Agnes Ragondet, Group Sustainability Director at Hewland (Hero Motors), spoke to us at this year’s Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, where she gave a keynote speech entitled, ‘Driving Efficiency: How Hewland Accelerated Sustainability in Motorsport Manufacturing.’
She outlined how Hewland, an SME manufacturer, has approached sustainability despite limited resources. Her keynote focused on showing that SMEs can successfully begin and advance a sustainability journey using low-cost methods, free tools and practical learning opportunities.
Agnes highlighted two major challenges; lack of budget and organisational culture. While scarce resources can hinder early progress, they also encourage creativity and the use of accessible external support. Cultural resistance is more significant; she stressed the importance of framing sustainability in terms familiar to manufacturing teams, such as efficiency and lean principles, helping employees realise they already contribute to sustainability efforts. Agnes rejects the idea that sustainability harms profitability, arguing that early low-cost “quick win” demonstrates value and unlocks further investment, eventually integrating sustainability into core strategy and strengthening competitiveness.
She notes that SMEs and large organisations can follow the same fundamental approach; establishing a baseline, setting strategy, managing supply chains and ensuring compliance. SMEs may be more agile at doing this, while larger firms have greater resources. Her top tips include using free tools, networking widely and prioritising quick wins. She emphasises the importance of industry events for sharing ideas and accelerating collective sustainability progress.
Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit 2025
Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit is the annual gathering of the industrial elite.
Leaders, senior executives and decision-makers representing all industries across the manufacturing sector converge with thought leaders and industrial futurists for two days of knowledge-sharing, debate and discussion that shapes the industry for the coming 12 months.
Now in its 17th year, the award-winning Summit is a catalyst for transformation, covering the topics most pertinent to manufacturing leaders alongside economic and market factors, operational, and organisational challenges.
This year’s Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit was once again an event with amplified focus on practical solutions and industry-leading insights, the highest calibre of speakers, more case studies and interactive sessions with polls, more networking opportunities and deeper dives into the technologies shaping the future of the sector.
We will be posting videos from a handful of keynote speakers and roundtable discussion hosts from this year’s event, so keep a look out for more insights over the next few days.
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