Canadian construction group SNC-Lavalin is rebranding as ‘AtkinsRéalis’.
The move will unify the company and subsidiaries such as engineer Atkins, quantity surveyor Faithful + Gould, and digital consultant DTS.
Head office will remain in Montréal and the total workforce will number 36,000.
The compound name combines “Atkins”, formerly the largest engineer in the UK, and “Réalis”, a nod to the firm’s home city.
“Réalis” also resembles the verb “to realise” or “to make happen” which the company said “emphasises our focus on outcomes and project delivery”.
The switch also positions the company some distance from the name “SNC-Lavalin”, and the company’s historic corruption problems (see further reading).
Ian Edwards, the chief executive of AtkinsRéalis, said the new name signified a “transformed company”. He said: “Our ability to draw upon such breadth and depth of global capabilities will maximise our ability to work seamlessly and provide one integrated offering for our clients and partners.”
Edwards added that the company had been moving away from traditional contracting and correcting “underlying issues affecting our performance”.
He said it had doubled down on high-growth markets, embraced digital transformation, and redefined its purpose.
The company’s new name and visual identity will be used on all communications materials, but it will not change its legal name until it’s approved at next year’s shareholders’ meeting.
