About Us

What ever it takes

At AWD our mission is to provide the very best in engineering consultancy to satisfy and inspire our clients. 

Our values define who we are and the way we work: with our clients, with our community and with each other. They reflect the vision of our founder, Alan White, and they are what make us stand out from the crowd. How we do business is just as important to us as what we do; our values distinguish us as a company as well as individuals, and we live them in all aspects of our work so we can achieve our mission of providing inspired engineering solutions.

Est 2000

In 1998, Alan White began designing suspended access systems independently.

He founded Alan White Design in 2000, creating systems like Technitruss, System 25, X-Beam, and Oblik, still widely used today.

In 2009, Malachy Ryan joined, expanding into temporary works, structural, aluminum, bamboo, and tensile membrane design. In 2015, Alan entered semi-retirement, and Malachy Ryan became Managing Director, driving growth in the UK, Ireland, and internationally.

Recent Projects

Trinity Square, London

AWD were appointed temporary works designer and design..

Warrington Chimney Demolition

We completed design checks on a 60m high..

Manchester Printworks

AWD structural engineers designed a 14.4m x 7.8m..

Latitude Festival Stage Canopy

We completed structural calculations on a stage canopy..

ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai

The self-climbing jumpform rig was used to assemble..

Forth Road Bridge

AWD was appointed to design an access scaffold..

Team AWD

Founder
B.Sc. M.Eng., C.Eng., M.I.C.E., M.I.H.T., M.I.E.Aust, C.P.Eng.

An industry veteran with over 45 years engineering experience, Alan graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1972, becoming a Chartered Civil Engineer in 1976. Throughout his distinguished career, Alan has built a wealth of experience, working for local and central government as a consulting engineer for over a decade. Between 1993 and 2000 Alan was National Advisor for Access to Bridges for the Scottish Executive.

He founded Alan White Design in 1998 as an independent consultant specialising in Temporary Works, Access Engineering and Structural Design. Although now semi-retired, Alan continues to work with us on a part-time basis maintaining his position as one of the foremost experts in our field.

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Managing Director
B.Eng., M.Sc., C.Eng., M.I.C.E

Malachy began his career at AWD as a Design Engineer in 2009, after graduating from the University of Dundee. He became a chartered member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2014. In over 8 years with AWD, Malachy has built extensive experience in all aspects of Temporary Works, Access Engineering and Structural Design, leading some of AWD’s most iconic projects.

In May 2015, Malachy became Managing Director, overseeing the recent expansion of the company. Embodying the AWD values, Malachy is responsible for building a strategic vision for the company and for business development in our UK and overseas markets.

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Director

Graduating from the University of Dundee in 2007, Katie became a company director in 2015, bringing over 12 years’ client care experience to the role.

As an integral member of our senior leadership team, Katie is a critical decision maker and influencer, guiding business growth and development. A flexible team player, Katie also works to support our back office team in a variety of capacities.

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Director
B.Eng., M.Sc., C.Eng, M.I.C.E

Euan graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2011 and joined AWD the same year. Euan has built considerable experience across all our service streams, working on many of our most challenging projects. Euan became a Chartered Civil Engineer in 2019.

Now a Director, Euan heads up our Projects department, overseeing the day to day management of all project portfolios. He is also senior manager responsible for learning & development and resource planning for all engineering staff.

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Office Manager

Bringing over 10 years’ experience in customer management and financial services, Emma joined AWD as Office Manager in 2015 at our new Kilmarnock Office. Emma is responsible for the day to day running of the office, and is the friendly face to welcome all our clients and visitors.

Emma maintains our Quality Management System and Environmental Management System to ISO accredited standards and is the company’s Health & Safety delegate. Utilising her broad experience, Emma’s work portfolio also includes accounts, marketing and recruitment.

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Senior Design Engineer
B.Sc., I.Eng., M.I.C.E

After graduating from the University of Glasgow in June 2009, David spent over ten years as a temporary works engineer working for various consultant and supplier design teams. He joined AWD in January 2022, bringing a wealth of experience in management. He is an incorporated member of the ICE and is actively working towards chartership under AWD’s accredited training scheme.

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Design Engineer
B.Eng.

Paul graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a degree in Civil Engineering in August 2018.

He joined our team in October 2018 as a Graduate Engineer. He is currently enrolled in our ICE Accredited Training Scheme and is responsible for production of drawings and calculations on a range of projects, developing his skills across Temporary Works, Access Engineering and Structural Design.

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Design Engineer
BSc, I.Eng.

Liam graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2017, joining AWD in August of the same year as a Graduate Engineer.

Enrolled on our ICE Accredited Training Scheme, Liam has developed his design skills both in the office and on site, working with our clients in London and across the UK. Recently promoted to Design Engineer, Liam continues to build experience across all the company service streams.

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Design Engineer
M.Sc.

Ross graduated from the University of the West of Scotland in 2019. He Joined AWD in December 2021, bringing with him over 2 years of experience working for a large UK contractor where he performed the role of project engineer on multiple projects. He is currently enrolled on our ICE accredited training scheme and adds his expertise in structural design to the team.

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CAD Technician
B.Sc

After spending over 25 successful years in the catering industry, Alan decided to pursue his interest in Computer Aided Design. He graduated from the University of the West of Scotland in 2021 and joined the team at AWD in the newly created role of CAD Technician. He provides vital 3D visualisation and draughting support to the team.

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Accreditations

Accredited Living Wage Employer
ICE Approved Training Scheme
ISO14001:2015 Accredited
ISO9001:2015 Accredited

Awards

BCIA 2016
BCIA 2017

Our Values

At AWD, our mission is to provide exceptional engineering consultancy that inspires our clients.

Our values define who we are and the way we work: with our clients, with our community and with each other. They reflect the vision of our founder, Alan White, and they are what make us stand out from the crowd. How we do business is just as important to us as what we do; our values distinguish us as a company as well as individuals, and we live them in all aspects of our work so we can achieve our mission of providing inspired engineering solutions.

"We have a reputation for forward-thinking, ambitious design and fresh ideas"

For our clients

We promise the leading industry standards our clients expect, delivered with technical expertise, know-how and a drive for project success

For our people

We recruit and develop industry leading talent and expertise, ensuring success and achievement for all

Progressive

"We are experts in problem solving and innovation, remaining agile and adaptable to our clients’ needs"

For our clients

We bring fresh new ideas to every project, tailored to every client’s specific requirements

For our people

We empower and encourage our team to be creative in how they solve problems and bring new ideas to our business and clients

Fresh Thinking

"We are client driven, providing high quality products and services, and value for money"

For our clients

We deliver quality at every stage in the working process from service, accuracy, reliability, compliance, safety, design, and collaborative working

For our people

We provide and nurture an environment built on working together to ensure impeccable quality delivery and service

Excellence

"We are a loyal, productive and collaborative working partner"

For our clients

We deliver service based on strong teamwork, delivered by a collective team of aligned and motivated individuals

For our people

We create a sense of belonging for our team where they can develop and be rewarded and recognised for their loyalty and commitment

Unified

"We communicate openly and honestly and are ambassadors for our profession and community"

For our clients

We support and respect the environment, community and all project stakeholders

For our people

We act responsibly and fairly in our environment, community and everyone we work with

Principled