ArianeGroup and Arianespace announce the departure of Stephane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, and the appointment of his successor David Cavaillolès

– Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace since 2013 and member of the Executive Committee of ArianeGroup since 2017, will leave the Group on December 31, 2024 to pursue a new career opportunity in January 2025.

– David Cavaillolès is appointed CEO of Arianespace with effect from January 2025.

ArianeGroup and Arianespace today announce the departure of Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace, who has been at the company’s helm since April 2013. As CEO, Stéphane Israël has played a key role in developing the Ariane industrial cluster with the Ariane 6 launcher, and in transforming Arianespace, which became a subsidiary of ArianeGroup in 2017. After consolidating the Ariane 5, Vega and Soyuz launcher families and supporting the development of Ariane 6 and Vega C next-generation launchers, Stéphane Israël gave Arianespace’s offering a new direction, transitioning from dual GEO satellite launches to solutions designed for large constellations in low-Earth orbit and the growing diversity of satellites. Thanks to these initiatives, Arianespace reached a record rate of 15 launches in 2021 while taking orders for 30 Ariane 6 launches and 15 Vega C launches. Since April 2013, Stephane Israël has supervised 108 launches, including, recently, the emblematic James Webb Telescope (JWST) mission for NASA and the JUICE probe launch for the European Space Agency (ESA).

Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, said: “I sincerely thank Stéphane Israël for his invaluable contribution to Arianespace and ArianeGroup over the last few years. Stéphane has supported Arianespace through major milestones, from the height of Ariane 5’s success to the first flight of Ariane 6. He also worked hard to transform Arianespace in line with ArianeGroup. His track record reflects his strategic vision and his ability to gain global recognition of the Ariane excellence. We wish him every success in his new job and look forward to welcoming David Cavaillolès to the Group.”

“Every day I have spent since April 2013 writing this chapter in the history of Arianespace has been a great honor and an extraordinary human adventure,” said Stéphane Israël. “I would like to thank the teams at both Arianespace and ArianeGroup for their passion and unrivalled excellence. I also extend my gratitude to our partners, ESA and CNES, and to our European and international customers for their unwavering trust. After the success of Ariane 6’s first launch and Vega C’s return to flight, I am pleased to entrust my successor with a company boasting a solid order book to ramp up the launch rate as of 2025. With Ariane 6, Arianespace will be able to capture the opportunities arising in a dynamic and fast-changing market.”

David Cavaillolès will join the Group in January as CEO of Arianespace and member of ArianeGroup’s Executive Committee. After starting out in the French public sector holding positions of responsibility in finance, innovation and industry, he was appointed ministerial advisor for French space policy in 2017. He then joined Capgemini in 2019 where he held various leadership positions contributing to the firm’s business development.

David Cavaillolès, 36, is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (X2008) and ENSAE Paris (2012).