Story from Advanced Television:
The Board of Directors of Eutelsat has approved the hiring of Eric Labaye as a Board member and his appointment as Chairman of Eutelsat Communications and Eutelsat SA.
He succeeds Dominique D’Hinninwho had announced his decision not to seek the renewal of his mandate on February 14th. Labaye’s appointment is effective immediately.
The Board of Directors has also approved other changes to the composition of the Board, notably the resignation of Michel Combes, and the co-optation of Lucia Sinapi-Thomas as an independent Board member. The Board also acknowledged the appointment of Guillemette Kreis (Agence des Participations de l’Etat – APE) as the representative of the French State.
Following these changes, Eutelsat Communications’ Board of Directors is now composed of 10 members, of which six Independent Directors. It will include five women.
The incoming Chairman, Labaye, will hold office until the next Shareholders General Meeting, where his appointment will be proposed for a full term.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vice-President and Co-Chair of the Board, said: “I want to thank Dominique D’Hinnin for his exemplary leadership of Eutelsat over the past eight years. Dominique oversaw the merger of Eutelsat and OneWeb that created Eutelsat Group as the first combined GEO/LEO satellite constellation, and ensured there is a European player at the forefront of satellite connectivity globally, including with the Iris² project. I welcome the appointment of Eric Labaye as Chairman of Eutelsat Group to preside over the company in its next stage. Eric Labaye is a leader with immense experience that will be invaluable to Eutelsat in the years ahead. I look forward to working with Eric, Lucia and Guillemette and the full board to shape the future of Eutelsat.”
D’Hinnin said: “Eutelsat Group is now well positioned to provide its customers with a superior satellite-based connectivity service on a worldwide basis. I want to thank all the Eutelsat and OneWeb employees and the management team for their outstanding work, in a challenging competitive environment; their dedication and skills are the main basis for the future success of the Eutelsat Group.”
Jean-François Fallacher said: “I extend my warmest thanks to Dominique D’Hinnin for his support as part my joining Eutelsat. Dominique has successfully presided over a major step-change in Eutelsat’s strategic journey, notably its telecom pivot, which positions Eutelsat as a unique player thanks to our unmatched portfolio of GEO and LEO solutions. I am delighted Dominique is passing the baton to Eric Labaye, a seasoned strategy and tech expert, and I look forward to working with Eric to take Eutelsat to the next level.”
Labaye added: “I’m honoured and enthusiastic to join Eutelsat for a new chapter in its development and I want to thank the board members for their trust. I would like to pay tribute to Dominique D’Hinnin for his critical leadership in the strategic evolutions of the company. Eutelsat has outstanding fundamentals and unique assets to succeed in the innovative and fast-changing satellite connectivity sector. I look forward to working with the board, Jean-François Fallacher and the executive team of Eutelsat to fulfill the company mission.“
Labaye has worked for over 30 years for international clients in the telecommunications, high-tech and industrial sectors, as well as governments and public institutions on a variety of strategic and operational issues. He is the president and co-founder of IDEL Partners, an advisory firm focusing on major development and transformation topics. He is also the chairman of the supervisory board of Ekimetrics, a leading AI solutions company, senior advisor at Antin Infrastructure Partners, independent member of the board of Rexel and was appointed in April 2024 Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Investments for the Future in France.
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