The Association

Our objectives

GICAT represents the interests of the French land and airland defence and security industry around four objectives:

• Organize dialogue between institutions and industrialists in the sector
• Offer services to its members to promote their development in France and abroad
• Create an environment favorable to exchanges between manufacturers
• Promote the know-how and image of the sector’s industry

Its international influence is based on the international trade shows EUROSATORY in France, Platinum Security Exhibition in Monaco, Expodefensa in Colombia and ShieldAfrica in Ivory Coast organized by its subsidiary COGES, as well as by federating the French Pavilions on a certain number of defence and/or security shows abroad.

Download GICAT’s detailed presentation

Organization

GICAT’s Board of Directors is composed of elected representatives from 29 member companies and ex-officio members. It determines the strategic orientations of the group. The President, elected by the Board of Directors for two years, renewable once, represents the group in all corporate actions.

President of GICAT: Mr. Marc Darmon (Thales)

Seven vice-presidents:

• Nicolas Chamussy (Nexter Systems)
• Emmanuel Levacher (Arquus)
• Patrick Oswald (Airbus DS)
• Luc Renouil (CNIM-Bertin)
• Martin Sion (Safran E&D)
• Guillaume Giscard d’Estaing (Sofema)
• Jérôme Diacre (Elno)
• Nathalie Félines (Geomines)

GICAT’s General Delegation, composed of 9 permanent members, 4 trainees, and an intern, ensures the operational implementation of the strategic orientations, relying on working groups and specialized commissions open to member companies and partners in order to feed the reflection on the strategic sectors for the industry. These commissions are real forces of proposal, allowing them to produce recommendations and to organize the actions and services of the group.

GICAT has 8 active commissions:

• The Defence SME Commission is dedicated to supporting and promoting defence SMEs in France and abroad. Its objective is to facilitate their access to information through the organization of conferences or thematic days. It helps develop business-to-business relations, particularly with large groups, and provides them with export support through specific services (export control support, etc.).

             President of the SME Commission: Jérôme Diacre (ELNO)

• The Research & Technology & Innovation (R&T&I) Commission is in charge of prospective studies and preparing for the future. Its work consists in formulating proposals in terms of upstream studies for the land defence industry and in promoting the development of innovation in consultation with the Army and the DGA.

             Chairman of the R&T&I Commission: Luc Renouil (Bertin)

• The Support and Services Commission (C2S) was created to support the French Army and the SIMMT in the process of transforming the Land Operational Readiness and Industrial Maintenance Chain (SMITer). It is a force for proposals for strengthened State-Industry partnerships and related contracts, optimization of spare parts logistics and management training.

             Chairman of the Support and Services Commission: Thomas Brice (Arquus)

• The Security Commission aims to develop GICAT in the field of security and to promote the interests of the profession in this area. It establishes and maintains an action plan in order to structure the industrial security offer of GICAT members (capability brochures), maintain dialogue with institutional and private players in the sector and the Confidence and Security Industry Council (CICS). It offers its members access to varied and specialized information through conferences and testimonies from key players in the security sector and supports them in their export activities by organizing prospecting missions abroad.

             President of the Security Commission: Nathalie Felines (Géomines)

• The mission of the International Affairs Commission is to promote the representation of the French industry abroad. It provides services to GICAT members in terms of support and export control. It completes the trade show policy and accompanies exhibitors abroad through the provision of services. It structures the dialogue with the diplomatic network in France and abroad and ensures the link with the European Union and NATO, via associations and industrial representations.

             President of the International Affairs Commission: Marc-Henri Figuier (ATOS)

• The Communication Commission promotes the Defence and Security sectors. It defines and implements the Group’s communication and influence strategy. It shares best practices among manufacturers in the land sector and coordinates marketing and communication actions to enhance the image and specificities of the sector.

             Chairwoman of the Communications Commission: Charlotte Matringe (Safran)

• The Human Resources (HR) commission is designed to bring together the land sector’s “HR community”. Following the success of “Operation Careers” at the Eurosatory show in June 2018, GICAT decided to structure its action, initially within a dedicated Working Group. After a year of work, this group became a plenary commission in April 2020.
  It focuses its actions on three axes. The first is to help GICAT companies in their recruitment process. In the short term, by proposing specific events to directly connect candidates and companies. In the longer term, by developing training offers and formalizing contacts with the relevant players, in particular the educational and academic world. It promotes the attractiveness and diversity of jobs in the land sector. At trade fairs, as part of its lobbying work. Finally, it helps HR managers of GICAT companies in their work. By allowing the exchange of best practices between its members and by regularly inviting speakers to its meetings, the commission allows HR to benefit from other expertise.

            Chair of the Human Resources Commission: Chantal Dognin (Arquus)

• The Operational Energy Commission is the latest of GICAT’s eight plenary commissions. It is part of the dynamics of the Ministry of Defence’s new energy strategy and the replacement of the “Service des essences des Armées” by the “Service de l’énergie opérationnelle” (SEO). It brings together manufacturers specializing in the supply of goods and services related to oil logistics for the French armed forces. It aims to meet the new ambitions of the ministry: consume safely, consume less, consume better.

           President of the Operational Energy Commission: Séverine Le Roux (Orven)