‘We can’t wait for hydrogen’: Rolls-Royce’s Warren East on the engine maker’s future

Outgoing CEO looks back on his seven years at helm and how sustainable aviation fuel can power the journey to net zero

Warren East says it has been a privilege" to lead Rolls-Royce for seven years, as he prepares to retire on New Year's Eve. But it has also involved considerable pain.

East's battles have ranged from a 671m settlement for a giant bribery and corruption scandal from before his time, to the discovery of costly cracks in its jet engines. Then Covid-19 struck, grounding the aeroplanes whose engines Rolls-Royce builds and services.