Sustainability careers in engineering: #MakeItBrilliant at AtkinsRéalis

Hi, I'm Zoe, Client Director in the Buildings and Places team at AtkinsRéalis in the UK. Welcome to Part 2 of my story in the #MakeItBrilliant blog series. If you haven't read Part 1, check it out here to learn more about my career journey and challenges. In this second part, I'll share how I approach sustainability and innovation and make an impact through my work.

Can we really engineer a better, sustainable future?

The UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries—and at AtkinsRéalis, we play a crucial role in restoring our environment. My focus and purpose are to create connected, thriving places. After all, how we thrive as individuals and communities is shaped by our lived experiences, resilience, and surroundings.

Infrastructure is vital for delivering life-support systems—clean water, breathable air, and energy for our homes and workplaces. Tackling inequality and ensuring access to quality, affordable homes, and green spaces is essential for fostering resilience.

Integrating and revitalizing nature is fundamental to the 'web of life,' promoting health, wellness, food security, and economic growth. Nature-based solutions are powerful, yet often underused, assets that bolster the resilience of major infrastructure—from highways and rail to towns and cities. By working with nature to retain water through habitat creation and planting trees in urban areas, we can help mitigate the impacts of climate shocks and stresses.

Sustainability and digital twins: Informing decision-making in engineering

I take a holistic approach to sustainability across governance, environmental, and social aspects, essential from the inception of an idea to design and delivery.

In my role, I work at the nexus of climate, health, and nature, bringing these factors upstream to inform decision-making and integrate insights from community needs and business drivers.

Foresight, such as running future digital scenarios with hypothetical interventions, can be explored using digital twins. Both insight and foresight, backed by credible data and digital twin technology, support better-informed decisions, balancing return on investment, community needs, climate resilience, and nature restoration.

This approach helps identify the best path to create thriving, connected places for people and nature. Partnerships with start-ups and niche organizations are essential for effective responses to complex, uncertain challenges. Collaborative work, often cross-sector and multi-agency, generates solutions that address issues and prevent maladaptation.

How I #MakeItBrilliant in my role

Celebrating the achievements and successes of our AtkinsRéalis community is at the heart of what we do. We value and invest in our relationships with clients and end users, so my team and I help embed their needs into the fabric of our buildings and projects.

Recognizing the excellence our teams bring to design, delivery, and essential soft skills is a top priority for me. I enjoy honoring everyone who champions safety and inclusion and ensures safe, welcoming workplaces on and off-site. Our WOW platform helps us spotlight efforts, showcase contributions across the company, and celebrate wins. Team members can then choose from a range of meaningful or aspirational gifts as rewards for their points.

AtkinsRéalis leads the way with forward-thinking policies and webinars, staying committed to listening, challenging, and taking action on non-compliance. I'm proud to contribute to a culture that thrives on weaving respect, inclusion, authenticity, and community seamlessly into everything we do.

Ready to make your mark? Explore these roles in the Buildings & Places team and see how you can #MakeItBrilliant with us.