REG-Eutelsat Group Eric Labaye Appointed as Chairman of Eutelsat

Eutelsat Communications SAAnnouncement

04/08/2025 17:30

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Eric Labaye Appointed as Chairman of Eutelsat

 

The Board of Directors of Eutelsat (ISIN: FR0010221234 - Euronext Paris /
London Stock Exchange: ETL) approved the co-optation of Eric Labaye as a Board
member and his appointment as Chairman of Eutelsat Communications and Eutelsat
SA on the occasion of the Board Meeting of 4(th) August 2025. He succeeds
Dominique D’Hinnin who had announced his decision not to seek the renewal of
his mandate on February 14(th), 2025. Eric Labaye’s appointment is effective
on 4(th )August 2025.

At the same time, the Board of Directors approved other changes to the
composition of the Board, notably the resignation of Michel Combes, effective
3(rd) August 2025, and the co-optation of Lucia Sinapi-Thomas as an
independent Board member. The Board also acknowledged the appointment of
Guillemette Kreis (Agence des Participations de l’Etat - APE) as the
representative of the French State.

Following these changes, Eutelsat Communications’ Board of Directors will be
composed of 10 members, of which 6 Independent Directors. It will include five
women, equating to a representation of 50%.

The above changes take effect immediately. The incoming Chairman, Eric Labaye,
will hold office until the next Shareholders General Meeting, where his
appointment will be proposed for a full term.

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 Iris² 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.”

Dominique D’Hinnin said: “Eutelsat Group is now well positioned to provide
its customers with a superior satellite-based connectivity service on a
worldwide basis. I want to thank all the Eutelsat and OneWeb employees and the
management team for their outstanding work, in a challenging competitive
environment. Their dedication and skills are the main basis for the future
success of the Eutelsat Group.”

Jean-François Fallacher said: “I extend my warmest thanks to Dominique
D’Hinnin for his support as part of my joining Eutelsat. Dominique has
successfully presided over a major step-change in Eutelsat’s strategic
journey, notably its telecom pivot, which positions Eutelsat as a unique
player thanks to our unmatched portfolio of GEO and LEO solutions.”

He added: “I am delighted Dominique is passing the baton to Eric Labaye, a
seasoned strategy and tech expert, and I look forward to working with Eric to
take Eutelsat to the next level.”

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
fulfill the company mission. “

Éric Labaye has worked for over 30 years for 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 the president and co-founder of IDEL Partners, an advisory firm focusing on
major development and transformation topics. He is also the chairman of the
supervisory board of Ekimetrics, a leading AI solutions company, senior
advisor at Antin Infrastructure Partners, independent member of the board of
Rexel and was appointed in April 2024 Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of
Investments for the Future in France. From 2018 to 2023, he was the Chairman
and President of École Polytechnique, the elite French engineering school and
of Institut Polytechnique de Paris, a top 40 global institution, of which he
led the creation in 2019. Previously, Éric Labaye was a Senior Partner at
McKinsey & Company, where he was Managing Director of the French office
(2002-2010), led the firm’s Global Knowledge and Communication Function as a
member of the Global Executive Committee (2010-2013), chaired the McKinsey
Global Institute (MGI), the firm's business and economics research arm
(2010-2016) and was a member of the Firm’s board for 9 years. A French
national, Éric Labaye is a graduate of École Polytechnique and Télécom
Paris and holds an MBA from INSEAD with distinction (Henry Ford II Prize).

Lucia Sinapi-Thomas began her career in 1986 as a corporate lawyer and in tax
law, before joining Capgemini in 1992. She has over 20 years' experience
within the Capgemini group, in roles including Group Tax Director, Head of
Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations, Risk Management and
Insurance. She was Deputy CFO from 2013 to 2015 and took up the position of
Executive Director Business Platforms in 2016. Since 2019, Lucia Sinapi-Thomas
has been Executive Director of Capgemini Ventures. Board positions include
Capgemini SE, Dassault Aviation, where she is a member of the Audit Committee,
and Bureau Veritas where she was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee
until May 2019, and has since been. A French national, Lucia Sinapi-Thomas is
a graduate of ESSEC business school holds a master’s degree in law from
Paris II - Panthéon Assas was admitted to the Paris Bar as a lawyer in 1989.

Guillemette Kreis is the Director of Shareholdings for Services and Finance at
Agence des participations de l’État (APE), part of France Ministry for the
Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Prior to that, she
held various roles in the French public sector and the international media
industry. She began her career at the Ministry of Culture and Communication
and the Prime Minister’s Office in Paris, working on public broadcasting and
media policy. From 2008 to 2017, she was based in London, where she worked for
Fremantle (Bertelsmann), ITV plc, and All3Media Group in roles focused on
strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate development. At All3Media,
she served as Executive Vice-President for Corporate Development, overseeing
international strategy, investments, acquisitions, and shareholder relations.
A French National, Guillemette Kreis is a graduate of Université Paris I –
Sorbonne – master’s in economics and HEC, Paris - Master of Science in
Management

ENDS

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Group is a global leader in satellite communications, delivering
connectivity and broadcast services worldwide. The Group was formed through
the combination of the Company and OneWeb in 2023, becoming the first fully
integrated GEO-LEO satellite operator with a fleet of 34 Geostationary (GEO)
satellites and a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of more than 600
satellites. The Group addresses the needs of customers in four key verticals
of Video, where it distributes around 6,400 television channels, and the
high-growth connectivity markets of Mobile Connectivity, Fixed Connectivity,
and Government Services. Eutelsat Group’s unique suite of in-orbit assets
and ground infrastructure enables it to deliver integrated solutions to meet
the needs of global customers. The Company is headquartered in Paris and
Eutelsat Group employs more than 1,600 people across more than 75 countries.
The Group is committed to delivering safe, resilient, and environmentally
sustainable connectivity to help bridge the digital divide. The Company is
listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ticker: ETL) and the London Stock
Exchange (ticker: ETL).

Find out more at www.eutelsat.com
(https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eutelsat.com%2F&esheet=54302518&newsitemid=20250804030430&lan=en-US&anchor=www.eutelsat.com&index=1&md5=2d239813e011978c0dfcfeaf63ce954f)

DISCLAIMER

The forward-looking statements included herein are for illustrative purposes
only and are based on management’s views and assumptions as of the date of
this document. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks. For illustrative purposes only, such risks include but are not limited
to: risks related to the health crisis; operational risks related to satellite
failures or impaired satellite performance, or failure to roll out the
deployment plan as planned and within the expected timeframe; risks related to
the trend in the satellite telecommunications market resulting from increased
competition or technological changes affecting the market; risks related to
the international dimension of the Group's customers and activities; risks
related to the adoption of international rules on frequency coordination and
financial risks related, inter alia, to the financial guarantee granted to the
Intergovernmental Organization's closed pension fund, and foreign exchange
risk. Eutelsat Communications expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to update or revise any projections, forecasts or estimates
contained in this document to reflect any change in events, conditions,
assumptions, or circumstances on which any such statements are based, unless
so required by applicable law. The information contained in this document is
not based on historical fact and should not be construed as a guarantee that
the facts or data mentioned will occur. This information is based on data,
assumptions and estimates that the Group considers as reasonable.

Media enquiries 

Joanna Darlington

Tel. +33 674 521 531

joanna.darlington@eutelsat.net (mailto:joanna.darlington@eutelsat.net)

Anita Baltagi

Tel. +33 643 930 178

anita.baltagi@eutelsat.net (mailto:anita.baltagi@eutelsat.net)

Katie Dowd

Tel. +1 202 271 2209

katie.dowd@eutelsat.net (mailto:katie.dowd@eutelsat.net)

Investors 

Joanna Darlington

Tel. +33 674 521 531

joanna.darlington@eutelsat.net (mailto:joanna.darlington@eutelsat.net)

Hugo Laurens-Berge

Tel. +33 670 80 95 58

hugo.laurens-berge@eutelsat.net (mailto:hugo.laurens-berge@eutelsat.net)



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