Steve gained an HND (Higher National Diploma) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering following a modern apprenticeship in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Before joining Leonardo, Steve worked in the UK Civil Service where he helped deliver a fixed and deployed Command and Control system for the UK Special Forces.
He then made the leap to the world of industry by joining Leonardo: “an exciting, stimulating and challenging experience: high expectations, timelines to respect and a constant drive for excellence”. Having worked at the Company for 16 years, Steve Knight is now the UK Cyber & Digital Delivery Lead at the Leonardo site in Bristol.
Before this role he was manager of the NCIRC programme (NATO Computer Incident Response Capability), through which, from 2012 to 2020, Leonardo worked with NATO to guarantee the security of information and ICT networks at 75 sites of the Atlantic Alliance in 29 countries. This programme was the result of a joint initiative by Leonardo - chosen as an industrial partner for its proven expertise in the cyber protection of intellectual property - and the NATO Communication and Information Agency, and was one of the largest initiatives in this context at global level.
“It was,” says Steve, “a rewarding and challenging experience, for me and my team, in which teamwork and the opportunity of having the right skills available were crucial. Talented and innovative people form the ‘heart’ of any programme.”
As Cyber and Digital Delivery Lead, Steve is now the coordinator of Engineering and Operations practices within the Cyber and Security Solutions business unit at Leonardo UK.
In this role, he also supports his colleagues in their professional career, promoting their growth within the Company, based on the expected goals because: "Leonardo is also the kind of company that recognises people for the work they do."
In fact, there is no progress that can be achieved without sharing values, skills and experiences: "I would like to learn something new from them several times in the course of a year!"
Over time, he has understood the importance of creating cohesive and organised work groups to build the “teams of tomorrow”. In his words: “we need to link new people with new ideas into the company and build products and skills for the future […] to keep abreast of technological innovation.”
Leadership, project management, reliability, problem solving, ensuring adherence to timescales and budgets: these, in his view, are the soft skills needed to face the challenges of the future.