team were doing good work with a really strong ethic. I’d worked with some of the team before and felt TSA was punching above its weight for its size and scale.”

From the beginning Andrew sat on TSA Riley’s Board, along with hands on project roles, and straight away he had the opportunity to demonstrate the agility and the transferrable skills which characterise the TSA Riley professional development experience today. From the NSW Government’s ‘Building the Education Revolution’ programme to greenfield aged care developments and feasibility and planning assistance in aviation, Andrew would begin a journey to understand every facet of the growing TSA Riley business.

Over the next 13 years, Andrew balanced strategy and governance roles with leadership of the organisation’s largest region – New South Wales (Australia) – and its largest service, Project Management. He also played a central role in the acquisitions that accelerated TSA Riley’s growth: expanding into New Zealand with the acquisition of Xigo and Cequent, growing our Advisory service line with Advisian, and integrating Henry Riley in 2023 – a move that established the UK as TSA Riley’s fastest growing region.

Pictured (clockwise from left): Sailing has always been a part of Andrew's life, presenting TSA Riley's Carla Edwards with the 2022 SMART Prize, at 2025 UKREiiF in Leeds.

“I’m passionate about this business, and I’ve been front row as we’ve grown into the organisation we are today. Stepping into the CEO role is a privilege; we have a fantastic team and we're on a really exciting journey.”

When asked what he is most proud of in his tenure as CEO so far, Andrew points to TSA Riley’s positive impact and independence.

“Our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) service is relatively new and something I’m passionate about. We’re living on this planet, and we need to look after it. Working in the built environment, it’s imperative that we do things efficiently and with as light a step as we can. It's the right thing to do, and our clients agree.

“We’ve always operated with independence, and that’s something our clients value too - they know they’re getting good, honest and practical advice. We don't chase every opportunity - we choose projects where our teams can make a difference. And there are things that we choose not to do because we want to make the world a better place.

And his priorities over the next 12 months?

“We're continuing to provide exciting career opportunities for our teams, taking on complex projects for clients and really delivering. Our foundation is strong; it’s a launch pad for the next stage of our growth.

"Growth is good for our investors, absolutely, and it's good for the team and everything we're seeking to provide as an employer. It comes with new sectors, new geographies, new clients and an expanded service."

As CEO, Andrew is busier than ever, and characteristically, he has an elegant solution to work / life balance. “It’s easy to get caught in the detail, whatever we’re focused on. I regularly ‘zoom out to 30,000 feet’ to make sure that we’re focussed on the right priorities. I’m also very keen to provide autonomy, and I delegate as much as possible. TSA Riley has a tremendous team of people, and I trust our experts to deliver.

“My job involves a lot of travel – I love spending time with our teams and clients in the UK, New Zealand and Malaysia. And when I get home, I go straight to the water with my family: swimming and sailing around the Northern Beaches of Sydney.”

Music is also a stress release too – Andrew has a classical music background. “I grew up in a very musical family, with professional classical musicians on my mother’s side. That was a strong influence, and having played the violin, I still enjoy the Tchaikovsky violin concerto on high volume! It’s so important to look after yourself so you can bring your best to every aspect of your life – family, friends, work.”

The next chapter is about scale, but also about focus. For Andrew, growth is only meaningful if it creates value. That belief drives TSA Riley’s 2025–2030 strategy and the ambitious targets that sit behind it.

"For me, it’s about delivering value to our clients, our communities, our people and our investors. Our focus has always been long-term, sustainable growth in profitability. We play in spaces where there's strong macroeconomic logic and demand for what we do. As we look at the addressable markets on our doorstep – there is scope to be significantly larger while maintaining our strong performance.

"We wrote our 2025-2030 Strategy recently, and our vision is to double in size in 5 years. We’re looking to be north of AUD$500 million revenue and more than 2,000 people with a bottom line approaching $100 million EBITDA. I'm excited about that."

If you take that goal out another 10 or 15 years?

"Success to me is becoming a leading project consultancy that is well known at a global level. We’re maintaining independence in our offering, looking after our clients and helping them deliver their outcomes, using great tools and systems, harnessing the strength and depth of the business. Our teams are doing really exciting, complex work, having fun, and working in a supportive, inclusive business.

Today, as CEO, it all comes back the advice Andrew received as a grad: focus on what matters – balancing the technical, financial, client focus and of course, people.