Akela Construction expands into multiple new sectors as shift in operational focus takes effect

Part of Akela Group, Akela Construction managing director (MD) Robert Ogg said the business will now operate across three sectors, including: 

• Residential infrastructure – supporting new home delivery with partners across the Central Belt. 

• Civil engineering and general infrastructure – including roads, earthworks, drainage and utilities. 

• Energy infrastructure – including substations, cabling and Battery Energy Storage Systems.  

Ogg, who has been MD at Akela for one year, said the pivot comes amid growing “delivery pressures” across these sectors, while strengthening Akela’s position in the Scottish infrastructure sector.  

“Scotland’s infrastructure is facing acute stress – across housing, transport, utilities and energy,” he said. “But with the right strategic focus and skillset, we can rise to meet that demand.  

“This strategy isn’t cosmetic, it’s operational. We’ve repositioned Akela Construction to be more agile, transparent and aligned with where Scotland needs delivery most. 

“While high-value energy investment in the north of Scotland is causing a real shift in the workforce landscape, we’re taking a pan-Scotland view, with projects even being secured across the wider UK.” 

Last week, the UK Government published its Infrastructure Pipeline, unlocking hundreds of major projects worth around £530 billion over a 10-year timeframe. 

Construction firms can now access an online catalogue of 780 planned public and privately led infrastructure projects currently under construction, in development, or at the early planning stage.  

The pipeline will be managed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), with a second update planned early 2026.   

Akela, based in Glasgow and Edinburgh, has embedded new performance protocols as part of its new strategy, supported by data harvested from localism, sustainability and supply chain delivery. 

The firm is pursuing sustained pipeline growth over the next six years, having secured a place on various new procurement routes, including frameworks and the Scottish Government’s Pan-Scotland Civil Engineering Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).  

In September 2024, Akela Ground Engineering announced the opening of a new office in Derbyshire as part of an expansion strategy across the Midlands.  

Akela also launched its Akela Training Academy in November last year, with hopes half its workforce will be made up of people aged 30 or under within five years, up from 30 per cent today. 

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