André-Hubert Roussel to Succeed Alain Charmeau as ArianeGroup CEO

Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, Nov. 26, 2018 — The Board of Directors of ArianeGroup has endorsed the proposal made by Airbus and Safran and has approved on November 22, 2019, the appointment of Andre-Hubert Roussel, 53, to succeed Alain Charmeau,62, as Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective January 1, 2019.

Andre-Hubert Roussel is currently Head of Operations at Airbus Defence and Space and has been a member of ArianeGroup Board since July 2018.

Alain Charmeau will retire after a transition phase from January 1 st to March 31, 2019, during which he will serve as Special Advisor to the new CEO of ArianeGroup.

The ArianeGroup Board expressed its gratitude to Alain Charmeau for his work on behalf of ArianeGroup and the European space launchers industry. “Alain Charmeau has been a tireless advocate of the merger of the Airbus and Safran launcher activities, overseeing the creation of ArianeGroup and building up the company while carrying out the essential, in-depth changes to the governance of the European launchers sector,” ArianeGroup said. “He notably contributed to a new competitive industrial organization for development and production of Ariane 6 throughout Europe and coordinated the merger with Arianespace. With the full confidence of the government stakeholders, he also enabled the efficient continuation of major defense programs. Finally, he initiated a profound transformation of ArianeGroup to consolidate its position as European leader of access to space, in a particularly complex and competitive global market.”

Alain Charmeau said, “I am happy to hand the reins over to Andre-Hubert Roussel, whom I have known for a long time and with whom I have worked on developing the civil launchers sector. ArianeGroup is now a recognized company worldwide, and it is now Andre-Hubert Roussel who must continue the adventure to ensure the success of ArianeGroup as a competitive and innovative group, guaranteeing independent and strategic access to space for Europeans. On this occasion, I would like to thank all ArianeGroup employees for their engagement as well as our customers from both civil and defense markets for their trust.”

Andre-Hubert Roussel commented, “Succeeding Alain is an honor and a huge responsibility. The employees and management of ArianeGroup have already done a tremendous job in making Ariane 6 a reality, while maintaining the success of Ariane 5, ensuring the quality of service for the French Oceanic Deterrent Force and developing new products and services. Together, we will take up the challenges that await us, starting with the success of the Ariane 6 maiden flight in 2020 and its marketing with institutional and commercial customers.”

Since 2016, André-Hubert Roussel has been serving as Head of Operations and Member of the Executive Committee at Airbus Defence and Space. Previously, he was in charge of Engineering at Airbus Defence and Space. Before assuming those duties, Roussel was Head of Engineering, Operations and Quality for the Space Systems business unit inside Airbus Defence and Space. In 2014, Roussel took the lead for the Launcher Programs at Airbus and played a decisive role in the launch of the Ariane 6 program as well as in the creation of the ArianeGroup joint venture. He began his professional career in 1990 and holds a degree in Engineering from École Polytechnique and École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications. Roussel is married with four children.

ArianeGroup develops and supplies innovative and competitive solutions for civil and military space launchers, with expertise in all aspects of state-of-the-art propulsion technologies. ArianeGroup is lead contractor for Europe’s Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 launcher families, responsible for both design and the entire production chain, up to and including marketing by its Arianespace subsidiary, as well as for the missiles of the French oceanic deterrent force. ArianeGroup and its subsidiaries enjoy a global reputation as specialists in the field of equipment and propulsion for space applications, while their expertise also benefits other industrial sectors. The group is a joint venture equally owned by Airbus and Safran, and employs nearly 9,000 highly qualified staff in France and Germany. Its 2017 revenues is 3.4 billion euros.