When Airbus was announced as winner of the Most Improved Charter Signatory Award 2025, it came as a surprise.
But the recognition reflects something more deliberate: a long-term, joined-up approach to improving gender balance - from early engagement in schools through to senior leadership and culture inside the business.
We spoke to Airbus about what’s driven that progress and what others can learn from it.
What does being recognised in this category say about your journey?
It reflects a shift in how Airbus has approached the challenge. While many organisations focus on discrete activities - particularly at early careers level - the emphasis has been on taking a broader view and addressing some of the underlying causes, including low STEM engagement among girls and limited awareness of technical career pathways.
By connecting social value activity with workforce ambition, the organisation has been able to take a more strategic approach. The Women in Defence Charter’s 30% target has become a clear North Star, not just internally, but in how Airbus contributes to the wider sector. This is not simply about recruitment into one organisation, but about strengthening the overall pipeline into technical careers over time.
Where have you made the most meaningful progress?
The most visible progress has been at senior level, where women now hold a number of high-profile leadership roles across the business. What is important, however, is that this reflects sustained investment rather than short-term intervention.
Over time, Airbus has invested in development, mentoring, leadership programmes and flexible working policies, creating the conditions for progression. As a result, there is now greater depth behind those roles, with a stronger pipeline of women coming through.
This shift matters because it moves beyond representation at the top and towards a more sustainable model, where progression becomes a visible and realistic pathway rather than an exception.
What has helped turn commitment into action?
Alignment has been a key factor. The Charter reinforces existing internal ambition, adding clarity and external credibility to the direction of travel. It also creates a sense of shared purpose, particularly in an area where progress can feel incremental in the short term.
Over time, this has contributed to a more embedded approach. Activity is no longer confined to individual teams or initiatives, but runs across recruitment, early careers, development and culture. Greater insight into the workforce - including through recent diversity and inclusion work - has also supported more informed action.
Taken together, these elements create consistency, which over time translates into more meaningful and sustained change.
What approaches have been especially valuable?
Starting earlier has been critical. With only around 23% of the engineering cohort currently female, increasing representation at workforce level depends on changing that dynamic much earlier in the pipeline.
This has led to increased investment in schools outreach and STEM engagement, beginning at primary level. These programmes are designed to be practical and engaging, helping young people, as well as parents and educators, better understand the breadth of technical careers available.
There are already early indicators of impact. In the schools engaged through these programmes, around 50% of girls are taking triple science GCSE, compared to a national average of approximately 25%. While this is only one step in a longer journey, it suggests that perceptions - and therefore future choices - are beginning to shift.
What insight would you share with others?
The experience reinforces the importance of taking a whole-system approach. Focusing on isolated initiatives is unlikely to deliver sustained change. Instead, progress comes from connecting activity across the full pathway; from outreach and attraction through to recruitment, development and progression.
It also requires a longer-term perspective. While many organisations operate within short planning cycles, meaningful change in this space typically takes place over five to ten years.
Finally, impact is strongest when this work becomes embedded. When inclusion is part of how an organisation operates, rather than something delivered alongside it, it becomes more resilient and ultimately more effective.
What would you say to organisations considering entering this year?
It is worth doing, regardless of the outcome. The process encourages organisations to reflect on their progress, articulate their approach clearly, and evidence impact through both data and real examples.
Recognition brings visibility, but also serves as a signal - both internally and externally - of commitment and intent. For Airbus, it provided a meaningful moment of recognition for the teams involved, as well as an opportunity to contribute to a broader sector-wide effort to drive change.