Added: 7th September 2023 by Leonardo
This year, Leonardo has been celebrating South Asian Heritage Month for the first time, with events hosted across our UK sites. The month has been a fantastic opportunity to recognise and honour the diverse cultures, histories and contributions of South Asian communities within our organisation.
As part of our celebrations, colleagues have been gathering at lunchtimes to enjoy a samosa and hear from those from South Asian Heritage. Read some of their stories below.
JAINNA - Project Management Degree Apprentice
"I am a third-generation immigrant (or second-generation British-Indian), which means my grandparents immigrated to the UK before my parents were born. My heritage contributes significantly to my identity. I embrace and balance both British and the two different Indian cultures exhibited in my household in many ways, for example, through cuisine, music and traditions. The journey of my grandparents as they immigrated from the other side of the world and the experiences of my parents while they grew up in London demonstrates their resilience, determination and hard work which, in turn, inspires me to make the most of every opportunity to celebrate them.
I was inspired to lead Leonardo’s South Asian Heritage Month celebrations because it is the perfect opportunity for others to acknowledge our heritage and also for ourselves to feel proud of where we come from, embrace our identity, and honour the stories of our ancestors.”
NEEL - Principal Mechanical Engineer
"I was born in a small rural village called Berkheri, in Haryana, North India. My Parents were farmers (after my dad retired from the police) and always encouraged me to be disciplined and educate myself, despite the financial struggles we experienced. I was a star student and loved school, which contributed to me being the highest attainder of my classes in India. I came to England to study for a degree in Mechanical Engineering MSc; however, the bank withdrew the loan, my parents were not able to support me financially, and I had to drop out after my first term.
I worked extremely hard, while supporting my family, and it took me four years to save up for my tuition fee. I enrolled on the course whilst working nights and attending classes during days – resulting in countless sleepless nights. Prior to my final exams, my parents had a road accident and my father did not survive, so I went to India to support my family.
It is extremely hard to start life in a new country. Despite my rocky start, I was able to settle in by embracing Indian food, the Sikh community and cricket. I am extremely grateful to my family (I would not be where I am today, if it wasn’t for them), friends and colleagues. I recently joined Leonardo as a Principal Mechanical Engineer in June 2023."
KULRAJ - Lead Hardware Specialist
"My family came from Punjab to the UK in the 1960s, following other families to settle in Glasgow. Unusually, my father came to the UK after living in Brazil for 10 years!
My route to becoming an engineer was influenced by my father who always regretted not having the opportunity to progress his passion for mathematics into further education. As an engineer, I think my background has provided me with a natural work ethic, which is very common within migrant families. Within my career, I have been fortunate to work with people from many diverse backgrounds, which has helped to develop common understandings to solve problems on projects, and to develop friendships."
HOMY - Country Manager
"The protagonist in my migration story is my father, and my journey is strongly linked to his experiences in youth and his professional career. My father travelled between Persia and South Asia for his education due to my grandfathers` international assignments. This included lengthy train journeys and strict boarding schools from a very young age.
My awareness and exposure to travel instilled an early interest in aircraft, hence my educational and professional path. Personally, my father’s journey has taught me resilience (noting that for almost all my life he was also a single parent) and openness towards different cultures and people. Professionally, those same learnings helped me within my own international experience in Italy and business activities all around the globe."
ARVIND - Mechanical Industrial Capability Manager
"Born in 1991, I grew up and went to school in the East London outskirts. Even when I was young, there was a strong South Asian presence in my area; a real sense of community. My parents settled in the UK in the 1980s after my Appa (Dad) finished a degree in Mechanical Engineering. They both were present in Sri Lanka during the 1986 riots where my Apappa’s (Grandfather) house was burnt down in the violence. The riots led to a number of Sri Lankan Tamils becoming refugees and is the reason for them immigrating across the world since then.
I joined Leonardo in 2012, working in Industrial Engineering at Basildon on a graduate scheme, eventually progressing to my current role in Mechanical Engineering in 2020. In 2022, I took the position of STEM lead for the Ethnicity Inclusion network group, where we try to address the barriers that ethnic minorities face in our workplace and how we can tackle them."
