Atkins (company)

Atkins
Company typePrivate (1938–2017)
Subsidiary (2017–2023)
IndustryConstruction, design, engineering and business services
Founded1938
FounderSir William Atkins
Defunct2017
FateBought by SNC-Lavalin
SuccessorAtkinsRéalis
HeadquartersNova North, London, England
Number of locations
Offices in 28 countries
Key people
Philip Hoare (President)
ServicesConsultancy services
Revenue£2.081 billion (2017)[1]
£171.5 million (2017)[1]
£164.6 million (2017)[1]
Number of employees
18,300 (March 2017)[1]
SubsidiariesFaithful+Gould

Atkins was a British multinational construction, design, engineering and business services company. It was formerly listed on the London Stock exchange and had a London headquarters. During July 2017 the company was bought by SNC-Lavalin in a £2.1 billion deal[2][3] which subsequently renamed to AtkinsRéalis in 2023.

The company was founded as W. S. Atkins & Partners by Sir William Atkins in 1938. It experienced rapid growth following the Second World War, performing specialist services in town planning, engineering sciences, architecture and project management. The firm was admitted to the London Stock Exchange in 1996, trading under the name WS Atkins plc for a time before rebranding as Atkins during 2002. While Atkins largely focused on the UK market during its formative years, it has grown into an international firm with a global presence, as well as expanded into a wide range of sectors, including aerospace and high speed railways.

By 2016, Atkins had become the UK's largest engineering consultancy, as well as the world's 11th largest global design firm.[4] It employed approximately 18,000 staff based in 300 offices across 29 countries and had undertaken projects in over 150 countries. The firm's motto was "Plan, Design, Enable".

  1. ^ a b c d "Results for the year ended 31 March 2017". atkinsglobal.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  2. ^ Lampert, Allison (20 April 2017). "Canada's SNC-Lavalin to buy WS Atkins in C$3.6 billion deal". reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  3. ^ "SNC-Lavalin closes WS Atkins acquisition". Canadian Consulting Engineer. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Atkins at a glance". atkinsglobal.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.