AtkinsRéalis has appointed Justin Norman, a Chartered Engineer with a background in civil engineering, as Managing Director of its Transportation business for the UK and Ireland. The appointment puts engineering leadership at the centre of major UK and Ireland rail, highways and maritime delivery as the sector navigates significant technical change.

Norman has been with AtkinsRéalis for more than 20 years, according to Rail UK. He joined Atkins in 2003 as a civil engineer and progressed through senior engineering and management roles across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Norman was appointed interim Managing Director of Transportation in April 2026, having previously served as Nuclear and International Growth Director for the UK and Ireland. He was also Managing Director of AtkinsRéalis' Europe business and, before that, Managing Director of the company's Ireland business.

As Managing Director, Norman will lead a team of more than 2,000 engineers and technical specialists spanning rail, highways, local transport and maritime disciplines. AtkinsRéalis' transportation services span strategic consultancy and planning through to detailed engineering design, digital transformation and operations support.

Chris Ball, President, UK & Ireland at AtkinsRéalis, said: "The transport sector is going through a period of significant change, driven by asset renewal, digital transformation and decarbonisation, along with devolution giving regions a greater role in shaping transport to deliver place-led growth."

Ball pointed to Norman's engineering track record, noting his "more than two decades" with the business and "strong record of driving growth across markets" equip him "to lead a team central to how the UK and Ireland plan, fund and deliver transport."

The structural driver is the technical complexity of renewing ageing rail, highways and maritime assets while meeting decarbonisation and digital transformation requirements across the UK and Ireland. Norman succeeds Colette Carroll OBE, who has been appointed Global Market Lead for Rail at AtkinsRéalis.

AtkinsRéalis is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK and Ireland. Its engineering portfolio includes major rail programmes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, the £10.7 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail, alongside highways schemes including the Lower Thames Crossing and the M25.

For the sector, Norman's appointment strengthens engineering leadership continuity as devolution and decarbonisation reshape transport infrastructure delivery across the UK and Ireland.

Source: railuk.com