The Board of Directors of Eutelsat (ISIN: FR0010221234 – Euronext Paris / London Stock Exchange: ETL) approved the co-optation of Eric Labaye as a Board member and his appointment as Chairman of Eutelsat Communications and Eutelsat SA on the occasion of the Board Meeting of 4th August 2025.He succeeds Dominique D’Hinnin who had announced his decision not to seek the renewal of his mandate on February 14th, 2025. Eric Labaye’s appointment is effective on 4th August 2025.
At the same time, the Board of Directors approved other changes to the composition of the Board, notably the resignation of Michel Combes, effective 3rd August 2025, and the co-optation of Lucia Sinapi-Thomas as an independent Board member. The Board also acknowledged the appointment of Guillemette Kreis (Agence des Participations de l’Etat – APE) as the representative of the French State.
Following these changes, Eutelsat Communications’ Board of Directors will be composed of 10 members, of which 6 Independent Directors. It will include five women, equating to a representation of 50%.
The above changes take effect immediately. The incoming Chairman, Eric Labaye, will hold office until the next Shareholders General Meeting, where his appointment will be proposed for a full term.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vice-President and Co-Chair of the Board, said: “I want to thank Dominique D’Hinnin for his exemplary leadership of Eutelsat over the past eight years. Dominique oversaw the merger of Eutelsat and OneWeb that created Eutelsat Group as the first combined GEO/LEO satellite constellation, and ensured there is a European player at the forefront of satellite connectivity globally, including with the Iris² project.
He added: “I welcome the appointment of Eric Labaye as Chairman of Eutelsat Group to preside over the company in its next stage. Eric Labaye is a leader with immense experience that will be invaluable to Eutelsat in the years ahead. I look forward to working with Eric, Lucia and Guillemette and the full board to shape the future of Eutelsat.”
Dominique D’Hinnin said: “Eutelsat Group is now well positioned to provide its customers with a superior satellite-based connectivity service on a worldwide basis. I want to thank all the Eutelsat and OneWeb employees and the management team for their outstanding work, in a challenging competitive environment. Their dedication and skills are the main basis for the future success of the Eutelsat Group.”
Jean-François Fallacher said: “I extend my warmest thanks to Dominique D’Hinnin for his support as part of my joining Eutelsat. Dominique has successfully presided over a major step-change in Eutelsat’s strategic journey, notably its telecom pivot, which positions Eutelsat as a unique player thanks to our unmatched portfolio of GEO and LEO solutions.”
He added: “I am delighted Dominique is passing the baton to Eric Labaye, a seasoned strategy and tech expert, and I look forward to working with Eric to take Eutelsat to the next level.”
Eric Labaye said: “I’m honoured and enthusiastic to join Eutelsat for a new chapter in its development and I want to thank the board members for their trust. I would like to pay tribute to Dominique D’Hinnin for his critical leadership in the strategic evolutions of the company. Eutelsat has outstanding fundamentals and unique assets to succeed in the innovative and fast-changing satellite connectivity sector. I look forward to working with the board, Jean-François Fallacher and the executive team of Eutelsat to fulfill the company mission. “
Éric Labaye has worked for over 30 years for international clients in the telecommunications, high-tech and industrial sectors, as well as governments and public institutions on a variety of strategic and operational issues. He is the president and co-founder of IDEL Partners, an advisory firm focusing on major development and transformation topics. He is also the chairman of the supervisory board of Ekimetrics, a leading AI solutions company, senior advisor at Antin Infrastructure Partners, independent member of the board of Rexel and was appointed in April 2024 Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Investments for the Future in France. From 2018 to 2023, he was the Chairman and President of École Polytechnique, the elite French engineering school and of Institut Polytechnique de Paris, a top 40 global institution, of which he led the creation in 2019. Previously, Éric Labaye was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he was Managing Director of the French office (2002-2010), led the firm’s Global Knowledge and Communication Function as a member of the Global Executive Committee (2010-2013), chaired the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the firm’s business and economics research arm (2010-2016) and was a member of the Firm’s board for 9 years. A French national, Éric Labaye is a graduate of École Polytechnique and Télécom Paris and holds an MBA from INSEAD with distinction (Henry Ford II Prize).
Lucia Sinapi-Thomas began her career in 1986 as a corporate lawyer and in tax law, before joining Capgemini in 1992. She has over 20 years’ experience within the Capgemini group, in roles including Group Tax Director, Head of Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations, Risk Management and Insurance. She was Deputy CFO from 2013 to 2015 and took up the position of Executive Director Business Platforms in 2016. Since 2019, Lucia Sinapi-Thomas has been Executive Director of Capgemini Ventures. Board positions include Capgemini SE, Dassault Aviation, where she is a member of the Audit Committee, and Bureau Veritas where she was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee until May 2019, and has since been. A French national, Lucia Sinapi-Thomas is a graduate of ESSEC business school holds a master’s degree in law from Paris II – Panthéon Assas was admitted to the Paris Bar as a lawyer in 1989.
Guillemette Kreis is the Director of Shareholdings for Services and Finance at Agence des participations de l’État (APE), part of France Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Prior to that, she held various roles in the French public sector and the international media industry. She began her career at the Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Prime Minister’s Office in Paris, working on public broadcasting and media policy. From 2008 to 2017, she was based in London, where she worked for Fremantle (Bertelsmann), ITV plc, and All3Media Group in roles focused on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate development. At All3Media, she served as Executive Vice-President for Corporate Development, overseeing international strategy, investments, acquisitions, and shareholder relations. A French National, Guillemette Kreis is a graduate of Université Paris I – Sorbonne – master’s in economics and HEC, Paris – Master of Science in Management
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