Denis Ranque
Denis Ranque | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1952 France |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, executive |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | CEO and chairman of Thales Group (1998–2009), chairman of Airbus (2013–2019), president of the French Academy of Technologies (2022–present) |
Denis Ranque (born 7 January 1952) is a French engineer and executive who held the positions of CEO and chairman at Thales Group from 1998 until 2009.
Career
Ranque launched his professional journey in 1976 as an engineer within the Ministry of Industry's Corps des mines, where he concentrated on energy-related matters until 1983. He subsequently joined Thomson-CSF as the "directeur du Plan" for a one-year period before advancing to director of space operations in the "Tubes électroniques" division in 1984. By 1986, he was heading the "Tubes hyperfréquences" unit, which became an independent entity named Thomson Tubes Electroniques (TTE) in 1988; he served as chairman and CEO from 1989 through 1992. In April 1992, Ranque assumed the roles of chairman and CEO at Thomson-Sintra Activitiés sous-marines (Thomson Sintra ASM). Four years later, he was appointed CEO of the sonar joint venture Thomson Marconi Sonar, formed by Thomson-CSF and GEC-Marconi. He stepped down from his position as chief mining engineer in 1996.
In 1998, Ranque was appointed chairman and CEO of Thomson-CSF, which underwent rebranding to become Thales in 2000. His remuneration totaled €1.8 million in 2008. Under mounting pressure linked to his resistance against Dassault Aviation becoming the principal industrial shareholder, he resigned from Thales in 2009.
Ranque was named chairman of EADS in 2013 amid a revised shareholder framework, succeeding Arnaud Lagardère. This change aimed to diminish governmental influence from France and Germany by choosing an independent board member rather than candidates supported by state entities.
At the close of 2021, he was elected President of the French Academy of Technologies (FNAT), with his term commencing in January 2022. Additionally, he holds the position of President of the Board of Directors for the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) for the year 2022.
Corporate boards
- Airbus, chairman of the board (2013–2019)
- CMA CGM, independent board member
- Saint-Gobain, independent board member since 2003
- Scilab Enterprises, independent board member until 2017
- Bpifrance, independent board member from 2011 to 2012
- Technicolor, non-executive chairman between 2010 and 2012
Non-profit organizations
- French Academy of Technologies, serving as President since January 2022
- La Fabrique de l'Industrie, co-chairman from 2014 to 2017
- Cercle de l'industrie, chairman during the period from 2002 to 2012