Following a vote by shareholders last Friday, AgustaWestland parent Finmeccanica will now officially be known as Leonardo. The move follows several months of an interim identity that began late last year when AgustaWestland was temporarily rebranded as Finmeccanica Helicopters. The helicopter division will now be known as Leonardo Helicopters, but its aircraft will retain their AW model designations.
The name acknowledges 15th and 16th Century Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, widely credited with devising the first concept for the helicopter. The change will become official next January—for the remainder of the year, the company will operate as Leonardo-Finmeccanica.
AgustaWestland has been using the name Leonardo for its online customer portal for some time. Late last year, Finmeccanica CEO Mauro Moretti hinted at a new name for the company that would be “recognizable, simple [and] very Italian.” In announcing the name change, Moretti said Finmeccanica was looking for something to “reflect the history of our evolution in space and security,” adding that the company's slogan would also change to “genius at your service.”