Our history

Founded in 2001 by Brian Smart and Ted Tooher, long-term colleagues and project veterans, TSA Riley was first Tooher, Smart & Associates, later to become TSA Management, and in 2024: TSA Riley.

1890 – London, England

135 years ago, Henry Riley Esq opened the doors to his eponymous London quantity surveying practice. In the years that followed, his reputation grew, and in 1912 he would become President of the Quantity Surveyors Association (later to merge with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and play a pivotal role in the determination of the 1922 Standard Method of Measurement (SMM1).

The UK business grew rapidly after its establishment in 1890. Our longest client relationship – Sainsbury’s – began in 1921, and we would support the war effort by delivering 3 searchlight battery camp projects for the War Department in 1939. By 1947, Henry Riley (now run by Henry’s son, Charles) had opened their second office and in 1985, expanded into project management services.

2001 – Sydney, Australia

In 2001 in Sydney, Tooher, Smart & Associates began with a straightforward idea: do the right thing, not just the correct thing, to deliver projects with independence, integrity and genuine client focus. That approach attracted people who shared the same mindset, including Michael Taylor, Brian Adams, Andrew Wilson and Andrew Tompson.

Building National Momentum

Back in Sydney, TSA were growing into a national Australian business. During the 2010s, new offices opened in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle, and the team expanded to more than 150 people. The organisation continued building its reputation across linear infrastructure, health and education, earning the trust of government and private clients on increasingly complex programmes.

At the same time, Henry Riley was opening its Manchester and Leicester offices - and its first Australian office in Melbourne - the site where future company-shaping conversations with TSA would take place.

Under CEO Andrew Wilson, TSA began a decade of purposeful growth. The business entered new markets and delivered major programmes while maintaining the independence and integrity that defined it from the start.

That growth caught the attention of Livingbridge, a UK-based investor known for supporting people-led businesses. Looking to accelerate growth, TSA partnered with Livingbridge in 2017 – turbo-charging a strong trajectory of acquisitions and organic growth and setting our sights beyond Australia.

In early 2018, property leader Matthew Quinn joined as Group Board Chairman. A former CEO of Stockland and past President of the Property Council of Australia, Matthew brought strategic depth, governance experience and national perspective to the business – guidance that continues to shape TSA Riley’s direction today.

Growing Internationally Through Partnership

By 2018, Xigo was widely regarded as a leading, independent project management consultancy in New Zealand, particularly the North Island. Looking to grow internationally with like-minded businesses, TSA and Xigo joined forces. It was TSA’s first international step – a partnership built on shared values of independence, collaboration and client focus. Together, the 2 businesses combined the expertise of over 250 project professionals across 8 offices, expanding both reach and capability.

This was the start of TSA Riley’s expansion in earnest. Andrew Tompson (who is now CEO) would play a central role in the strategy and execution of partnerships that would define the organisation’s next phase of growth, including:

• Calcutta Group, a Sydney and Brisbane-based consultancy specialising in strategic advisory and project management across transport, health, social services and education;
• EVC, a Sydney firm focused on commercial building refurbishments and adaptive reuse projects;
• ProManage, an Adelaide-based team bringing local delivery expertise and relationships across defence, health, and community infrastructure;
• Worley’s Capital Projects Advisory (CPA) business, a 110-person team of infrastructure specialists from Advisian that added high-end capability in capital advisory, cost planning and assurance across Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand; and
• Cequent Projects, a South Island-based project consultancy that further strengthened TSA’s major project management and client base in New Zealand.

Each partnership added a new layer of expertise, expanding TSA’s capability and footprint across Australasia while keeping the culture consistent.

Scaling Up for a Sustainable Future

In 2022, TSA Management broadened its technical capability with the acquisition of The Footprint Company, a carbon management and ESG advisory company known for one of the world’s largest embodied-carbon databases. This partnership signalled its move toward sustainability-led delivery.

This was TSA’s entry into the ESG space – a service now central to our client offering and philosophy of creating positive impact. Today, TSA Riley’s ESG service is global, with clients across all regions, providing carbon advisory, climate and nature resilience, circular economy, sustainability strategy support and much more.

Connecting the Dots

Back in the UK, Henry Riley was now a significant player in the UK property market, well known for Quantity Surveying and Project Management services, serving clients such as Bupa, Amazon, IKEA and the NHS. For TSA, this both complemented and extended our Asia-Pacific offering, and so in 2023, TSA made its most significant step yet – joining with Henry Riley. With more than 200 people across 9 UK locations, the team brought deep technical expertise and a culture grounded in trust, integrity and long-term relationships.

For TSA Management, the partnership marked its first move into the UK and Europe – extending its reach to a truly global footprint of more than 850 people. More importantly, it brought together 2 independent consultancies with shared values and balancing strengths: TSA Management’s energy and scale and Henry Riley’s heritage and precision.

The partnership was united by a shared belief: growth should create value for clients and investors, and opportunity for people. It represented a new chapter for both businesses: a global consultancy built on both legacy and forward momentum.

Becoming TSA Riley

By 2024, what had started as local consultancies had grown and combined into a global business of almost 1,000 people across Australia, New Zealand, South-east Asia, the UK and Ireland.

Together, TSA Management and Henry Riley combined to form TSA Riley. It was more than a rebrand; the new identity reflected both organisations’ collective heritage and future focus – helping clients and communities realise the transformative power of their assets.

In 2023, Andrew Tompson became CEO. After 15 years in the business, he focused on unity, independence and purpose – leading TSA Riley into a new era of scale and shared direction.

Amidst this integration, DGA Group (now TSA Riley’s Claims, Disputes and Expert Witness capability) joined, meaning our service now spanned every stage of the project lifecycle. From planning to delivery and optimisation, TSA Riley project consultants provide independent, end-to-end advice that connects insight to action.

It was in this environment that RGB Assurance joined, expanding TSA Riley’s expertise in systems engineering and safety assurance, first in the Australian market, and growing globally.

Today, our growth continues to accelerate. D2, a Manchester-based business who specialise in infrastructure and capital works in the rail sector joined TSA Riley in October 2025. D2’s office in Toronto, Canada, marks TSA Riley’s entrance into North America.

Who We Are Now and Looking Ahead

Today, TSA Riley is a global independent project consultancy built on a rare combination of legacy and momentum. Across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Canada, and the UK, our people work as one team – planners, cost managers, advisors and delivery leaders united by a shared purpose: helping clients and communities realise the transformative power of their assets.

Under Andrew Tompson’s leadership, TSA Riley remains grounded in the same value that has guided its evolution: focus on what matters – people, purpose and positive impact.

Our scale has changed, but our principles haven’t. We remain independent, people-led and deeply collaborative – bringing clarity, confidence and connection to every project we help shape. The strength of TSA Riley lies in our diversity of experience and the collective intelligence that comes from working across sectors, services and borders.

As the world faces new challenges in infrastructure, sustainability and community resilience, our focus is on creating long-term value – supporting clients to plan, deliver, and optimise in ways that make a lasting difference.