SMI Represents Defence SMEs at FIA 2024
We were pleased to be invited to represent defence SMEs at Farnborough International Airshow last week as our CEO, Jenny Shaw, participated in the Women in Defence UK panel discussion “Innovating in Defence Starts with People”.
The discussion highlighted the importance of resilience in defence supply chains and examined why a new attitude towards our people is essential if the sector is to deliver the UK’s defence mission, discussing how we retain, rather than just recruit, women in the sector.
Chaired by DE&S Director of HR, Jo Osburn-Hughes, the panel stressed the importance of renewed energy and greater urgency to collaborate so that the Defence enterprise can retain the much-needed skills to meet the needs and threats of a changing world. Joining Jenny on the esteemed panel were John Howe MBE, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Babcock International Group, Kata Escott CB, UK Managing Director and Head of Country at Airbus, and Air Commodore Wendy Rothery, Head of UK Defence Diversity and Inclusion at the MOD.
It was clear from the discussions that the need for more women in defence is greater than ever, with demand and funding reaching new heights. People are the cornerstone of the defence industry, and without them, the output needed to put the UK and other nations on a pre-war footing cannot be met. The panel discussion was therefore a valuable opportunity to discuss our approach as an industry to hiring and retention to keep pace with the ever-evolving world.