Our strategy and business model remain robust and relevant to the challenges and demands of our markets.

As clients put greater emphasis on planning and design disciplines to respond to the increasing complexity of their infrastructure programmes, we can look forward to the future with confidence.
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Business position

The world has been operating in an extended recessionary period. This recession affects most of our markets and our public and private sector clients throughout the world. Atkins has been successfully navigating these conditions by improving its business, reducing its costs and flexing its resources to meet demand. At the same time, we continue to invest and to develop our people. We are now well positioned for future growth. 

Uncertainties remain, particularly in light of the UK Government debt position, which will undoubtedly put pressure on the Government’s finances in the near future. 

The Group remains well placed with a broad range of sector exposure and end-client activities, which lend a degree of resilience to the business. With long-standing relationships with several public and private sector clients and activity at the specialist, non-commodity end of the services spectrum, we are well positioned to respond to the potential variability in the level of public sector spending going forward. 

There will continue to be a demand for services where quality is a major determinant; at the same time the drive towards a low-carbon economy, allied to the need for greater capacity, reliability and predictability from existing assets, will play to the Group’s strengths. 

In the Middle East we are seeing confidence slowly return and many markets and sectors are active. This remains an area that is attractive to Atkins – increasingly in the area of essential infrastructure – as the Group builds on decades of experience in the region. 

Our European businesses, principally in Scandinavia, remain busy. The US workload continues to be steady, driven by a variety of clients. China remains a longer term prospect for the Group, underpinned by medium-term infrastructure demands. 

Priorities

We are investing in technical excellence and in people. We have continued to train and develop our staff through these difficult times to ensure that our performance remains strong and that we will be well positioned for a world moving out of recession.

Our focus for 2010/11 revolves around actions to deliver our three strategic priorities:

• developing our high-performing businesses
• addressing attractive sectors
• taking advantage of market opportunities.

We are confident that our business model is right and that, with the culture and skills within the Group, we are well placed to continue to progress in the years ahead. 

Keith Clarke
Chief executive
16 June 2010