Education in France and Canada:
After an Engineering degree (with Compliments of the Board) at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), Lyon, France I moved to Université Laval, Québec, Canada where I graduated with a Master of Sciences (Summa cum Laude) and Ph.D.(Magna Cum Laude) in 1971. Simultaneously I was teaching as an Assistant Professor, Stochastic Processes and Communication Theory in particular.
Career at the Toulouse Space Center:
I joined the Centre National des Etudes Spatiales -CNES-the French Space Agency, in 1971, where I acquired experience in Space programs in all the range of activities: technical and operational aspects, project management, international activities.
Involved first in Data and Location activities I have been the manager of the ARGOS Space segment, program in cooperation with the US (NASA and NOAA) still operational and the first Project manager of the Cospas- Sarsat Search and Rescue program from the initial concept until the start of the operational phase. This included implementation responsibilities with international partners in the US, Canada and the Soviet Union at that time.
As head of the Advanced Mission Department I supervised the first Navigation studies dedicated to a Complementary System to GPS, concept which as lead to the EGNOS system (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay). I moved to the ESA Project team created in 1984 to supervise the implementation of the system now used operationally by the Civil Aviation authorities in Europe.
Brussels Period: 10 years dedicated to Galileo:
From 1998 to 2008 I have worked successively in all institutions and Organizations in charge of the Galileo Program with different key positions:
- Detached to the European Commission, DG Transport(at that time), I participated to the political decision of the Program and was in particular in charge of the Architecture Definition of the system in liaison with the ESA/ ESTEC team
- In the ESA Galileo Interim Support Structure ,supporting the EC in the implementation of all activities
- In the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU),created in 2003 ,first in charge of the coordination of all Research and Development Activities dealing with Navigation (definition and implementation of the first and second call of the FP7 Projects)and then as the Head of the Technical Division including relationship with China and Israel.
- Finally in the GSA -European GNSS Agency –when still located in Brussels ,now headquatered in Prague(Czech Republic),as Senior Advisor, mainly in charge of supporting the international activities of the Agency.
Consulting Office in Toulouse-a new entrepreneurship:
Based on the broad experience acquired during my entire career I decided to open a Consultancy in September 2008 in the Toulouse Metropole area highest concentration of jobs in the Space sector in all Europe.
In the services provided , I am guided by the following ethic principles:
- Independence: personal strategic views in full independence from national and industrial motivations
- Dedication: involved personally and interfacing directly with my counterparts, working only on selected topics based on mutual added-values
- Efficiency: based on my knowledge of the different sectors and the expectations of my counterparts.
