Global Connections
There are approximately 29,000 KBR employees all across the globe. Though we are separated by miles, we are all connected and working together toward a common purpose — to design and deliver the future while improving our social and environmental impact. In Global Connections, we celebrate KBR’s culture of inclusion and diversity by highlighting employees and the communities where they live around the world.
A Cultural Focus on Leatherhead, UK
KBR’s main EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) hub is located in Leatherhead, United Kingdom. Leatherhead is in Surrey, southwest of London, and is a small but popular commuter town.
Andy Osiecki has been managing the Leatherhead campus for more than 20 years and has many great memories.
“I first joined KBR when it was known as Brown and Root in 1980 and was involved in the design of the Hill Park Court and Hill Park South buildings on the campus, whilst working with our partner architect,” Andy recalls. “We won an award for the design of the buildings due to its mixed-mode air conditioning and concrete solution and were proudly featured in CIBSE Building Services Journal. Over the years I have seen the campus change from a shell of a building to having more than 2,300 staff working in the many offices. What I think is so special about KBR’s Leatherhead campus is the sense of community amongst colleagues and the fantastic and dedicated people that help maintain the building.”
KBR’s Leatherhead office, which first opened in 1997, is surrounded by acreage of land that is often used for outdoor yoga classes, summer BBQs and running. Chosen areas of land have been left to run wild, promoting biodiversity on campus. Wider sustainability efforts are impressive. Since January 2020, Leatherhead has recycled 100% of its waste! Offices are currently powered by renewable electricity, and starting in October 2021, the gas supply will be going green as well. There are also plans to install additional charging points for employee’s electric cars in the car parks (“parking lots” for you Americans) on campus.
“What I think is so special about KBR’s Leatherhead campus is the sense of community amongst colleagues and the fantastic and dedicated people that help maintain the building.”
– ANDY OSIECKI, LEATHERHEAD CAMPUS MANAGER
The people of OCS, KBR’s facilities management provider, work hard to keep the office running — from making cappuccino’s at 8AM to locking the doors of the building at 8PM, and all of the important tasks in between. During the pandemic, maintenance teams focused on keeping offices clean and safe. Other key support areas, such as security teams and printing services, also remained open, helping to ensure KBR could continue running smoothly throughout a challenging period of time.
DID YOU KNOW?
Leatherhead Edition
The right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair was granted to Leatherhead in 1248 by Henry III.
Leatherhead town is connected to one of the busiest motorways in Europe, the M25, carrying over 100,000 cars every day.
Sir Michael Caine is a resident of Leatherhead and is a patron of the annual Leatherhead Drama Festival.
Companies such as Esso, Unilever and Hyundai all have large offices located in Leatherhead.
