Atkins appoints Innovation Director

Global engineering and consulting services firm Atkins has appointed John Drever as Innovation Director.

In keeping with an emerging industry trend, the Epsom-headquartered firm is looking to expand its innovative information, communications and technology offerings. Under his new remit, Drever will be responsible for setting up and managing Atkins’ Communications innovation centre that will encourage and commercialise innovative ideas backed-up by numbers.

He joined Atkins in 2007, rising through the ranks over the years. Before his appointment as Innovation Director, Drever served as the company’s software assurance services business manager. Prior to Atkins, he held various positions within BAE Systems and its predecessor companies, including head of product and capability development.

Drever’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Atkins’ Communications business, with projects such as the roll out of next generation networks across the UK, and the Passenger Authentication Scanning System (PASS) currently underway.

Geoff Ball, managing director of Atkins’ Communications business, said: “The ICT market is constantly and rapidly evolving, and to offer our clients the best ICT solutions for today and tomorrow Atkins needs to be at the forefront of this evolution.

“Our engineers are already coming up with game changing solutions to some of the world’s biggest engineering projects, whether it’s biometrics or the next generation of broadband. In his role as Innovation Director, John Drever will help us capture these ideas, and turn them into viable solutions that will help our clients’ future-proof their business.”