Nicolas Chamussy, 48, has been appointed Executive Vice President of the Space Systems unit of Airbus Group with effect from 1st July 2016.

Presently serving as Chief of Staff to Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders, Chamussy will take over from François Auque, 59, who has decided that “16 years in the job is enough”. Auque has been Executive Vice President Space Systems since the creation of the Defence and Space Division in 2014, and has successfully led the space and satellites activities since the creation of the Group. However, he has agreed to stay on for another two years as advisor to support new technology ventures in Europe as well as space topics.

Chamussy will become a member of the Airbus Defence and Space Executive Committee and report to Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.

Chamussy was appointed Chief of Staff to Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders in July 2012. Prior to assuming this position, he served as Head of Mission Air Systems, leading UAV programmes in the former EADS Cassidian Division from 2008, and was the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Programme Manager for the former Astrium space Division from 2004 to 2008. Chamussy started with the Group in 1999 as Director of the Satellite Business for EADS in Paris.