News releases
Atkins engineer in awe after carrying Olympic Torch to inspire young people - 12 June 2012
A dedicated youth worker was left in awe at the crowds of supporters who had come out in Aberdeen to see the Olympic Torch relay. He was nominated to carry the Flame by his work colleagues for inspiring more than 4,500 scouts and leaders over the last 35 years.
Chris Pinnell, an oil and gas project manager for engineering and design consultancy Atkins, said: “I can't believe the crowds of supporters. Everyone wanted a picture with the Torch. To think I carried the symbol of peace and sportsmanship and then to hand it over to golfer Colin Montgomerie; what an awesome event."
Chris has been inspiring and developing young people in the Scout Association since joining as a cub himself in 1963. He continued through Scouts and Venture Scouts, before becoming a leader at international Scout Jamborees in Canada and Sweden. His accolades include the Queen’s Scout Award and the Medal of Merit and he has contributed to working groups and reviews of Scouting and its future development.
As the official engineering and design services provider for the London 2012 Games, Atkins was given the opportunity to nominate two employees who had outstanding “personal best” stories to carry the Olympic Flame during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Chris was selected by his colleagues for his achievements in Scouting.
Chris added: "It was a great honour to be chosen by my colleagues, and I suppose I represent the many adults who are involved in providing great Scouting programmes. I work with about 30 volunteers annually, supporting them in their leader training, after which they will help develop a further 700 young people.”
“This role involves me in inspiring and developing new volunteers, parents and local young people who have joined the worldwide Scouting movement. I hope to highlight the fun and benefits of volunteering, and the support and training that Scouting offers for young people.”
This honour came as Chris embarks on a new and exciting chapter of his career. Atkins recently supported him in his transition from a water and environment role to the energy side of the business.
Chris explained: “As a result of a restructure at Atkins I was offered wider opportunities within the company. Having worked in its Water & Environment division for the last three years, before which I was at Scottish Water for 33 years, I was approached about an energy role owing to my transferrable skills. This is a fantastic opportunity to work within what continues to be a vibrant sector with demands only set to increase.
“I am now responsible for project management. Before, I was interacting with clients as an operational manager so I am delighted that Atkins has invested in me and realised the skills and business knowledge I can bring to a new discipline.”
Chris is currently involved with a diverse range of process redesign projects, including those which will enable the upgrade and improvement of oil rigs and floating production and storage vessels.
He concluded: “With Atkins’ involvement in the engineering side of the London 2012 Games, it was a fitting honour to be picked for what is undoubtedly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“Volunteering is a huge part of who I am and having this recognised is rather exciting. I hope that I am able to inspire others to get involved with their local community - the satisfaction you get, in addition to the great people you meet and help along the way, is priceless.”
Chris carried the torch in Aberdeen on 11 June along Great Western Road near Ashley Grove, to Holburn Street.
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For Atkins’ news and updates on delivering the London 2012 Games follow Twitter at @Atkins_2012, or like us on Facebook at Atkins 2012.
Notes to editors:
Atkins employs over 120 staff in its Aberdeen office, one of our main oil and gas hubs. Working closely with oil and gas colleagues in the Middle East, Houston, Perth, Norway and London, our teams provide high-end design, project management, engineering, assurance and consultancy services across oil and gas upstream, midstream and downstream.
Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading engineering and design consultancies*, employing some 17,700 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. It has the breadth and depth of expertise to plan, design and enable some of the world's most technically challenging and time critical infrastructure projects.
*It is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK (New Civil Engineer Consultants File 2012) and the 13th largest global design firm (Engineering News-Record 2011).
Recent projects include:
- Major infrastructure works, such as the design and programme management of the civil works for the Dubai Metro red and green lines in the UAE;
- Key rail projects – providing architectural and engineering design services on Crossrail, Europe’s biggest civil engineering project in London, UK, and designing stations, tunnelling and track systems for Gautrain, South Africa’s first high speed line;
- Renewable energy schemes – transformer platform design for the Thanet offshore wind park in the North Sea;
- High profile transport planning and urban design – our innovative scheme to deliver a diagonal crossing at Oxford Circus in London, UK, has helped tackle the problem of pedestrian crowding;
- Multidisciplinary building design – Northwood Primary School in Darlington, UK, is an exemplar project which raises standards for environmental design and community engagement;
- Multi-year architecture-engineering construction management services for the US National Park Service, including projects such as rehabilitation of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and Administrative Complex at California’s Death Valley to meet the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification standards;
- Water and environmental projects – critical programme management of storm protection works in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Southern Louisiana in North America, providing expertise in coastal restoration, engineering, environmental and GIS support to rebuild defenses and protect habitats.
Atkins was named among The Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For 2011, won Consultancy of the Year in the CIBSE Low Carbon Performance Awards 2010, received the first ever certification of the Carbon Trust Standard awarded to an engineering consultancy in the construction sector, and was included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2011 and The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2010. Atkins was also construction and civil engineering sector winner for the fifth consecutive year in the Target National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2010 and was awarded a RoSPA Gold Award 2011 for excellence in control of health and safety in the workplace.
Atkins is the official engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
About the Scouts
The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Adults working in Scouting contribute in excess of 364 million hours of voluntary work each year to their local communities across the United Kingdom, and more volunteers are needed due to the demand of young children wanting to join the Scouts.
Scouting has also been awarded a LOGOC 2012 Inspire mark for their innovative Our Sporting Adventure project. You can discover more, including how to volunteer, by visiting the Scouting website, www.scouts.org.uk.
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Chris Pinnell passes the Olympic Flame to golfer Colin Montgomerie
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Chris celebrates with his Atkins colleagues
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