“Your career growth is only limited by the ambition you harbour”: Piriya on 14 years, three countries, and the manager who changed everything

Piriya joined AtkinsRéalis as a graduate engineer in 2012. Fourteen years later, she’s a Practice Manager in the Water business, leading workshare for the entire Infrastructure business between the Global Technology Centre and Ireland, and serving as Technical Framework Lead for a major Irish framework delivering wastewater infrastructure upgrades across the Republic of Ireland.

It’s a career that’s spanned three countries, multiple disciplines within civil engineering, and a series of projects that each pushed her further than the last.

From Bengaluru to Ireland and back

Piriya spent her first ten years with AtkinsRéalis working out of Bengaluru before moving to Ireland for two and a half years. She’s now based in Noida, but her work remains deeply connected to the Irish Water business, leading design programmes with Uisce Éireann and other stakeholders to deliver resilience across water and wastewater infrastructure.

I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects in both water and wastewater, from feasibility through to construction design, she says. I’ve been lucky, I was given the opportunity not just to work on but to lead delivery for major frameworks, starting from Wessex, Thames, and the Galliford Try D&B works, based on my skills and capabilities rather than simply focusing on years of experience.

Progression at AtkinsRéalis, in her experience, has been about what you can do, not how long you’ve been doing it.

I’ve had the support of my seniors to take risks, communicate openly, and drive delivery with confidence. That alone has helped me become the strong, independent engineer I am today.

The projects that shaped her

For Priya, every project has been a stepping stone. But a few made a particular difference early on.

The rehabilitation works for Thanet Sewer, an award‑winning project in the UK gave me exposure early in my career. The Galliford Try and AtkinsRéalis D&B works for Southern Water, where I was Lead Design Engineer and Framework Lead for the GTC, gave me hands‑on experience. The on‑site experience helped bridge my learning gaps.

More recently, it’s been her time in Ireland that’s taken things to the next level. Working directly with clients and contractors has taken my capabilities further and helped me get back to basics, which definitely helps. The changing roles and responsibilities have ensured I never stopped growing as an engineer, which is what I value the most.
 

The mentor who’s been there from day one

If I listed all the people who’ve inspired me, the list would never end. But I’d definitely start with Ashish. From being my hiring manager and team leader to a mentor, he’s been an inspiration from day one.

The way he helps junior team members learn and grow, the way he supports and provides confidence to the team, and the way he has a certain finesse with client relationship management, it’s been a constant source of inspiration for me to become a better engineer and a better leader.

I’m quite lucky that I still get to work with him and learn from him, even after he moved to the Irish business.

What International Women’s Day means

As a woman in civil engineering, IWD is personal for Piriya. 

It’s always been a close cause for me to encourage the next generation of women engineers to join the field, she says. International Women’s Day is an opportunity where we celebrate our colleagues and ourselves as engineers and that definitely helps us inspire the next generation.

Her advice

Do not be shy. Ask for opportunities and work hard to make the most of every one you get. The key is to consider every project, every task, as an opportunity to learn something new and outdo yourself every time.

Your career growth is only limited by the ambition you harbour.

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