From ice storms to the Olympics, Brian switched on to a powerful career!
One of the UK’s leading experts in electricity resilience, is passing on tips to the new generation of power engineers before his retirement.
Chartered engineer Brian Stratton from Maidstone is retiring next month (July) after 35 years helping the UK and beyond enjoy safe and reliable power supplies.
When he joined the industry as a graduate electrical engineer from Wiltshire, just weeks before the infamous 1987 hurricane, little did he know that his career would climb to senior roles across operations, design, project management and emergency planning.
Never one to say ‘no to a challenge, Brian led UK Power Networks’ successful programme to build and operate a new electricity network for London 2012 Olympics, which started with removing 24 pylons from site and ended by powering 29 of the 34 national Olympic and Paralympic venues.
Brian, 61, said: “For the Olympics in 2012 we had the eyes of the world upon us, with a global audience of 4.8billion. If the Olympic stadium had lost power, the effect on Great Britain’s reputation would have been disastrous.
“For us, the Olympics was huge both in terms of pressure and sheer scale; a £125 million project to build a 7km cable tunnel 2.8metres in diameter and up to 30m underground to allow the removal of 24 electricity pylons form the Stratford site, build 185 new substations, and connect electricity to 900 new streetlights. In the event, it was a resounding success, delivered on time and on budget and without a single interruption to the power during the Olympics and Paralympics.”
Over the years he has been a key troubleshooter for UK and international natural disasters, ranging from a 1990 ice storm which destroyed power supplies across the hills of Derbyshire, to the reconstruction of the entire electricity system for Anguilla in the Caribbean after the 150mph winds of Hurricane Irma wiped out its infrastructure in a single day, in 2017. His work also took him to Beijing in China to bring best practice ideas home, to benefit UK communities.
Brian’s unique knowledge and experience from the Olympics has also been sought by others, and he travelled to Rio ahead of their Games in 2016 to advise on electricity security. He has also helped organisers for the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.
For the past decade, Brian has led UK Power Networks’ £1.2billion investment in overhead lines, substations and cabling projects, along with leading a smart meter programme, and the company’s security and property portfolio. He has also been responsible for making sure the company is resilience to any unplanned events such as unprecedented issues like Brexit and the pandemic but also severe weather such as Storm Eunice in February last year.
He has also mentored colleagues who have progressed into senior roles and said: “My advice to anyone starting out in the industry is to never turn down an opportunity, even if you’re not sure at the outset how you will achieve it, give it a go.
“When we won the Olympics bid I knew nothing about tunnelling but through working with very talented people and the camaraderie which came from the teams working on a shared goal and a fixed completion date, what seemed like the impossible became possible, with everybody seeking out ways to solve every challenge. Those were some of the most challenging times in my career but also the very best. It was a tremendous experience and one I feel very proud to have been part of.”
He added: “I’ve loved my career, I’ve never ever woken up and thought I don’t want to go to work today. I’ve loved the job and the people I have been very fortunate to have worked with.”
Colleagues praised his contribution and director of operations Patrick Clarke said: “Brian has been an invaluable asset to our organisation for many years. He has been a part of my management team for 15 years and there are many impressive contributions from Brian during this time; nothing beats his successful leadership of the Olympic and Paralympic games from construction to delivery. With his immense leadership skills and calm demeanour, I often referred to him as my elder statesman.”
Brian is now embarking on a more creative and possible second career, as he starts a City&Guilds furniture making course at Scotney Castle in Kent.
Chartered engineer Brian Stratton from Maidstone is retiring next month (July) after 35 years helping the UK and beyond enjoy safe and reliable power supplies.
When he joined the industry as a graduate electrical engineer from Wiltshire, just weeks before the infamous 1987 hurricane, little did he know that his career would climb to senior roles across operations, design, project management and emergency planning.
Never one to say ‘no to a challenge, Brian led UK Power Networks’ successful programme to build and operate a new electricity network for London 2012 Olympics, which started with removing 24 pylons from site and ended by powering 29 of the 34 national Olympic and Paralympic venues.
Brian, 61, said: “For the Olympics in 2012 we had the eyes of the world upon us, with a global audience of 4.8billion. If the Olympic stadium had lost power, the effect on Great Britain’s reputation would have been disastrous.
“For us, the Olympics was huge both in terms of pressure and sheer scale; a £125 million project to build a 7km cable tunnel 2.8metres in diameter and up to 30m underground to allow the removal of 24 electricity pylons form the Stratford site, build 185 new substations, and connect electricity to 900 new streetlights. In the event, it was a resounding success, delivered on time and on budget and without a single interruption to the power during the Olympics and Paralympics.”
Over the years he has been a key troubleshooter for UK and international natural disasters, ranging from a 1990 ice storm which destroyed power supplies across the hills of Derbyshire, to the reconstruction of the entire electricity system for Anguilla in the Caribbean after the 150mph winds of Hurricane Irma wiped out its infrastructure in a single day, in 2017. His work also took him to Beijing in China to bring best practice ideas home, to benefit UK communities.
Brian’s unique knowledge and experience from the Olympics has also been sought by others, and he travelled to Rio ahead of their Games in 2016 to advise on electricity security. He has also helped organisers for the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.
For the past decade, Brian has led UK Power Networks’ £1.2billion investment in overhead lines, substations and cabling projects, along with leading a smart meter programme, and the company’s security and property portfolio. He has also been responsible for making sure the company is resilience to any unplanned events such as unprecedented issues like Brexit and the pandemic but also severe weather such as Storm Eunice in February last year.
He has also mentored colleagues who have progressed into senior roles and said: “My advice to anyone starting out in the industry is to never turn down an opportunity, even if you’re not sure at the outset how you will achieve it, give it a go.
“When we won the Olympics bid I knew nothing about tunnelling but through working with very talented people and the camaraderie which came from the teams working on a shared goal and a fixed completion date, what seemed like the impossible became possible, with everybody seeking out ways to solve every challenge. Those were some of the most challenging times in my career but also the very best. It was a tremendous experience and one I feel very proud to have been part of.”
He added: “I’ve loved my career, I’ve never ever woken up and thought I don’t want to go to work today. I’ve loved the job and the people I have been very fortunate to have worked with.”
Colleagues praised his contribution and director of operations Patrick Clarke said: “Brian has been an invaluable asset to our organisation for many years. He has been a part of my management team for 15 years and there are many impressive contributions from Brian during this time; nothing beats his successful leadership of the Olympic and Paralympic games from construction to delivery. With his immense leadership skills and calm demeanour, I often referred to him as my elder statesman.”
Brian is now embarking on a more creative and possible second career, as he starts a City&Guilds furniture making course at Scotney Castle in Kent.