30 years in water: Brian on following the interesting problems

Brian is a Technical Director in the Environment team at AtkinsRéalis, based in the North West of England. He has been with the business since 2003 and now leads work across the UK water and environment sector.

A career that changed shape as the work changed

Brian did not join with a 23‑year plan. He came in after a PhD and postdoctoral work in simulation modeling and catchment monitoring, starting out as a water quality specialist.

As he puts it, I joined way back in 2003 as a technical specialist in water quality. The twist was that there was not much water quality work in the team at the time. So instead of waiting for the perfect role to appear, he moved toward the problems that needed solving.

He got stuck into hydrological and water resources modeling. Then, in his words, My curiosity then led me into hydro‑ecology, including developing new tools for considering what flow thresholds would be protective of species and habitats.

That pattern has shaped his whole career. Rather than staying in one lane, he kept following the interesting problems. Over time, that meant building expertise across water quality, water resources, hydro‑ecology, catchment science, and environmental regulation. It also meant that the role he does now looks very different from the one he joined to do.

Where science, regulation, and delivery meet

Today, Brian’s work sits where science, regulation and practical delivery intersect. That includes Water Framework Directive assessments, bathing water studies, strategic water resource and environmental modeling, and pollution reduction work for water companies and regulators.

The common thread is technical depth. Brian has spent his career working on the kinds of questions that do not have simple answers. How do you reduce pollution impacts in a way that stands up to scrutiny? How do you balance water resource planning with ecosystem protection? How do you turn large, messy data sets into decisions that clients can act on?

Over the years, his role has grown from delivering individual studies to shaping programs of work and providing technical direction on nationally significant environmental projects. Now, as Technical Director for Pollution Reduction, he focuses on helping colleagues tackle complex environmental problems at catchment and national scales.

That breadth is a big reason he is still here after more than two decades. The work has kept evolving. New regulations, new environmental pressures, and new client needs have created room to keep learning.

Growing teams, not just projects

Brian’s career has not only expanded technically. It has also grown in leadership.

As pollution reduction work increased, he built a team around it. He went on to lead and grow the Water Management Consultancy within Environment, first in the North West and then nationally.

That people focus still matters to him. He talks most warmly about seeing colleagues build confidence, deepen their expertise, and step into leadership themselves. Mentoring, coaching, and supporting technical development are now a big part of his role.

Working across boundaries

One of the biggest shifts in Brian’s career has been what he calls the opportunity to work across boundaries between disciplines, geographies, and career stages.

That includes his support for the Environment practice in India, which he clearly values. It is one of the most human parts of his story. The team there, he says, never ceases to surprise in terms of its passion and expertise.

Brian’s role brings together specialists, project teams, and different parts of the business to solve complex problems in a joined‑up way. It is collaborative work, but it is also work with real technical challenge.

After 22 years, that combination still holds his interest. The subject matter has depth. The problems keep changing. And the people around him keep raising the bar.

Explore careers in the Environment Practice at AtkinsRéalis

If Brian’s story sounds like the kind of career you want to build, explore environment roles at AtkinsRéalis below.