The Speakers

ALAIN ROUSSET


President of the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Alain Rousset is President of the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine since 2016, after a historic merger of three regions. He was re-elected in 2021 for a new term. He was previously President of the Aquitaine Regional Council between 1998 and 2015. Passionate about innovation, industry, agriculture and history, among other things, Alain Rousset has helped make Nouvelle-Aquitaine one of the most attractive, dynamic, supportive and sustainable regions in France – setting up, since 2019, through the roadmap “Neo Terra” the energy, agricultural and ecological transition into a real system, as well as placing his Region in the front line of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. The Aeronautic, Space & Defence sector is one of the strongest at regional level, representing more than 900 entities and around 70 000 direct jobs.

Ngandu Mupangilai


Policy and Project Officer at the European Commission for the European Defence Fund (EDF) in the field of Defence technologies.

Ngandu Mupangilai is policy and project officer at the European Commission for the European Defence Fund (EDF) in the field of Defence technologies. These technologies address challenges that are relevant across several defence capability domains, such as, i.e., defence medical support, cyber defence, energy technologies, defence environmental transition, materials and components. Moreover, he follows up on and contributes to the drafting of the EDF work programme in the area of” Energy resilience and Environmental transition”. Furthermore, he is also contributing to the effective implementation of the EDF and its precursor programmes (i.e. Preparatory Action for the Defence Research (PADR) and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP)), with a particular emphasis on the areas of the research, development and innovation of defence technologies, including emerging, enabling and disruptive defence technologies. Prior to this position, he served as policy and project officer for many years in other European Commission research programmes (H2020 space programme and H2020 secure societies).

GBA Julien SABÉNÉ


Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command, Bordeaux

Général de brigade aérienne Julien SABÉNÉ is Chief of Staff of the Air Force Command in Bordeaux since 2022. He is working with général de corps aérien Laurent LHERBETTE, Air Force Commander and General Officer of the Defense and Security Zone for the Southwestern part of France. Graduated from the « École de l’air et de l’espace » in 1990, GBA Julien Sabéné also worked as Director for the Centre for strategic Aerospace studies and has been in charge of the National Centre for Air Operations Command from 2014 to 2017. His professional experiences also include missions for the Government’s Secretariat of defense and national security and for the air base in Djibouti.

Jean-Marc LAURENT


General & Professor at SciencesPo Bordeaux

The « Général de corps aérien » (Ret) Jean-Marc Laurent joined the French Air Force in 1978. As an aeronautical engineer from the « Ecole de l’Air » and a fighter pilot, he was entrusted with several operational commands in France and during international operations. A graduate of the Ecole de guerre, the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale (IHEDN), the Centre des Hautes Etudes Militaires (CHEM) in Paris and the Georges Marshall European Center for Security Studies (Germany), his first position as a general officer gave him responsibility for operations at the French Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Affairs Delegation (2006). He will then lead the Center for Strategic Aerospace Studies (2008). In 2011, he was entrusted with the command of the South-Western France defence and security zone and the command of the technical-operational department of the French Air Force. In 2013, he left active duty and founded the Defence & Aerospace Chair at Sciences Po Bordeaux where he develops training and dissemination actions (towards French and European students and auditors) on defence issues and research on Space Warfare.

NICOLAS LAVAL


Project and Programme Manager, Safran Ceramics

Safran Ceramics, R&T platform of Safran for high-temperature composite technologies, develops revolutionary materials and technologies up to TRL6 for Safran products with reduced environmental impact and increased performance. Nicolas Laval is project and program manager at Safran Ceramics. He joined Safran in 2014 as head of Material and Process department. He is also a Non Governative Expert within the Captech Materials and Structures of the European Research Agency (EDA).

ELENA GARBARINO


Project Officer Circular Economy, The European Defence Agency (EDA)

Elena Garbarino is a Project Officer Circular Economy at EDA, contributing to the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) by co-moderating thematic communities on Critical Raw Materials, Textiles, Ecodesign, EMAS and Green Public Procurement. She holds a PhD in Geo-Environmental engineering. She was a Scientific Officer at the European Commission’ Joint Research Centre [2012-21]. The European Defence Agency (EDA) supports its 26 Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the ‘hub’ for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks allowing it to the whole spectrum of defence capabilities. Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. The core of what we do is offering a level of expertise and activities that cover the whole spectrum of defence cooperation.

ROBERT HELL


External Relations Manager, GKN Aerospace

My position within GKN Aerospace is as External Relations Manager. Previously I have been CEO of an SME company called Systecon specialized in Life Cycle Management. I have also been Chief Engineer for Logistics within the Swedish Defence Material Administration and a board member of the Swedish Security and Defence Industry Association, SOFF. I hold a M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering. GKN Aerospace is a leading tier 1 supplier to the Aerospace Industry with businesses at 38 sites in 12, approx. 15000 employees. The Swedish part of the company is headquarter for the Engines division and global center for R&D aero engines. We are specialized on a number of important large structural parts of aero engines and as such, we are part of over 90% of all new passenger aircraft on the market. We focus heavily on R&D to reduce weight on our components and improve efficiency of the engines and thus minimizing fuel burn from aviation. For military engines we are OEM for the JAS39 Gripen engine RM12 that has been in service for a very long time. Through a Performance Based Logistics Contract we guarantee operational availability of the engines for the global Gripen fleet. We continuously monitor each engines status through the whole life cycle and implement actions whenever need to sustain their performance. We have also been flying Gripen with 100% biofuel. The life cycle approach is very important to us. We are introducing new ways of repairing worn out components to extend their life. We are also introducing additive manufacturing methods to reduce both energy consumption and material use in our supply chain. Our aim is to be the most trusted and sustainable partner in the sky.

Ronja Ahlberg


Project manager - Project Circular Economy in the Defence Industry

Ronja is a project manager at Swedish Security & Defence Industry Association (SOFF). She has a background in industrial technology and management. SOFF’s main goal is to promote the common interests of the security and defence industry to achieve the best possible preconditions for future business. Striving for increased understanding of industries importance to Swedish security and defense policy is a part of that. During the last year Ronja has been managing Project Circular Economy in the Defence Industry which has been a collaborative project between SOFF, The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace Sweden, and SAAB AB. The project aims to contribute to increased business benefit and ensure that security and defence companies are competitive in the future market were increased demands for circularity and sustainability.

Massimo Maraziti


Policy Officer at European Commission, DG ENER

I graduated in business administration, and I work in the European Commission since 1998 (before I worked in a bank), always in the energy sector. I have covered different positions and currently work in the energy efficiency unit; inter alia I am responsible for DG ENER of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS), an action funded by Horizon2020 budget and managed by the Commission in cooperation with the European Defence Agency since its inception in 2015.

Aliette Quint


VP Governmental Business Development, Political Affairs and Innovation, Nexeya Hensoldt

Aliette Quint joined Hensoldt as Director of Public Affairs France in October 2019. She currently holds the position of VP Governmental Business Development, Political Affairs and Innovation, and is a member of the French Executive Committee. After managing a Public Affairs consulting firm in Brussels, where she spent 10 years working with European and national public decision-makers, Aliette joined the Air Liquide group in 2011 as Deputy Director of European and International Affairs. She then advocated for new energies as global Director Regulations & External Affairs for the World Business Unit Hydrogen Energy from 2015 onwards. Within and for Air Liquide, she also held different board positions, such as company’s corporate venture ALIAD, its subsidiary in charge of fuel cells deployment Axane or Hydrogen Europe, and participated in the launch of the Hydrogen Council. Aliette has an EMBA degree (Franco-German) from ESSEC and Mannheim University, as well as an MSc in European Law and Politics from the Institute of European Studies in Bruxelles and a Master’s in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies in Lille and Münster University in Germany.

Cdt Raphaël DANINO-PERRAUD


French Ministry of Defence

Within the Operational Energy Division of the French General Staff, MAJ Raphael Danino-Perraud is in charge of international cooperations related to operational Energy (NATO, PESCO, EDA, EDF). As an example, he co-manages the PESCO project “Energy Operational Function” with the DGA. He also monitors the question of energy policy and future energies.

MATEJ GAJZER


Managing Director, Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence

Matej Gajzer is the Managing Director of the TECES, Green Tech Cluster, and the President of the Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence (SiEnE). He is an expert in industrial clusters and has more than 25 years of experience supporting open innovation and fostering strategic cooperation between stakeholders in the innovation process. Since 2019 he’s been involved in activities addressing the energy, environmental and green transition challenges in the defence and security sector. He is an active member of the Energy and Environment CapTech (EnE CapTech), the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) and the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED).He’s been actively involved in two energy-related dual-use projects, both approved in the last EDF-2021 call: the “INDY, Energy Independent and Efficient Deployable Military Camps” and the “NOMAD, Novel energy storage technologies usable at Military Deployments in forward operating bases”- TECES is a leading Slovenian innovation cluster of green technologies and energy-efficient solutions, established in 2001. TECES is a holder and coordinator of key R&D and technology demonstration pilot projects and strategic partnerships of national importance. The SiEnE was established by TECES and the Slovenian Ministry of Defence in 2020 to address the energy, environmental and green transition challenges in the defence and security sector together with international partners using a comprehensive approach to foster civilian and defence stakeholders’ collaboration.

NIKOLAOS SAVOURIS


Business Development Manager at EASY POWER S.A.

EASY POWER S.A. is an engineering house specialising in Autonomous Hybrid Solar Systems for Military and Civil applications, active in Greece and abroad. Owner of an International Patent( Patent No. 1009645) for Autonomous-Hybrid Energy Production Unit based in Ship Containers. During the fifteen years of its existence, the company has made notable accomplishments in the Design, Study and Installation of Solar Stations and customised solutions in Solar Hybrid Energy Production Systems either in On or Off-grid areas. Its experience and expertise include the Design, Study and installation for the Transformation of one of the largest Military Airport in the Southeast of the Mediterranean sea (Suda-Crete) to a Net Zero Energy and Near-Zero Carbon Emissions Base. Mr Nikolaos Savouris, is a Co-founder and Vice-President of the company, has a long experience as a designer and project manager in solar systems combined with high-voltage battery storage systems. In addition, he is Vice-President of the Association of Energy Storage Producers in Greece and holds an MSc in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

Fabien MICHELIN


Energy and transverse technologies officer, Armament General Directorate (DGA)

With an academic background in material sciences and a PhD in ecodesign, Fabien Michelin has joined the Armament General Directorate of the French Ministry of Defence in 2017, as ecodesign leader for land systems, transport aircrafts and tactical drones military programs. Since 2021, he is energy capability architect and coordinator of the energy capability and innovation pillar within the French energy and defence strategy. This strategy main objective consists of making the energy transition an operational advantage in order to increase performance and to reinforce the Ministry’s resilience. The capability pillar aims at integrating energy issues at the early stage of armament programs and in the innovation roadmap. He is also the national coordinator for the Energy and Environment CapTech and is involved, at national level, in the preparation of the European Defence Fund on energy thematic.

Eric GRIVEL


Professor at Bordeaux INP

After his diploma of engineering in electronics and a master degree in automatic control and production engineering, Eric Grivel received his PhD in signal processing in 2000 in Bordeaux (France). He joined Bordeaux Institute of Technology (Bordeaux INP) in 2001 as an assistant professor and then as a professor in 2011. It should be noted that Bordeaux INP groups together 6 internal schools and 3 partner schools. These 9 public engineering graduate schools, members of the Bordeaux INP Nouvelle-Aquitaine Group, count 3,400 students and offer 20 engineering specialisations including 5 through apprenticeship programmes. For more than 20 years, Eric Grivel has been with the Signal & Image research group at IMS lab (which is a joint research unit for the French National Center for Scientific Research CNRS, University of Bordeaux and Bordeaux INP). His research activities deal with statistical signal processing with applications in speech and audio processing, mobile communication systems, radar processing, GPS navigation and biomedical. He was the head of the Telecommunications department at ENSEIRB-MATMECA, one of the internal schools of Bordeaux INP, from 2010 to 2017. From 2014 to 2022, he was in charge of the scientific interest group, Albatros, gathering Thales Avionics, Thales Defence and Mission Systems, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, University of Limoges, University of Poitiers, CNRS and INRIA. Since 2020, he has been involved in ASSETS+ project, an Alliance for Strategic Skills addressing Emerging Technologies in Defence, funded under the Erasmus+ Programme. He is currently Vice dean in charge of the international relations at Bordeaux INP.

David HUGUET


Project Manager, TARMAQ

Involved, both in project management or project management assistance, in the creation of thematic sites dedicated to scientific and technical culture, D. Huguet took part in projects such as “ La Grotte Chauvet 2” (Ardèche, France ; nearly 3 million visitors since 2015) from design to production, with more expertise in the exploitation and mediation of knowledge.
TARMAQ, future “Cité des savoirs aéronautiques et spatiaux” in Mérignac (Bordeaux Area, France), is an innovative concept that aims at making the Aerospace sector more attractive to a wide audience by showcasing its jobs, competences and innovations on a unique site at the heart of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region. TARMAQ will contribute to making sure the ASD sector has access to the necessary skills and workforce to successfully carry out its transition towards a greener, more responsible industry.

Benoit CONSOLINI


Training Director at AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine

Benoit Consolini retired from the military with the rank of Colonel in 2017, after having occupied several positions, notably in the Core Joint Forces Air Component at NATO Air Command in Ramstein (Germany) and in the Air Force mechanics training center located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. He is since 2017 Training Director at AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine. This association created in 2011 is a campus dedicated to aeronautical training. It has an EASA Part 147 agreement. AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine is sponsored by the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine and is renting the facilities that the Région bought to the Defence Ministry in 2011. AEROCAMPUS mainly trains students, teenagers and adults, in the field of aircraft maintenance and aircraft production in different ways: Scholarship, Apprenticeship, Continuing Training, Training for foreign students, in support of AIRBUS or Dassault. For the maintenance and production training, AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine hosts about 300 students in initial training and trains about 450 adults a year in continuing training. Other AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine activities include Cabin Crew training, seminars organization, and missions abroad for training and examination (non- exhaustive list). AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine is a key player in the regional and national aeronautical ecosystem, by providing manpower in support to its partners, and also by working for the reach and reputation of the Air Defence and Space sector.

Michel DUBARRY


Senior advisor Rolls-Royce

Michel is a Senior Industry Executive with an extensive experience in aerospace. He graduated from Bordeaux Business School and Bordeaux University (Economics and Human Resources). He is also an alumnus of the London Business School and INSEAD Business School. He has lived in France, the West Indies, Thailand, and in the UK. He has held senior management positions in Aerospatiale (now Airbus, 1977-1986), Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Limited (1987-1991) and Turbomeca (now SAFRAN Helicopters engines, 1991-1993). Between 1993 and 2001, Michel was the Managing Director of McAlpine Helicopters Ltd in Oxford (now AIRBUS Helicopters UK). He was a Rolls-Royce senior executive between 2002 and 2021 as President Europe North Africa for the Rolls-Royce Group and he is now senior advisor to Rolls Royce. He was nominated by the French Air Force Chief of Staff in 2010 Colonel of the Citizen Rserve (Colonel de la Réserve Citoyenne). In 2013, he was awarded Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen Elisabeth II.Michel was recently appointed advisor for industrial affairs by the British Embassy for the Aquitaine region. He is Chairman of the Bordeaux University Trust and is member of the Board of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce. After a term as President, Michel remains actively engaged in the aerospace association USAIRE as Executive Vice President.

Richard PERROT


Vice President Strategy & Marketing Defence Mission System GBU, Thalès DMS

With over 20 years of global marketing experience in the aviation and aerospace industry, Richard PERROT has been appointed in 2021 VP Strategy and Marketing of the Global Business Unit (GBU) Defense Mission System at Thales. In this role, Richard is also responsible for the ESG domain.
Richard joined Thales in 1998 and has held key positions of increasing responsibility leading global Marketing, Strategy, product policy and sales initiatives. Before his appointment within Defense Mission System, he worked 15 years in Avionics and more recently he was Vice President of Strategy & Marketing of the InFlyt Experience BL (In Flight Entertainment), based in California.

Ophelie TAN


ORAJe Vice-President (Organisation des Rencontres Aéronautiques et de la Jeunesse)

Ophélie Tan is the Vice-President of the association ORAJe. With the full support of the aerospace association USAIRE, their common goal is to bring the aerospace and defence industries closer to students and young professionals. This talent pool gathers today more than 300 people today. She started her career not so long ago at Dassault Aviation, as a Strategic Buyer for Electrical Harnesses after graduating from Grenoble INP Phelma in Materials Science Engineering and from ESSEC Business School in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management.