Reporting year-end results chief executive officer Dr Uwe Krueger said the push to win more overseas work was now paying dividends and saw more than 50% of group revenue earned outside the UK for the first time.
Across the group pre-tax profits surged by 49% to £135m on turnover ahead 9% at £1.7bn.
The strong pre-tax profit performance came from £31m in pension gains, with underlying profit actually down 1% at £102m.
Over the year to March turnover and profits in the UK still shrank but with more rail work and water work coming through orders have stabilised.
UK work in hand improved and now stands at 65% (2011: 56%) of next year’s budgeted revenue.
Allowing for the departure of around 550 staff after the sale of its UK asset management business last November, staff numbers rose 5.5% to 17,490 over the year.
The return to recruiting at Atkins calls an end to two years of cost-saving redundancies, although most of the big staff gains have been in North America.
- UK: Turnover £860m (2010: 926m), profit £52m (£61m); margin 6%
- North America: turnover £422m (£279); profit £21m (£13.8); margin 5%
- Middle East: turnover £171m (£141m), profit £17m (£24m); margin 10%
- Asia Pacific: turnover £164m (£155); £12m (£12m); margin 7%
- Energy: turnover £128m (£99m), profit £11m (£8.5m), margin 9%
