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Specialising in the water sector, James has led the design and delivery of local, national, and internationally renowned projects and is recognised as an expert in flood risk, SuDS, and drainage.

James heads Alan Wood & Partners Civil Engineering, leading a team of engineers in Hull and across our offices in Sheffield, York, and Leeds.

Specialising in flood risk and sustainable drainage, he is the lead designer on the Yorkshire Water, Environment Agency, Hull & East Riding ‘Living With Water’ initiative, which aims to protect the city and its surrounding areas from the risk of future flooding.

James started his career in hydraulics and engineering associated with public wastewater treatment works.  He then saw the opportunities in development-led flood risk and drainage projects encompassing residential, new schools and new commercial and industrial schemes. He advanced through the ranks to become a Regional Director at AECOM, with the highlight of his career being part of the leadership team that delivered the Jeddah Stormwater Drainage Programme, a £1 billion project involving dams, channels and drainage systems designed to protect lives and reduce flood risk after severe flooding affected the city.

He joined Alan Wood & Partners in 2014 and continued his rapid career progression, becoming a Director and Equity Partner in 2015 and Head of Civil Engineering across the business.

James is actively involved in all civil engineering projects, particularly in technical design and managing client relationships. He is known for his strong track record of delivery.

A highly professional individual, he combines a strong client focus with a personable attitude, ensuring the smooth delivery of even the most complex projects.

Beyond his core role, James is responsible for finance within the business, reporting on financial matters to the Board.  In this role, he works closely with the accounts department to ensure the business operates on a sound financial footing.

James is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager.  He is a member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and holds a Masters degree in Civil Engineering.

Responsible for the success and growth of Alan Wood & Partners’ North Yorkshire operations. Passionate about professionalism and quality, he brings over 18 years of experience in the design and delivery of major residential, industrial, commercial, power generation, and rail projects to the business.

Chris began his journey with Alan Wood & Partners as a Graduate Engineer in 2006. However, in 2008, he transitioned to a role with a national Tier One contractor. During this time, he led the design of significant national railway station and depot refurbishments, as well as major materials handling and power generation projects across the UK.

In 2015, Chris returned to Alan Wood as an Associate in our York office, where he was tasked with expanding our operations in North Yorkshire – our York and Scarborough offices. Now, as Director, he leads a team of over twenty engineers managing a multi-million-pound annual fee income.

Chris was promoted to Director and Equity Partner in 2020, with Board responsibilities that include legal and statutory compliance, as well as leading employee engagement and marketing within the business.

Well-known throughout the business for being approachable, Chris is passionate about professionalism and quality.  He is dedicated to the personal and professional development of his colleagues, helping them to achieve their career ambitions and personal goals.

He has a proven track record as a legal and expert witness and is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a member of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

A strong client focus and a love of mentoring ensure that Ben Ions successfully drives our York office forward. A Structural Engineer by training, he also has in-depth knowledge and experience in civil engineering, providing a well-rounded service to clients.

Ben joined Alan Wood & Partners in 2015 as a Structural Engineer but quickly became Chartered and rose through the ranks of the business. He now leads a team of ten in our York office, taking responsibility for financial management, workflow planning and output to ensure all projects are delivered to the highest standard and on time.

Although his background is in structural engineering, Ben has developed a deep understanding of civil engineering in recent years. He has experience across a wide range of sectors, including residential and commercial, and is currently working with one of Europe’s largest renewable energy developers, providing civil and structural engineering services for grid-scale battery energy storage (BESS) facilities throughout the UK.

Prior to joining Alan Wood & Partners, Ben worked for AECOM, specialising in bridge inspection and maintenance for Network Rail.  He then moved to an independent structural engineering practice in Durham, where he gained experience in residential and commercial projects.

Approachable and personable, Ben is renowned for going the extra mile for clients. He enjoys mentoring apprentices within the business and values the opportunity to pass on the experience he has gained throughout his career.

Ben is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

A Chartered Civil Engineer who has worked on some of the world’s largest infrastructure projects, Ben Hawkins brings almost unparalleled experience to Alan Wood & Partners. As an Associate in our York office, Ben is leading and developing our civils and highways team.

Ben joined Alan Wood & Partners in August 2023. As an experienced leader and creative problem solver, Ben is leading and developing the highways and civils team offering within the York office. He brings with him more than a decade of experience working on huge global infrastructure projects, particularly in the highways sector.

After graduating in 2013, Ben joined the Leeds office of Jacobs, where he worked on the smart motorway section of the M6 between junctions 16 and 19 and the Immingham A180/A160 junction, to improve port access.

Still with Jacobs, he moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he worked on the West Gate Tunnel, at the time the largest infrastructure project in the southern hemisphere. Here, he delivered the loading package for the widening of the freeway from four lanes on each side to six, the interfacing of the freeway with the tunnel portals, and led on the construction phase services.

On returning to the UK, he moved to Tony Gee where he worked on the £128m Wokingham Major Highways Project and was the Project Manager for the temporary works package on HS2.

With Alan Wood & Partners, Ben is heading the work on Lincolnshire Lakes, a proposed Garden City consisting of 6 new villages and 5 lakes on the outskirts of North Lincolnshire, and is Project Manager on a portfolio of schemes for Morrisons Water Services via Yorkshire Water’s Living with Water Framework.

He became Chartered in July 2020 and is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Debbie Atkinson has gained a deep understanding of the construction industry through a series of marketing and business development roles. She now plays an integral part in the ongoing growth of Alan Wood & Partners.

Debbie began her career in construction in 2006 when she joined the pre-construction team of a well-known main contracting business, where she supported the pre-qualifications and tender process. From here, she became the Marketing Manager for the company, eventually moving into Business Development to fulfil her ambition of being more client and consultant-facing.

Within this role, Debbie was responsible for developing and implementing business development and marketing strategies to support the overall business plan.  Specifically, she took charge of driving business development and marketing initiatives across the East of England, spanning regions such as North East, Humber, and Lincolnshire. Her role entailed identifying approximately £350 million in annual opportunities across diverse sectors, including health, education, commercial ventures, retail, public sector projects, civil engineering and industrial and process industries.

Alongside this role, Debbie chaired the company’s charitable steering group and assisted with many of their CSR activities. She was involved in various industry groups, including Humber CATCH, the Humber Chamber of Commerce Business Peer Group, and a member of the 4GoodFund Board (YORbuild Framework).  Additionally, she represented the company at North East Process and Industrial Cluster forums and was the Company’s NEPO Civils Framework representative.

In 2022, Debbie joined Alan Wood & Partners as Lead on Business Development & Marketing, working with the Directors to develop and deliver the company’s business growth and CSR strategies.

Debbie qualified with a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2010, achieving the highest grade in the Humber region.

A Chartered Engineer, Peter Drenon joined Alan Wood & Partners in a business-change position to help drive the company forward. Over the past 12 years, he has played an integral role in achieving a six-fold increase in turnover across the business.

Peter joined Alan Wood & Partners in 2012 after a varied and successful career spanning almost every aspect of the built environment.

A Chartered Engineer by training, he started his career with Cleveland Bridge in Darlington, before moving on to work for developers, contractors, and building consultants. He has held board-level positions in global organisations such as AECOM and WSP.

Peter continues to use his experience, knowledge and contacts to drive significant growth for Alan Wood & Partners. Throughout his tenure, he has played a leading role in expanding the business to six regional offices with an accompanying rise in turnover. He has dedicated many years to mentoring new engineers within the organisation and supporting them throughout their careers.

Peter is known for his unwavering commitment to assisting clients, often going to great lengths to ensure their satisfaction. Additionally, he is recognised for his strong work ethic and dedication to his responsibilities.

He has been involved in numerous major projects during his career, including the iconic Humber Bridge and was the lead technical advisor to the lead lending bank, Deutsche Bank, on the new Wembley Stadium.

Peter is a member of the Chartered Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) and sits on the Humber Bridge Board. He is also a long-term member of the local branch of the ICE.