From policy to pinch-me moments: Anna on natural capital, neurodivergence, and never following a straight line

Anna didn’t follow a straight line into her career and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now an Associate and Technical Authority for Natural Capital at AtkinsRéalis, Anna spent over eight years at the Environment Agency before making the move. She worked across integrated catchment management, water quality, the Water Framework Directive, stakeholder engagement, and eventually ended up writing policy around natural capital for the water sector.

It’s that last part that makes her current role feel like something of a full-circle moment.

“The guidance I wrote at the EA is now driving the work I do every day”

Natural capital, the stock of natural resources like forests, rivers, soils and biodiversity that provide society with benefits over time is still a relatively new discipline. It rose to prominence through Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan and is changing how the environment is considered in infrastructure decision-making: how woodland stores carbon, the health benefits of green space, the value of ecosystems that most assessments used to overlook.

Anna’s day-to-day work is varied. She leads projects across the energy and water sectors, works closely with AtkinsRéalis’ senior leadership team to align natural capital with strategic growth, and collaborates with the ecology practice to raise the discipline’s profile and influence policy. But it’s the pipeline of work around Water Companies’ Strategic Resource Option Schemes that she’s most excited about right now.

“These schemes are pivotal in England and Wales to ensure long-term water security and represent a huge investment,” she says. “What’s exciting is that natural capital is now part of the assessment process, changing the narrative around how infrastructure considers the environment. As an environmental professional, that’s so heartening because, cliché as it sounds, most of us in this sector joined to make a difference.”

There’s also a personal dimension to it. “It’s a pinch-me moment, because the guidance I wrote when I was at the EA is now driving the work I do on a day-to-day basis. And I get to bring that learning from the water sector into others like energy, whether it’s water pipes or cables, a natural capital assessment is quite similar.”

A brain that doesn’t work in straight line

Beyond the technical work, a significant part of Anna’s role is growing the natural capital team. It’s a small discipline, there aren’t that many people working in it, so looking after the team and developing individuals is something she takes seriously.

“Many of our people have been with AtkinsRéalis since they were graduates,” she says. “I’m working to support them to become chartered and progress - identifying training, providing opportunities to develop skills like project management and stakeholder engagement, and helping them grow their confidence for the next step.”

What helps Anna do her own best work is something she’s clear about: “Flexible working, trust, support, and the ability to be authentically me. As someone who is neurodivergent, my brain doesn’t work in straight lines. I often need breaks, the ability to work non-core hours, and to feel trusted and empowered to do my job. My experience at AtkinsRéalis has always demonstrated that.”

The women who came before

Anna has been surrounded by people who’ve helped her grow. A line manager at the EA was fundamental in building her confidence within natural capital. A client line manager during a secondment supported her through a difficult period in her personal life, “she made me feel trusted, supported and empowered to make decisions, all whilst managing me in a way that works with my neurospicy brain.”

And closer to home at AtkinsRéalis, Claire Wansbury in the ecology practice has been a mentor, “a font of knowledge, supporting me to drive change and challenging me when I get carried away.”

International Women’s Day matters to Anna because the momentum matters. “As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated science discipline, I’ve worked in lots of women-dominated teams, but there was a lack of female representation in senior leadership roles. Even over my career, the balance is shifting and gender bias is slowly starting to reduce. We aren’t there yet by any means, but it’s so important to keep celebrating how far we’ve come. IWD gives me the opportunity to recognise what women have done before me, whilst reminding me how much there is still to achieve.”

Her advice to anyone starting or building their career at AtkinsRéalis? “Get stuck in, ask questions, and it’s OK not to know the answer to everything. Everyone genuinely cares about what we do and the people who deliver it, so lean into the extensive technical expertise we have and the fantastic people that do the do.”

Join the people redefining how we value nature and create impact that lasts. Start your journey with AtkinsRéalis.