Kalum Downey from Kirkstall Precision Engineering Wins Future Manufacturing Leader Award at Leeds Manufacturing Festival

Last week, the Leeds Manufacturing Festival hosted the Next Gen Awards at MPM in Leeds, bringing together manufacturers from across West Yorkshire to celebrate the next generation of talent in the industry. As part of this event, E3 Recruitment was proud to sponsor the Future Manufacturing Leader Award, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and the potential to become future leaders in the field.

Tracie Norton, E3 Recruitment’s Director, awarded the winners and runners-up and expressed how inspiring it was to see the hard work and dedication of all the nominees, as well as their organisations’ drive to help their employees reach their full potential. As a business, E3 Recruitment is pleased to support events like this that offer talented individuals an opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities.

The Future Manufacturing Leader Award received excellent nominations from three fantastic companies that demonstrated a passion for supporting and developing talent within their business. We are delighted to announce that Kalum Downey from Kirkstall Precision Engineering won the award.

Kalum has become an outstanding member of the CNC turning team at Kirkstall Precision. Over the last 12 months, he has shown significant improvements in his skills as an operator and engineer. Additionally, his dependability and quality of work consistently meet the highest expectations. One of Kalum's most remarkable qualities is his leadership skills. During the first few weeks of a new team member's arrival, Kalum stepped up to guide and support them. Despite being in his final year of apprenticeship, he demonstrated clear leadership qualities that helped the new team member and earned respect from his colleagues.

Kalum's ability to take on responsibilities was also evident when he headed the department during the holiday period while the team leader was away. He confidently led the team and communicated with his peers clearly and concisely. He is approachable, knowledgeable, and good under pressure – qualities that make him an excellent team player and future leader.

Kirkstall Precision’s Managing Director, Iqbal Bahia, expressed pride in Kalum and fellow apprentice Cameron Pinder, who won second place in the Apprentice of the Year category. Bahia credited their achievements to the Kirkstall Precision apprentice academy and the passion and drive of Adam Thornton, who has led the initiative for the past five years.

Kalum's exceptional skills and achievements were recognized when he won the E3R Future Manufacturing Leader award. He expressed his joy at winning the award and thanked those who submitted his nomination, supervisor James Seed, and previous supervisor Ashley Inman for their support.

"I’m overjoyed to have won the E3R Future Manufacturing Leader award at the Leeds Manufacturing Festival Next Gen Awards. I’m thankful for the recognition I’ve received and to have been submitted for this award by Adam Thornton, Craig Dowling, and Iqbal Bahia. I hope that having received this, it will encourage existing and future apprentices that join Kirkstall Precision to know they are more than capable of achieving the same.

I couldn’t have been in the position I am today without my supervisor James Seed and previous supervisor Ashley Inman. I’ve been with Kirkstall Precision for almost 4 years, and across those years, I’ve been supported brilliantly. I’m a proud member of the Kirkstall Precision team and I’m excited to see what else I can learn from everyone in the years to come."

The second and third place were awarded to Matthew Orme from Bensons Panels and Ethan Ockerby from LBBC Technologies, respectively. Matthew distinguished himself as a respected team leader, implemented numerous initiatives, and introduced mental health first aiders to their business. His recent promotion to Operations Manager is well-deserved. Ethan showed incredible growth over the past four years and was chosen to mentor future apprentices, demonstrating LBBC’s commitment to growth.

Congratulations to all the nominees, Kirkstall Precision, and Kalum Downey for their exceptional dedication to the manufacturing industry, and thanks to all those behind the Leeds Manufacturing Festival and fellow sponsors Leeds City College, Leeds City Council, and Next Gen Makers for their continued dedication to securing a bright future for manufacturing.