We caught up with Shorbani Roy from Lockheed Martin, who shared how she turned her interests in flight and discovering how things work into a career path in the aerospace and defence industry.

Can you tell us about your role at Lockheed Martin and the regions you look after?
As a leader in technology and innovation that delivers innovative solutions to help our customers and partners keep people safe, Lockheed Martin is mission-focused on advancing scientific discovery and strengthening security. In my role as head of communications for the company in Asia, I look after our corporate and marketing communications, brand reputation, and social impact efforts as part of our commitment to communities we support and operate in, which in turn resonates with our global mission.

My team and I also support all four of our business areas (which are aerospace, rotary and mission systems, missiles and fire control, and space) with defining, designing, and articulating programmatic information, i.e. relating to our platforms and products, relevant to specific markets for both internal and external audiences.

What is it about the aerospace and defence industry that fascinates you as a communications professional?
The pursuit and application of scientific exploration and advances in technology for the purpose of enhancing safety and progress in this sector, strengthening national (and international) security, and humanity in general - for instance through our contributions to space exploration or energy technology and storage - offers significant poignancy of purpose to the role of communications at Lockheed Martin.  

As someone who loves flight and discovering how things work, being able to marry personal interest with professional pursuits and business mission makes this role more than fascinating and indeed, quite gratifying.

Communications in the aerospace and defence industries are strictly regulated. Has comms in this industry changed or allowed greater flexibility over the years?
The operating environment definitely influences how we conduct communications activity, just like other highly regulated sectors. Operationally, the evolution in digital media technology has naturally provided greater opportunity to extend our storytelling to a larger number of audiences and in different ways, for instance adopting a digital-led approach to communications. Where there is opportunity and flexibility is in the pursuit of corporate activities and related storytelling, for instance our social impact efforts that emphasise and invest in STEM education.

More than half of our 110,000 strong workforce are scientists, engineers, IT professionals and technicians, and we engage with industry, educators and policymakers to bolster awareness and sponsorship of the value in STEM education. Through our initiatives and partnerships, such as the annual Girls Rocketry Challenge in Japan, which is in its sixth cycle, or our multi-year collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Singapore, we engage in a variety of ways to tell our story and encourage the pursuit of STEM education, which is usually intertwined with ambitions of the partners and communities we support and operate in.

Aerospace and defence companies are entering a land of opportunity in the metaverse, including Lockheed Martin - how has this been adopted, and why is it important?
Any activity we undertake begins with intent and application, and a deliberate consideration of how chosen actions achieve or enhance desired business outcomes. Our technology teams have employed digital twins and tools like AR or VR for example, in engineering activities relating to platform (product) operations, which ultimately speaks to our core mission.

In parallel, the focus for the communications organisation remains on sharing compelling content and engaging with intended audiences through appropriate - and responsible - ways that support intended purpose. Therefore, if and where we employ or engage in the metaverse as a communications-related activity, it will need to make sense from a number of perspectives including brand value, resource, and relation to core business.

What do you think are the key issues or topics that are going to keep you busy for the rest of 2022? Both from a business and communications perspective?
The global security environment and related socio-economic landscape will continue to greatly influence our business and how we approach and conduct communications activity. At the same time, considering our mission and commitment to the communities we support and operate in, we continue to explore and activate the potential to provide positive impact in relation to business and programmatic pursuits, and our overarching mission.