Reflecting the depth of Leonardo’s commitment to developing social value across the organisation, we started the month by announcing our membership of Social Value UK. Marking the occasion, Clive Higgins, our UK Chair and CEO, said: “Our responsibilities to support, enrich and develop the local communities we serve both socially and economically are of key importance. The work of Leonardo employees in our various outreach programmes not only demonstrates our long-term commitment to social value, but continues to deepen and enhance the strong ties we have within all the communities we serve, making a real and meaningful difference.”
As if to demonstrate the importance of our membership, February was full of examples of Leonardo’s embodiment of social value. On Time To Talk Day, we shared a piece from Leonardo colleague Tom Fox, who explained how volunteering helps him deal with mental health challenges, and enables him to support other people both within Leonardo and externally through the Dorset branch of leading mental health charity, Mind.
We also hosted our first ever Springboard Conference in February. The event provided an opportunity for more than 140 women from across the international business to come together, celebrate the work of Leonardo women and inspire participants to take the next step on their development journey. The keynote speaker was 2014 Rugby World Cup-winner and motivational speaker, Heather Fisher, who told attendees that through investing in yourself, resilience and self-belief, everyone can be successful.
During National Apprenticeship Week – the annual event to raise the profile of apprenticeships and celebrate the role they play in equipping people with the skills needed to prosper – we showcased the work of our inspiring apprentices on social media. We featured an interview with Clive Higgins, who spoke about his time at the company from joining as an apprentice in 1994 to eventually becoming UK Chair and CEO in 2023.
Ahead of the formal opening of our Newcastle site, which would happen later at a ceremony in October, we announced the location of our eighth UK site alongside representatives from the UK government, local council and Invest Newcastle, part of the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative. Meanwhile, our AW149 helicopter visited Tyneside, as local company and Team AW149 UK member, Ford Aerospace, spoke with BBC North East and Cumbria about the impact a successful bid for the UK Government’s New Medium Helicopter requirement could have on their business.
Also in February, we announced that Leonardo had completed several live trials in the UK which will underpin the development of an Air Launched Effects (ALE) capability, which involves releasing and controlling drones in mid-air from host aircraft such as helicopters. Engineers from our Yeovil site, the Home of British Helicopters, worked in partnership with Anduril Industries to conduct the exercise at Predannack Airfield in Cornwall.
Finally, Leonardo and BAE Systems announced that they would be offering an end-to-end InfraRed aircraft self-protection system to the international market. The companies received U.S. Government approval to integrate a system which brings together the BAE Systems AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) and the Leonardo Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM).