HSBC and Jord Group: Engineering Growth Across Borders

Founded in the 1970s, Jord Group (Jord) began with a simple but powerful idea: to engineer innovative, bespoke solutions for the energy and resource sectors. What started as a small Australian firm serving local clients has since grown to a global business operating in over 100 countries - guided by one enduring principle: ideas engineered.

"Every decade saw us opening up in a new market. Recent decades have been as a direct result of the energy transition, which is throwing up so many opportunities for us," says Angus Holden, Executive Chair of Jord Group, who led the company as Chief Executive Officer for over 20 years.

Today, Jord’s operations span every continent except Antarctica, and their business has doubled in size in recent years. The company currently employs 600 staff internationally and achieved sales of A$550 million in 2024.

Jord is at the forefront of the global energy transition, working alongside the world’s largest energy and resources companies, and emerging innovators in the space.

“You name a country, and I’ll tell you a project that we’re chasing,” says Holden.

Recent projects

• Jord has invested in a Dutch startup that adapts conventional technologies to convert seawater into ammonia, using 100% renewable energy.
• In Germany, Jord was recently selected to design and construct the world’s first carbon free lithium extraction plant, sourced from geothermal brines under the Rhine River.
• In the United States, Jord is scaling fast to keep up with supplying infrastructure for energy-hungry AI driven data centres.
• Here in Australia, Jord is in the final stages of delivering a range of process plant to Iluka for its Enneabba rare earths project.

Globally, the company is focused on developing innovative ways to harness critical minerals in an environmentally responsible manner.

“These are opportunities that simply didn't exist in previous decades,” remarks Holden

As Jord expanded into new markets, the more complex the underlying business operations and banking requirements became.

“Our projects across our various markets come with fairly onerous commercial terms, especially relating to financial bonds as security against performance. We struggled with this historically, but it has certainly become much easier in recent years with HSBC.”

“The biggest challenge is understanding the markets in which you are operating. Each country and each culture has a different business rhythm, but that’s the fun part. Last year, we had active projects in more than 40 countries.”

It has been so important to find a bank who will go with us on the journey – it’s been about a true understanding of our business, our strategy and the funding to support our growth, Holden adds.

For Jord, the next 10 years will be all about critical minerals, AI data centres and energy security.

According to Jo Miyake, HSBC’s Head of Banking, Asia and Middle East, Corporate and Institutional Banking, these drivers are generating enormous investment and innovation globally.