February 2026 marks one year since Vishaal Lutchman assumed the role of Group CEO of GIBB Holdings (GIBB) - a year marked by curiosity over certainty. In an environment often driven by quick wins, 2025 was intentionally devoted to deep listening: to the people, the culture, the market perception of GIBB supported by the underlying thinking that shaped the organisation over time.

For Lutchman, the first 12 months were less about making noise and more about making sense, observing where performance truly thrives, pinpointing the company’s strongest talent, and confronting, with honesty, how well GIBB’s offerings are positioned for a changing market. Just as importantly, it was about understanding where the gaps are and how to respond to them in a way that is both sustainable and true to the brand.

Lutchman adds that the learning journey directly shaped GIBB’s growth narrative. “Drawing on the insights, the business developed a clear strategic approach, focused on strengthening existing service lines  while exploring new ones. Now, at the end of our financial year, our strategy is embedded in the FY27 budget, positioning us to shift decisively from planning to execution.”

While there were significant highlights and wins during 2025, many of these are confidential, bound by NDAs and client sensitivities. “These wins affirm the strength of our people and the relevance of our direction. They reinforce my confidence that GIBB is well positioned for the next phase of growth,” notes Lutchman.

With his sights firmly set on action, Lutchman reckons that a major priority is talent, both growing GIBB’s people and  acquiring new skills into the business. The company has committed meaningfully to developing existing talent, including the provision of bursaries for master’s and PhD studies. At the same time, it expects to recruit new people as its strategy gains momentum, particularly in areas aligned to digitisation and innovation.

The implementation of GIBB’s ERP system is a critical first step towards digitisation, creating a platform to better integrate data across the business and make decisions informed by reliable intelligence rather than intuition or outdated information. 

“From there, we will continue to build digital capability, including exploring automation where infrastructure design and delivery are repetitive and well suited to technological support,” adds Lutchman.

A key part of this future is GIBB’s focus on youth. “Younger engineers are often quicker to embrace emerging technologies, and they tend to bring a strong sense of responsibility toward sustainability, climate consciousness and community impact. By combining their energy and perspective with the experience of our senior engineers, who provide guidance, rigour and stress testing, we can create a powerful blueprint for success. This is central to our succession planning, our role in transforming the industry and our commitment to building sustainable clients and communities,” explains Lutchman.

As the company navigates 2026, its strategic direction will remain consistent. Its core values – People, Expertise and Excellence – will stay the same, and it will stay committed to creating lasting value for its clients and partners, as well as the communities and economies it serves. 

“Staying true to this overarching intention is what will allow GIBB to grow with purpose and impact,” concludes Lutchman.