Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Appointed to drive the strategic development and operational leadership of Latecoere’s UK subsidiary, I am responsible for the governance, performance, and long-term positioning of Latecoere’s operations in Bristol. My mission is to ensure the successful delivery of innovation and development programs, uphold alignment with Group strategy, and cultivate high-value relationships with key stakeholders. I oversee cross-functional coordination across engineering, HR, infrastructure, and support functions to ensure organisational readiness and project execution. Beyond operational execution, I act as the principal interface with UK-based partners to enable business development, facilitate future program entry, and extend Latecoere’s service offering. This leadership role is pivotal in establishing a scalable, resilient, and strategically aligned presence in the UK aerospace ecosystem. My focus is on strategic alignment, operational excellence, and sustainable value creation, contributing to Latecoere’s global innovation roadmap and long-term growth objectives.
As Head of the Innovation Department, I play a strategic role in shaping the future of Latecoere by steering advanced engineering initiatives and disruptive innovation projects that support the Group’s long-term vision. I lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team tasked with driving the development of next-generation technologies, products, and industrial processes, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technological evolution in the aerospace industry. With oversight of a 5M€/year innovation budget, I coordinate activities across international sites ensuring excellence in execution and strategic coherence. My mission includes defining and executing the innovation roadmap, contributing to Group-wide R&T and product strategy, and identifying breakthrough opportunities in interconnection systems, avionics equipment, embedded optical networks, photonics and automation. I work closely with executive leadership, engineering, and operations to position innovation as a key enabler of competitiveness and differentiation. Beyond the technical scope, I act as a leader and mentor, building a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement. I empower teams, foster cross-functional synergies, and promote an innovation mindset that blends ambition with operational discipline.
Leading the operations of a multidisciplinary team of 40 engineers and technicians (Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Testing, Software, Optics/NVIS & Avionics) specialised in the design and integration of high-value products for the Defense and Aerospace sectors (APDOA). My role has been at the heart of the team's success, extending beyond the day-to-day management of the department. I facilitated synergy between multi-site teams (Riom/Soyons) and international teams (India) to maximise our operational efficiency while managing the budget wisely. My main missions have focused on customer satisfaction, ensuring that we exceed their expectations, improving the quality and performance of our developments, and modernising our design processes. To achieve this, I introduced innovative practices such as visual project management, concurrent engineering, and Lean Development methodologies. Thanks to these initiatives, we have successfully delivered high-quality products within tight deadlines, thus enhancing NSE Group's reputation as a leader in the Defense and Aerospace industry.
In support of the sales team, I played an essential role in responding to bids during the pre-project phase. My responsibilities included drafting technical proposals, estimating non-recurring costs (NRC) and recurring costs (RC), as well as coordinating technical presentations. When drafting technical proposals, I highlighted our expertise and our ability to meet specific client needs. I ensured that the technical proposals were comprehensive, convincing, and in compliance with bid requirements. The estimation of NRC and RC costs was a crucial step in ensuring the financial viability of our proposals. I worked closely with internal teams to estimate costs accurately and competitively. Lastly, as the leader of technical presentations, I conducted presentations to potential clients. I made sure our team was well-prepared, our proposal was clearly communicated, and that we were able to effectively address client questions and concerns. Thanks to these efforts, we successfully secured several strategic contracts, further enhancing our company's reputation as a trusted partner in our industry.
As the head of planning, management, and monitoring within the engineering office, I led a team of 6 engineers and technicians, orchestrating our resources for multiple concurrent projects. My role was to ensure efficient workload management and available capacity, all while maintaining a balance between costs, quality, and deadlines. I consistently emphasised excellence by adopting a critical approach and questioning the work proposed by the team. My goal was to channel ideas toward optimal solutions that met the client's needs while showcasing our expertise. This approach improved project profitability and enhanced client satisfaction. Additionally, I monitored subcontractors, ensuring that their performance adhered to ISO 9001 quality standards. I also served as the primary interface with the client throughout the project, ensuring smooth communication and a mutual understanding of needs and expectations. Through these responsibilities, I contributed to the success of complex projects by optimising work processes, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and delivering solutions that exceeded client expectations.
I led the design, development, and testing of a fault-tolerant, radiation-hardened ASIC specifically designed for demanding space applications. This innovative project involved the use of a hybrid technology combining CMOS 28nm FD-SOI and MRAM magnetic memory, based on state-of-the-art asynchronous architecture. My key responsibilities included the complete design of the ASIC, from the conceptual phase to production. This encompassed crucial steps such as electrical, digital, and mixed-signal simulations to ensure the ASIC's robustness in harsh space environments. I was also responsible for logic synthesis, placement/routing, as well as rigorous testing to ensure the reliability and performance of the ASIC. Additionally, I oversaw the packaging of the ASIC, ensuring that the final product met industry space standards and fulfilled the technical specifications required for hostile environments. This project represented a significant technical challenge, but it resulted in the creation of an advanced ASIC, ready to withstand the extreme conditions of space. This experience allowed me to develop significant expertise in designing and implementing systems for demanding environments.
I led a pioneering architecture design project aimed at creating a radiation-hardened system by harnessing various magnetic memory technologies. This project represented a crucial step in the development of reliable solutions for radiation-exposed environments, such as aerospace or the space industry. My role included research, design, implementation, and testing of this cutting-edge architecture. I worked closely with a team of experts to identify the best magnetic memory technologies to integrate into our design, considering their radiation resistance. We also emphasised designing an architecture that could ensure the robustness and reliability required for critical applications. This included in-depth simulations and rigorous testing to validate the performance of our solution in the face of radiation. This project pushed the boundaries of technology and created an innovative architecture that meets the strict requirements of radiation-exposed environments. My involvement in this project allowed me to gain valuable expertise in designing radiation-resistant systems and integrating advanced magnetic memory technologies.
I played a key role in establishing a dedicated testing environment for simulating the transmission chain of the Galileo GNSS system during test and preliminary deployment phases. My responsibilities included the design, configuration, and maintenance of the testing environment. I collaborated with a team of experts to create realistic simulation scenarios, ensuring that our environment could accurately replicate the operational conditions of the Galileo GNSS system. We conducted comprehensive tests to assess the robustness and efficiency of the transmission chain, identifying and resolving any performance or integration issues. My role also involved documenting test procedures, managing the necessary equipment, and coordinating with other teams involved in the project. Thanks to the testing environment we established, we were able to significantly contribute to the quality assurance and reliability of the Galileo GNSS system during its critical test and preliminary deployment phases.