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KNDS completes the reorganization of its management structure

Amsterdam, 12th March 2021

The Franco-German defense company KNDS, Europe's leading manufacturer of military land systems, continues to move ahead with its integration.

A few weeks after its shareholders - French state holding GIAT Industries and German family-owned Wegmann & Co GmbH - restructured the management bodies of KNDS, the group is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicolas Chamussy as CEO of Nexter, effective April 1st 2021. In accordance with the changes of governance reported in December 2020, he will be a member of the KNDS Executive Committee (ExCom).

Graduated of the École Polytechnique (1987), of the École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA) (1992) and of the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (1992), Nicolas Chamussy started his career at the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) before joining the office of the French Minister of Defense as manager for industrial affairs and armament programs. In 1996, he was entrusted with responsibility for the energy sector at the Budget Department of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. He then joined the industry, where he held various senior management positions at EADS, in the space (Astrium) and defense (Cassidian) business units. He was Chief of Staff to the CEO of Airbus from 2012 to 2016, before becoming Director of Space Systems within the Airbus Defense and Space division and member of the Executive Committee of Airbus Defense and Space. Since June 2019, he has been the space advisor of Airbus.

Chaired by Frank Haun, the KNDS ExCom is in charge of the management of the company at holding level. The committee’s operational positions are held by top executives from its two subsidiaries Nexter and KMW in a balanced way, while the functions of Chief Integration Officer and Group Secretary have been taken over by Dutch executives.

The KNDS Executive Committee had its kick-off meeting on March 1st, 2021. On the same day, the newly appointed Chairman of the KNDS Board of Directors, Philippe Petitcolin, took up his duty. The reorganization of KNDS management structure is now complete.

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Press contact

Dr. Kurt Braatz
Chief Communications Officer
Phone: +31 20 218 4710
E-Mail: kurt.braatz (at) knds.nl

KNDS is the result of the association of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter, two of the leading European manufacturers of military land systems based in Germany and France. KNDS forms a Group of around 9,500 employees, with a 2023 turnover of 3.3 billion euro, an order backlog of around 16 billion euro and incoming orders of 7.8 billion euro. The range of its products includes main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a wide range of equipment. The formation of KNDS represents the beginning of consolidation in land defense systems industry in Europe. The alliance of KMW and Nexter enhances both groups’ competitiveness and international positions, as well as their ability to meet the needs of their respective national army. In addition, KNDS offers to its European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization and interoperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable industrial base. KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.