The Franco-German defense company KNDS, Europe’s leading manufacturer ofmilitary land systems, continues to move ahead with its integration.
A few weeks after its shareholders - French state holding GIAT Industries and Germanfamily-owned Wegmann & Co GmbH - restructured the management bodies of KNDS,the group is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicolas Chamussy as CEO ofNexter, effective April 1st 2021. In accordance with the changes of governance reportedin December 2020, he will be a member of the KNDS Executive Committee (ExCom).
Nicolas Chamussy graduated from the École Polytechnique (1987), the École Nationale Supérieure deTechniques Avancées (ENSTA) (1992) and of the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris(1992),
He started his career at the Direction Générale de l’Armement(DGA) before joining the office of the French Minister of Defense as manager forindustrial affairs and armament programs. In 1996, he was entrusted with responsibilityfor the energy sector at the Budget Department of the Ministry of the Economy andFinance. He then joined the industry, where he held various senior managementpositions at EADS, in the space (Astrium) and defense (Cassidian) business units. Hewas Chief-of-Staff to the CEO of Airbus from 2012 to 2016, before becoming Directorof Space Systems within the Airbus Defense and Space division and member of theExecutive Committee of Airbus Defense and Space. Since June 2019, he has beenthe space advisor of Airbus.
Chaired by Frank Haun, the KNDS ExCom is in charge of the management of thecompany at holding level. The committee’s operational positions are held by topexecutives from its two subsidiaries Nexter and KMW in a balanced way, while thefunctions of Chief Integration Officer and Group Secretary have been taken over byDutch executives.
The KNDS Executive Committee had its kick-off meeting on March 1st, 2021. On thesame day, the newly appointed Chairman of the KNDS Board of Directors, PhilippePetitcolin, took up his duty. The reorganization of KNDS management structure is nowcomplete.
KNDS (KMW+NEXTER Defense Systems) is the result of the association of Krauss-Maffei Wegmannand Nexter, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems based in Germany andFrance.
KNDS forms a Group of 8,300 employees, with a 2019 turnover of 2.5 billion euro, an order backlog ofaround 9.6 billion euro and incoming orders of 4.3 billion euro. The range of its products includes mainbattle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, military bridges,customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a widerange of equipment.
The formation of KNDS represents the beginning of consolidation in land defense systems industry inEurope. The strategic alliance between KMW and Nexter enhances both groups’ competitiveness andinternational positions, as well as their ability to meet the needs of their respective national army. Inaddition, it offers to its European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization andinteroperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable industrial base.
KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.
