Andrew Walker: Engineering long-term partnerships in marine infrastructure

You lead our marine infrastructure work in the UK, what does your role involve?

I am responsible for the performance, development and direction of the business while maintaining close relationships with our clients and partners. Our work supports port authorities, public and private sector organisations, and energy developers on complex maritime and coastal infrastructure projects.

In practice the role is a mix of supporting the team, working closely with clients and helping shape how we develop the business. Marine infrastructure projects rarely happen in isolation. They tend to evolve over long periods of time, often with the same assets and stakeholders involved across multiple phases of delivery.

NIRAS has some very long-standing relationships in the sector, with clients we have supported for many decades. That continuity is valuable. It means we understand the history of the infrastructure, the operational pressures our clients face, and the context behind many of the decisions being made.

Day to day, my focus is fairly simple. Support the team, deliver good engineering and maintain the trust that those relationships are built on.

What do clients typically need most when they come to NIRAS?

Usually they are looking for clarity.

Marine infrastructure can be complex. Clients are often managing ageing assets, operational constraints and significant investment decisions that will shape a port or harbour for decades. They need clear advice on risk, cost and what is realistically deliverable in a marine environment.

Technical capability is important, but practicality matters just as much. Solutions need to be buildable and able to work alongside ongoing operations.

Above all, they need trust. Many of our relationships have developed over long periods of time, and clients value straightforward advice from engineers who understand the full lifecycle of those assets. That trust is built on technical credibility, clear communication and doing what we say we will do.

In marine infrastructure there are rarely perfect solutions. What clients value most is clear, honest advice from engineers who understand both the technical challenges and the realities of building and operating infrastructure in harsh coastal environments.

How does that early involvement and access to expertise across our global infrastructure teams benefit clients?

Early involvement is where we can often add the most value.

At feasibility stage we can help clients shape the right solution before key decisions become fixed. That might involve challenging assumptions, exploring alternative construction approaches or helping structure projects in a way that manages risk more effectively.

Being part of a wider international group is a real strength. We can draw on expertise from across ports, coastal engineering, geotechnics, environmental assessment and energy infrastructure. That wider experience allows us to bring lessons learned from projects in different geographies and apply them in a UK context.

For clients it means access to a broad range of expertise while still working with a local team that understands the sector and the environment we operate in.

You are a strong advocate for digital asset management and innovation. Why is this becoming more important in the sector?

Many marine assets across the UK are now operating well beyond their original design life. The challenge is not just building new infrastructure, it is managing what we already have.

Digital asset management allows owners to move from reactive maintenance to informed, risk based decision making. By structuring inspection data, condition assessments and performance information in a usable format, owners can prioritise investment where it genuinely reduces risk.

More broadly, innovation and digitisation are changing how projects are delivered. Better use of data, improved modelling tools and more integrated project information help reduce uncertainty and improve collaboration across project teams.

For me it is not about technology for its own sake. It is about giving engineers and asset owners better information so they can make better decisions. In a constrained funding environment, better information is not a luxury. It is essential.

You’ve been with NIRAS for nearly 19 years. What changes have you seen in the sector, and where is it heading?

When I started, much of the focus was on traditional port infrastructure and heavy civil works. Over time, the sector has become more complex.

Those fundamentals are still there, but the context has changed significantly. Assets are older, regulation is tighter and there is far greater emphasis on resilience, the environment, sustainability and long-term asset management.

The energy transition has also become a major driver. Ports and coastal infrastructure now play an increasingly important role in supporting offshore wind, alternative fuels and new energy supply chains.

Looking ahead, I think the sector will continue to evolve around three themes. Extending the life of existing infrastructure, supporting trade and the energy transition, and remaining adaptable as new industries and opportunities emerge.

Ports will play a critical role in energy security over the coming decades. The challenge for our sector is adapting existing infrastructure while also designing the next generation of facilities that support new energy systems.

It has been a really rewarding experience. Over that time my own role and responsibilities have grown steadily, bringing a wide range of experiences and challenges along the way. Early in my career I worked for a specialist marine consultancy, so the focus was always very technical and project driven. As the business evolved and later became part of NIRAS, the scale and variety of opportunities naturally increased.

I have been fortunate to work on some fascinating projects and to travel as part of that work, including spending time working in Australia and supporting projects in different parts of the world. Experiences like that really shape you as an engineer, both technically and personally.

Along the way I have also been lucky to work with exceptional colleagues and learn from some very strong leaders. Those experiences have played a big role in shaping how I approach engineering, projects and people today.

Looking back, becoming part of NIRAS marked the start of the next stage of that journey, allowing me to take on greater responsibility while continuing to work on the kind of complex marine infrastructure projects that first drew me into the profession.

What is your approach to building and leading a successful team?

I try to keep things straightforward. We have a diverse team with a wide range of experience and backgrounds. My role is not to have all the answers, but to create an environment where people can do their best work. That means giving people responsibility, encouraging open discussion and making sure support is there when it is needed.

Clear and open communication is important, particularly in marine projects where risk is real and the consequences can be significant, but culture matters just as much. If people feel trusted and valued, performance usually follows, and that collaborative culture is something NIRAS has always placed a strong emphasis on.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy the tangible nature of marine engineering. You can stand on a quay or a breakwater and see the result of the team’s work. There is satisfaction in delivering projects that support communities, trade and industries.

I also value the relationships that develop over time. Working with clients and colleagues over long periods creates a strong sense of trust and continuity, and seeing younger engineers develop is something I take real pride in.

When you are not working, how do you like to spend your time?

Most of my time outside work is spent with my family and we travel as much as we can.

We have a running joke that wherever we go in the world we ‘somehow’ end up walking along the local pier or around a harbour. After nearly two decades working in marine infrastructure it is difficult not to look at ports and start analysing how they were built. Explaining to my children what a bollard is for the 900th time usually earns the standard teenage eye-roll.

In truth my interest in maritime infrastructure goes back long before my career. Both my dad and my grandad were harbour masters, so a childhood spent around piers and harbours probably made this path inevitable.