Leidos scrums down with Glasgow Warriors rugby team
Leidos is a keen supporter of sports clubs in the U.S., sponsoring a variety of teams such as: the Washington Capitals (hockey), the Washington Wizards and the Washington Mystics (basketball), and D.C. United (the new home of former England football captain Wayne Rooney).
The company recently broadened its U.K. sponsorship investment by signing a deal with a leading British rugby team, the Glasgow Warriors. Leidos is supporting the Warriors rugby team until 2020.
“This is a really exciting partnership,” says Glasgow Warriors Managing Director Nathan Bombrys. “We've already discussed some very exciting ways in which we can activate the sponsorship, and some Leidos team members were our guests at our recent game against the Scarlets.”
Leidos employs around 34,000 people in 30 countries around the world, including more than 1,200 people in the U.K., serving major clients including the Scottish Government, the Ministry of Defence, and NATS. In Scotland, Leidos is one of the largest technology companies and provides innovative technologies, advanced solutions and world-class services to customers in devolved and central government and in the oil and gas industry.
“Sport plays a large part in people's lives, whether they are playing or spectating, so there's a lot of employee engagement around supporting local teams,” says Alec Harley, Director, Leidos Scotland. “And there's the winning aspect too, people want their team to win — and at Leidos we like to win as well!”
The Warriors’ winning spirit is an attractive element of the partnership with Leidos, as Glasgow were the first Scottish team to win a major trophy in the Rugby Union's professional era, snagging the Pro12 title in the 2014-15 season. But the main driver for promoting the Leidos logo on the Glasgow Warriors team shirt is to advocate the company as a great place to work. Leidos has more than 300 employees across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but it’s hoping to attract even more top-class people.
“In Scotland, we are heavily investing in talent,” says Harley. “As our Scottish workforce continues to grow in numbers and broaden in skills to make sure we meet our clients’ needs, there is a lot of competition for talent. What we are trying to do is make potential employees more aware of the work we do and the potential career prospects within Leidos.”
Leidos has a strong heritage in Scotland, with a history of investing in both its workforce and local communities. The company partners with Strathclyde and Napier Universities on their Graduate Apprentice schemes, for example, focusing on software engineering, business management and cybersecurity.
“We are also proud to work in partnership with Career Ready – a U.K.-wide charity linking schools with employers to open up the world of work and technology to young people,” adds Harley.
Growing market presence and new opportunities in the Scottish Government, healthcare, safety and security, and transportation are inspiring Leidos to tackle tough challenges in the U.K., and Glasgow in particular, and provide excitement - both on and off the rugby field.
