We were joined by two members of the Leonardo electronics division before their keynote at this year’s Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, which was entitled, ‘Sustainable Manufacturing & the Road to Net Zero: The Leonardo Journey.’
Rob Armstrong is the Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering and Sarah Gobind-Cook is the Sustainability Lead.
As one of the world’s leading advanced aerospace companies, Leonardo is redefining what sustainable manufacturing means in a high-precision and high-performance industry.
Rob and Sarah spoke to us about Leonardo’s roadmap to net-zero, highlighting how innovation, digitalisation, and cross-industry collaboration are enabling real, measurable progress.
From embedding sustainability into design and production, to harnessing advanced data analytics and circular economy principles, this is an industry case study that offers practical insights into achieving environmental goals while maintaining operational excellence and competitiveness.
Their keynote explored:
- How to embed sustainability into core operations: How can manufacturers integrate carbon reduction and resource efficiency into every stage of design, production, and supply chain management?
- The role of technology and digital transformation: What part does data-driven decision-making play in accelerating sustainable outcomes?
- Collaboration and leadership on the journey to net zero: How can partnerships across industry, academia, and research organisations drive faster, scalable progress toward shared sustainability goals?
The pair also give us their top tips for other manufacturers on their sustainability journeys.
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 challenges and organisation 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 weeks.
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