The Board of Directors of Thales, on the proposal of the public sector, on 30 January 2018 co-opted Bernard Fontana, Chief Executive Officer of Framatome (formerly Areva NP), to succeed Laurent Collet-Billon as a board member. Bernard Fontana's term as director will run until the end of the general meeting of shareholders called to approve the 2020 financial statements. Bernard Fontana has also been appointed as a member of the Audit and Accounts Committee.

 

Bernard Fontana began his career in 1987 as an armament corps engineer at Group SNPE (ex. Société Nationale des Poudres et Explosifs), where he held various positions including head of the fine chemicals activity, strategy director for the chemicals activity and head of North America. In 2001, he was appointed member of the Executive Committee of Group SNPE, in charge of the chemicals and industrial explosives activities.

In 2004, he joined the steelmaker ArcelorMittal as Executive Vice-President, Human Resources, for the Flat Products Europe business. In 2006, he became Vice President of the Executive Committee of ArcelorMittal with responsibility first for the Automotive Worldwide Business Unit, then for Human Resources. In 2010, he was appointed to manage the stainless steel division of ArcelorMittal that became then listed and renamed Aperam, and of which he was appointed Chief Executive Officer.

In 2012, he became Chief Executive Officer of Holcim, a leading cement producer, where he drove the company's merger with Lafarge. In September 2015, Bernard Fontana was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Areva NP and became, in July 2016, the group’s Chief Executive Officer, which was recently renamed Framatome.