Anne Kemp

When did you join Atkins?

In April 1997.

Why did you join Atkins?

I was asked to introduce a geographical information system (geospatial) into Atkins.

What did you do before you joined Atkins?

I first worked for Atkins as an external consultant in December 1995, having previously been director of RSK Environment, and joined in 1997.

How would you describe your role and responsibilities?

To grow the geospatial business and take a technical leadership role in geospatial and digital solutions across the Group, focusing on transitioning Atkins to a Building Information Management (BIM) system.

How do you describe what you do to friends and family?

I compare us to Google Maps and say that we use similar technology for Atkins’ projects. For example, to produce a masterplan for an urban area or develop a model of a coastal city and show how it would be flooded if sea levels rose.

Do you have any professional accreditations?

I have a PhD, am a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, Director of Association of Geographic Information and sit on the Executive of British Association of Remote Sensing Companies.

What key projects have you worked on?

Environmental assessment of Salisbury Plain Training Area in the UK, EU Flood geographic information system, Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), and currently assisting on Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia.

What achievement are you most proud of?

Since I joined in 1997, my division grew to 15 people in three years and by 2005 it was 65. We have more than 500 users in Atkins working with geospatial technologies.

What’s the most technically challenging project you’ve worked on at Atkins?

The Spatial Data Infrastructure. Although uptake has been slow it is now being used in the Middle East and was also used in the UK for the Nuclear Alternative Sites project for the Department for Energy and Climate Change. The challenge has been to get people to understand what it is and how it can help them deliver their projects more efficiently and effectively.

How has your career developed at Atkins and how were you supported in this?

Steadily: I became a director two years ago. The company has been incredibly supportive of the fact that I’m a working mother with three children.

How do engineers and Atkins make a difference?

I am the chair for the integrated digital solutions technical network in Atkins. I love this role and am constantly enthused by our very committed technical staff. We encourage best practice and are developing a thriving technical community, which is successfully developing corporate standards and processes.

How would you describe the culture at Atkins?

It’s incredibly varied and diverse. No one day is like another. Its’ technical energy and passion is second to none.