Bloomberg Talks Leonardo UK's CEO Clive Higgins Talks Europe's Defense Ramp Up
Sep 11, 2025
Clive Higgins, CEO of Leonardo UK, delves into Europe's defense spending surge driven by geopolitical tensions, especially concerning Poland and Russia. He discusses ambitious job creation through substantial defense contracts, including a £10 billion shipbuilding deal. Higgins also highlights challenges in attracting talent to the defense sector due to rising anti-defense sentiments. Furthermore, he addresses the importance of strategic partnerships and the efficiency of defense procurement processes to meet increasing government orders and bolster regional security.
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Tensions Drive Clear Defence Investment Signal
- Clive Higgins says rising global tensions have made medium-term defence investment widely understood.
- He sees the UK and Poland resetting security ties and building capability partnerships with the US and UK.
Push Funding Through Now To Secure Supply Chains
- Higgins urges government to flow defence funding now to primes and SMEs to keep supply chains and jobs resilient.
- He warns delayed spending will undermine capability delivery and supply-chain resilience.
Merlin Role And Hiring Trajectory
- Leonardo highlights the AW101 Merlin as a ready rotary-platform fit for anti-submarine tasks tied to recent frigate contracts.
- The company currently runs 900 graduates and apprentices and expects 400–500 new hires per year on some programmes.