CHARLES CHAMPION JOINS AKKA AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pressemitteilungen — 17, June 2019

The general assembly of shareholders of AKKA Group approved the appointment of Charles Champion as a non-executive member of the Group’s Board of Directors on 13 June 2019.

‘’ The executives and Board of Directors proposed the appointment of Charles with great enthusiasm. It ties in perfectly with our growth ambitions and the pursuit of our development in the aerospace sector. Thanks to the quality of our projects – such as Link & Fly – and our prestigious portfolio of clients, we are able to offer top talents from across the world attractive growth and development prospects within the Group. We are very happy to welcome Charles who will strengthen our approach and enrich our long-term strategy. ‘’

Mauro Ricci

Founder & CEO

Charles Champion, 63, started his long career at Airbus in 1980 and fulfilled a number of responsibilities within the Production and Programmes department, following on from his studies at ISAE-SUPAERO and a master’s degree in aeronautics from the University of Stanford.

By joining AKKA Group, Charles Champion brings extensive leadership experience as well as in-depth network and knowledge of the European and international aerospace engineering markets. This is valuable knowledge for AKKA Group, which is pursuing its expansion strategy in the aerospace sector and its worldwide presence to provide global support to its customers.

A DISTINGUISHED INTERNATIONAL CAREER IN AEROSPACE

Charles Champion, 63, started his career at Airbus in 1980 and fulfilled a number of responsibilities within the Production and Programmes department, following on from his studies at ISAE-SUPAERO and a master’s degree in aeronautics from the University of Stanford.

Within his responsibilities, Charles Champion negotiated the division of production between the Group’s various partners for the French subsidiary of Airbus from 1993 and directed a number of the Group’s programs. He was responsible for the A320 assembly chain and the implementation of an assembly chain for the A321 in Hamburg. In December 2000, he took over management of the A380 programme, one of the world’s largest civil aviation projects. In 2006, Charles became the Head of Client Support Services for the Airbus programme, before becoming Executive Vice President of Engineering, Research and Development for commercial aviation from 2010 to 2017, as well as President of the French subsidiary in 2015. He was a member of the executive committee for Airbus Commercial Aircraft and President of Airbus Operations SAS until the start of 2018.

Since May 2018, following a 36 years career at Airbus, Charles has been President of the Supervisory Board of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. He has also been Chairman of the Board of Directors of ISAE-SUPAERO since May 2017 and Director of Sonaca since June 2019.

Through these various positions, Charles has acquired extensive leadership experience and in-depth knowledge of the European and international aerospace engineering markets. This is valuable knowledge for AKKA Group, which is pursuing its expansion strategy in the US and global aerospace markets.