Stephane Israel named Chairman and CEO of Arianespace

EVRY, France (April 18, 2013) – The Board of Directors of Arianespace today named Stéphane Israël Chairman and CEO of the company, effective Monday, April 22, 2013.

Stéphane Israël, born in 1971, was appointed as a judge in the French Court of Auditors in 2001 after graduating from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA). While in this position, he participated in missions concerning French space policy and the Ariane launch system. He moved to the aerospace industry in 2007, first as advisor to Louis Gallois, Chief Executive Officer of EADS, then holding various operational management positions at Astrium Space Transportation and Astrium Services.

In May 2012, Stéphane Israël was appointed chief of staff to the French Minister for Industrial Renewal.

On being appointed to this position, Stéphane Israël said: “I would like to extend my thanks to the Arianespace Board of Directors for entrusting me with this position, and allowing me to carry on the excellent work accomplished by Jean-Yves Le Gall over the last ten years. It is indeed a great honor for me to be chosen to lead a company that is now the global benchmark in space transport.”

Jean-Yves Le Gall, who had headed Arianespace since 2001 and on April 3 was named President of French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales), Arianespace’s core shareholder, by the French Council of Ministers, added: “I am very pleased that our Board has unanimously accepted my nomination of Stéphane Israël as Chairman and CEO of Arianespace. His broad experience in his previous positions make him perfectly qualified to meet the operational, commercial and financial challenges facing our company. In my new job at the head of CNES, I will do everything in my power to facilitate his task.”

About Arianespace
Arianespace is the world’s leading satellite launch company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, the company offers an international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence. As of 15 March 2013, 212 Ariane launches, 30 Soyuz launches (four at the Guiana Space Centre and 26 at Baikonur with Starsem) and the first launch of Vega have been performed. The company has a backlog of 21 Ariane 5, 11 Soyuz and three Vega launches, equaling three years of business.