Thames Freeport - Britain's Trading Future

[ 84 ] I joined the company at the age of 16 years old as a clerical apprentice at the Basildon site. I have been hugely fortunate that I have had some fantastic opportunities to learn, develop and progress my career within the business over the past 23 years. Early on in my career, I had the opportunity to work with two female directors in the Finance and Commercial parts of the business. At that time there were not many females in senior roles within the business and they became very positive and inspirational role models to me and their support encouraged me to push myself within the business to achieve my own goals and ambitions. Having joined the Commercial Team as a Commercial Assistant, my current role is Vice President, Procurement and Commercial. Whether you are an apprentice, on the graduate scheme, or you join the company through another route, Leonardo has a strong commitment to develop people so that they can reach their full potential. There are many others within the business who have a similar story to mine and who are looking to support and encourage the future generations of leaders for the business. We’re a market-focused and technology- driven business and we are constantly investing through research and development (R&D) to remain at the forefront of innovation and to keep our products and services relevant to our customer base. The theme of innovation is very much part of the Thames Freeport approach. We are fully committed to playing our role as a member of the Thames Freeport Innovation Hub, which brings together key industrial clusters to increase collaboration and innovation funding for high-value and low-carbon sectors. We believe that the Innovation Hub will play a vital role in bridging the gap between industry and academia, helping to translate emerging concepts into increased flows of R&D investment. Looking to our own plans in Basildon, while the domestic market is vitally important to us, so too are exports and as we look to grow the business over the long term both will be fundamental to our future success. Our technology makes a difference in many different settings, such as helping to keep UK armed forces safe from harm by countering the threat from drones, rockets, artillery, missiles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The GUARDIAN family of products, for example, uses advanced jamming technology to block the signals that detonate roadside bombs and other threats. Meanwhile, many people will recall the disruption caused by drone activity at Gatwick Airport over the Christmas period in 2018. Leonardo’s Falcon Shield Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) was deployed by the RAF to confirm the absence of drones and to enable airport operations to resume. The system includes the NERIO ultra- long-range thermal imaging equipment developed here in Basildon and our site in Southampton. Alongside our technology investment, we’re also keeping pace with the rapid developments in advanced manufacturing and automation so that we can understand what the factory of the future will look like. The rapid advances in manufacturing technology, from materials science to artificial intelligence and machine learning, make possible the new products and capabilities we are already starting to create. UK Government sees the Defence and Security industry as a strategic national asset, and here in Essex, we will be responding both to new business opportunities and the imperatives of UK operational independence. And as the security landscape changes, we are also continuing to grow our capabilities to operate across the Cyber domain to meet the evolving threat. One of the aspects of the Thames Freeport project that resonates most strongly for Leonardo is that the economic benefits will be felt close to home, here in south Essex. This is very much in line with our commitment to be more than simply an employer — we are committed to being right at the heart of the community. There is an economic element to this commitment of course, not least in terms of the local supply chain and the additional jobs that we help to support. Annually, we tend to spend around £20 million with suppliers in the local area, more than 50 per cent of which is typically with small and medium sized enterprises. Elsewhere, working with local schools and colleges on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities is another example. Mentoring young people and fostering a love of engineering helps to create the pool of talent we will need in the future. We’re also involved in many other community activities each year, such as in the STEM arena and more recently in supporting local communities during the pandemic, during which the British Chambers of Commerce designated Leonardo UK as a ‘local business hero’. Sarah Dorsey, Vice President, Procurement and Commercial Supporting and encouraging future generations of leaders L E O N A R D O