Our Executive Committee

International cooperation and governance is key for MBDA. That's why we promote an integrated model at the Group level, while a specific role is taken on by each national company’s Managing Director within their own country.

Executive Committee

Our corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of roles and responsibilities within the Group, such as the MBDA Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Group Directors of the Executive Committee, the national companies’ Managing Directors and other stakeholders.

Our shareholders are three leading players in aerospace and defence: Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

The MBDA Board of Directors, composed of shareholders’ nominees, gives MBDA’s objectives to ensure the Group sustainability and adequate returns for shareholders. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the designated permanent representative of the Board and is the only member of the Board permitted to carry out executive functions in MBDA. The Board unanimously approves the Group’s strategy and as a matter of consequence approves all major decisions including strategic bids and contracts, and mergers and acquisitions proposals.

The CEO conducts the overall management of MBDA and ensure that all appropriate actions are taken following the decisions of the Board. An Executive Committee assists the CEO in carrying out these responsibilities. All Executive Committee members report to the CEO and rank equally. Its main mission is to ensure an efficient coordination within all its members, especially for the most complex and sensitive topics to be addressed by MBDA.

The members of the Executive Committee are the following:

  • The Chief Executive Officer;
  • The Executive Group Director Strategy & Managing Director Germany;
  • The Executive Group Director Sales & Business Development & Managing Director Italy;
  • The Executive Group Director Programmes & Managing Director France;
  • The Executive Group Director Engineering and Managing Director UK.

MBDA’s corporate governance takes into account the company’s specific and unique organisational model in the defence industry, with an integrated model at the Group level with a unique profit and loss responsibility, while a specific role is taken on by each national company’s Managing Director within their own country. Most of the functions within MBDA’s integrated model feature cross-border committees to develop policies and best practices for their respective activities and operations.

A detailed Business Management System contains all policies, processes and procedures which govern the daily operations of MBDA’s functions and corporate structures; in this way, all stakeholders can manage in a manner which complies with applicable laws and MBDA’s guidelines.

Eric Béranger

Eric Béranger

  • Chief Executive Officer
Eric Béranger

Eric Béranger

  • Chief Executive Officer

Eric Béranger is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MBDA since June 2019.

 

Since he joined the company, MBDA has continued to grow as a unique and successful model of a European integrated Defence company. By fostering cooperation at the service of the sovereignty of our nations and their allies, the nearly 20,000 employees, 5B€ turnover Group has proven to be more relevant than ever.

 

Prior to joining MBDA, Eric was the Chief Executive Officer of OneWeb, scaling up this high technology, disruptive Unicorn aimed at offering affordable broadband Internet access to everyone, everywhere, anytime on Earth.

 

In 2014, as the head of Programs in the new organization “Airbus Defence and Space”, his contribution led to the award of the first full electric propulsion commercial satellites contracts from SES and Eutelsat.

 

In 2012, he became CEO of Astrium Satellites, and led this 10,000 employees satellite manufacturer into two world firsts.

He created Astrium Services in 2003. Under his leadership as the CEO, the company grew its revenues and workforce more than 15 fold from 2003 to 2012 and achieved major successes.

 

Between 1988 and 2000, he held management positions in engineering, operations and finance at France Telecom, Société Générale, and Matra Marconi Space (now Airbus Defence and Space). At the inception of EADS in 2000, he was appointed Senior Vice President Marketing for all space activities.

 

Colonel in the citizen reserve of the French Air Force, he is a graduate engineer from the Ecole Polytechnique and Telecom Paris.

Chris Allam

  • Executive Group Director Engineering
  • Managing Director MBDA United Kingdom

Chris Allam

  • Executive Group Director Engineering
  • Managing Director MBDA United Kingdom

Chris was appointed Executive Group Director Engineering in 2018 and Managing Director United Kingdom in 2018.
 

He joined MBDA from BAE Systems where he was the Managing Director Future Programmes and Services, and Engineering Director for the Military Air and Information Business.

He had worked for BAE Systems since 1988.
 

He graduated from the University of Hertfordshire where he gained a BEng in Aeronautical engineering. He is also a Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Thomas Gottschild

  • Executive Group Director Strategy
  • Managing Director MBDA Germany

Thomas Gottschild

  • Executive Group Director Strategy
  • Managing Director MBDA Germany

Thomas was appointed Managing Director of MBDA Germany GmbH in July 2016. He was also named Executive Group Director Strategy in January 2018.
 

Previously he was responsible for the MBDA’s efficiency and improvement programmes in his position as Executive Group Director Improvement. Thomas joined AIRBUS Defence & Space in 1996. From 2008 until 2011, Thomas was the associate head of the EADS Brussels office, with the title EADS Director EU Defence Policy.

Between 2011 and 2014, he headed the Technical Sales Support and subsequently the Porholio Management units at Cassidian Mission Systems. From 2014 until the end of 2015, he was responsible for the strategy of the Space Systems division.
 

After completing his Abitur in 1988, Thomas served in the German armed forces in the field of air defence for two years. He then graduated in electrical engineering from the University of Siegen.

Stéphane Reb

  • Executive Group Director Programmes
  • Managing Director MBDA France

Stéphane Reb

  • Executive Group Director Programmes
  • Managing Director MBDA France

Stéphane was appointed Executive Group Director Programs in July 2018, and later named Managing Director France in June 2019.
 

Prior to joining MBDA in 2017, Stéphane held the role of International Director within the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the French Government defence procurement and technology agency.

Stéphane began his career at the DGA in 1991 as a responsible for tactical missiles studies.
 

He subsequently occupied various positions of responsibility in the fields of missiles and aerospace. In 2001, he moved to OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement / Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) in Bonn, taking charge of the Tiger helicopter programme. Stéphane returned to the DGA in 2007 as Rafale Programme Director and was appointed to lead the Rafale Management Unit before joining the DGA’s International Directorate.

Giovanni Soccodato

  • Executive Group Director - Sales & Business Development
  • Managing Director MBDA Italia

Giovanni Soccodato

  • Executive Group Director - Sales & Business Development
  • Managing Director MBDA Italia

Giovanni was appointed Executive Group Director Sales & Business Development MBDA and Managing Director of MBDA Italia in June 2023.
 

He joined MBDA after spending his career in positions of increasing importance within Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica), having been Chief Strategic Equity Officer since June 2019 following his position of Executive Vice President Strategy and M&A between 2005 and 2019.

 

Prior to that, Giovanni covered several strategic positions within Alenia Marconi Systems, a 50-50 joint venture between Finmeccanica and Marconi Electronic Systems (then BAE Systems): Business Integration, Business Improvement, IT & Quality and Sales.

 

From 2004 until 2005, alongside the joint venture responsibilities, he was appointed Vice Chairman and General Manager of AMS SpA.

He started his career in 1986 in the Software Engineering unit of Alenia Spazio (Selenia Spazio). 
 

Giovanni has Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa.
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