February at Leonardo was a month dedicated to celebrating the individuals who help our business thrive.
We began the month by emphasising the importance of good mental health. Mark Fair, Head of Solution Development at our Yeovil site, highlighted the significance of Time to Talk Day in fostering open conversations to promote mental wellbeing and how we can support each other as colleagues.
We also remembered the significant impact of George Matich, our former Chief Technologist, by supporting the establishment of the George Matich Memorial Award. This award honours the memory of George's contributions to national security and academic research, inspiring future generations.
National Apprenticeship Week 2024, followed by Scottish Apprenticeship Week the month after, provided an opportunity to showcase the massive contributions apprenticeships make to our UK business. Leonardo is proud to invest in the next generation’s success, with over 500 apprentices and graduates in training nationwide. Throughout the week, past and present apprentices shared their stories, offering their thoughts on why apprenticeships were the right career choice for them and what they have been able to achieve due to opportunities provided to them.
Another highlight of the week was the insightful Supporting and Nurturing Our Apprenticeships thought leadership piece, which delved into our comprehensive apprentice programmes with Leonardo UK Early Careers Business Managers, Theresa Stephens and Darren Humphryes. We also featured a heart-warming story about 95-year old former apprentice Keith Griffins. His captivating ‘walk through time’ for our current apprentices offered a unique glimpse into our Yeovil site’s rich history, fostering a sense of connection and pride.
The month also saw us host our second Annual Springboard Conference in Rome, Italy. This global event brought together female colleagues who have participated in Leonardo’s development programme for women from across Leonardo’s international businesses. It served as a platform for them to connect, share experiences, and learn from each other, fostering a spirit of collaboration and empowerment.
Someone who has inspired many women and future engineers is Fiona Clark, Head of Capability (EW Sensors). In February, Fiona’s exceptional contributions to gender balance, STEM outreach and a stellar engineering career spanning four decades, were recognised when she received the prestigious Princess Royal’s WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) Lifetime Achievement Award.
To further support our employees, we announced are new partnership with Bright Horizons to offer enhanced family-friendly benefits, including back-up childcare and elder care for employees.
In addition to our focus on people, February also saw significant advancements in the work Leonardo is undertaking to improve sustainability both in our sector and wider society.
Following the return of the Team Tempest Future Horizons podcast, which explores the exciting world of technology being developed for the UK’s next generation combat aircraft, the February episode discussed the Future Combat Air System Sustainability Strategy, which outlined the drive to deliver a more sustainable and resilient future for the programme.
February was also the month that a sensor built by Leonardo in Southampton was launched into space as part of the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) programme. The Ocean Colour Instrument will help reveal a new spectrum of colours of the ocean, enabling unprecedented insight into ocean health and biodiversity.