Eric Labaye is joining the board of Eutelsat Communications and Eutelsat SA as chairman of the Paris-based satellite operator.
He succeeds Dominique D’Hinnin who earlier announced his decision not to seek the renewal of his mandate.
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 Iris project.
He added: “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.”
Labaye has worked for over years with 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 a past chairman and President of French engineering school École Polytechnique and for eight years was Managing Director of the French office of McKinsey & Company.
Eric Labaye said: “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 fulfil the company mission.”
