April was a month of recognition and inspiration at Leonardo.
Following our inclusion in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2025, we were proud to be named one of LinkedIn’s 2025 Top Companies, ranking among the UK’s 25 best large employers to grow a rewarding career.
In April we welcomed 30 young women from North London schools who formed our Future Leaders UK class of 2025. Over the subsequent six months, the students took part in initiatives led by our engineers and STEM ambassadors, designed to build confidence, resilience and skills. The programme provides a unique insight into a career in engineering and STEM. as well as life at Leonardo
Our commitment to gender diversity was further on display at the 2025 Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Conference, where colleagues showcased the power of a diverse engineering community. Senior Systems Engineer and STEM Returners alumna, Dr Chineye Princess Udeze, shared her journey across medical and defence industries, highlighting the importance of visibility and advocacy for underrepresented groups. Freya Woollett, who joined Leonardo as a Mechanical Engineering Technician Apprentice in 2021 and now co-chairs the AeroWomen committee, spoke about her career path and her role in championing women in engineering.
Leonardo volunteers also hosted the Flying Start Challenge Regional Finals at RNAS Yeovilton, welcoming over 126 students from 13 schools. The competition is led by ambassadors from some of the UK’s leading aerospace companies and features engineering challenges, glider competitions and hands-on STEM activities.
April also marked the departure of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG25), led by HMS Prince of Wales on a 30,000-nautical-mile deployment – the largest Royal Navy operation since CSG21. As a strategic partner to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), Leonardo capability was on-board with AW159 Wildcat and AW101 Merlin helicopters equipped with advanced radars, electronic warfare systems, secure communications and thermal imaging sensors deployed for a variety of roles across the fleet.
To coincide with the mission, Leonardo announced news of a contract extension for the Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) programme, ensuring continued expert maintenance of the Royal Navy’s fleet of AW101 Merlin helicopters. This extension supports highly skilled jobs at Leonardo in Yeovil and across the UK supply chain. Covering both the Merlin HM Mk2 and HC Mk4/Mk4A variants, the contract underpins critical capabilities including anti-submarine warfare, troop transport, and search and rescue.