Hochtief AG is a global provider of infrastructure technology and construction services, with locations in North America, Australia, and Europe.

The Essen based company is primarily active in the fields of high tech, energy transition, and sustainable infrastructure.

Shortly after the death of Balthasar, Philipp Helfmann transformed the company into a joint-stock corporation for building construction and civil engineering named Aktiengesellschaft für Hoch- und Tiefbauten (Construction and Civil Engineering Corporation) in 1896, just before the German Stock Exchange Act came into force.

[12] Stinnes planned to use Hochtief for all his construction projects, while Hochtief saw an opportunity to profit from the Treaty of Versailles, organising the delivery of construction materials to France as part of German reparations for World War I. Stinnes died in 1924,[13] and within a year his industrial empire collapsed.

[19] During World War II, it worked on the Atlantic Wall defences, and a range of infrastructure projects across German-dominated Europe.

A decision was made to undertake more international projects, following a period of essentially domestic work after World War II.

Most work was domestic, driven by Germany's strong economic growth, with a particular strength in power plant construction.

[36] The aesthetics of the architecture of the airport is highly rated, and it has several unusual features, including Terminal Three, used only during the Hajj, reserved for pilgrims travelling to Mecca.

[37]After German reunification, the company benefited from the construction boom, although by 1993, slowing economic growth led to increased competitive pressure.

In May 2013, Hochtief sold its airports division to Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board for €1.1 billion.

[55] At the same time, Hochtief began restructuring its loss-making European activities in 2013: The Group spun off the construction business, which had previously been bundled into one unit, into four largely autonomous companies and cut up to 1,000 jobs, primarily in Germany.

[58] However, Hochtief strengthened its activities in the Asia-Pacific region, increasing its stake in the listed Australian subsidiary Leighton Holdings Limited from approximately 58% to 69.62% in 2014.

[60] In 2022, Juan Santamaría Cases assumed his position as CEO of the company, succeeding Marcelino Fernández Verdes.

[61] In 2023, Hochtief, together with EWE, was awarded funding under the German government's Deutschlandnetz initiative to establish and operate charging points for electric vehicles.

Shareholders as of September 2024: The Hochtief Group operates three divisions with subsidiaries and additionally holds a 20% stake in Abertis HoldCo, S.A.: Turner is an American construction management company.

[63] It is primarily involved in the delivery of healthcare and education facilities, airports, sports venues, and office buildings.

[64] Additionally, Turner is increasingly active in the construction of technical facilities, such as factories for electric vehicles and battery recycling, as well as data centres, including those for the internet company Meta.

[65][66][67] Cimic operates in the Asia-Pacific region, providing construction services for sectors such as education, healthcare, power and energy, transportation, tunnelling, and water.

In Europe, Hochtief operates in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, the UK, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands.

Abertis operates mainly in France, Spain, Brazil, Chile, the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

[72] Subsidiaries include Flatiron, CPB Contractors, Leighton Asia (active in Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian countries),[73] and Hochtief Infrastructure.

[5][6] Hochtief develops and constructs neighbourhoods and districts that include residential properties, as well as public and commercial facilities.

[6] In the field of transport infrastructure, the company constructs bridges, railways, stations, airports, and ports, as well as roads, tunnels, and motorways both domestically and internationally, often within the framework of concession models such as public-private partnerships.