In November, we reaffirmed our contribution to the UK economy with the publication of an independent report from the Oxford Economics research team showing that Leonardo’s UK operations add £1.9 billion to GDP annually, supporting more than 26,000 British jobs. The report also showed that, with our focus on high-value work, our employees are 80% more productive than the UK average.
Meanwhile, we once again celebrated Movember, with colleagues growing a mo’, making moves, and raising some money for this fantastic charity which supports men’s cancer and mental health issues. We published a piece from our colleague Tom Fox, who spoke about the importance of looking after your mental health, with some achievable tactics for anyone dealing with similar challenges. It was encouraging to see so many of our people getting involved, with over £4,000 raised by the end of the month. Also in November, we marked International Men’s Day 2020 with a lunchtime panel discussion, hosted by our Equalise Network Group and led by men from Leonardo who have experience of leading by example, such as some of our colleagues who volunteer as Scout Leaders. We also heard from Mark Stead, Leonardo UK's Senior Vice-President, Radar and Advanced Targeting, about his responsibilities as a senior leader and role model to facilitate inclusion and to look out for his team’s and colleagues’ welfare, while ensuring his own life maintains a healthy balance.
Our AW169 helicopter made its way onto our screens in November when it had a starring role in the Discovery Really channel programme Cornwall Air 999, which tells the story of the Cornwall Air Ambulance team.
Our efforts to promote STEM careers continued this month, with Fiona Clark, Leonardo’s Capability Lead, speaking to students about the wide variety of roles available, and the different people who work in them, at the WorldSkills UK Spotlight Talks.
Finally, we were delighted to be shortlisted for the Award for Supporting Diversity at the Women In Pensions Awards later in the month, with our colleague Rachael Skuse nominated for Pensions Manager of the Year.