Recruitment and assignment of Directors at ESA

ESA PR 23-2008. Meeting in restricted session yesterday at ESA’s Head Office in Paris, the Council of the European Space Agency appointed the new Directors that will assist the Director General in the coming years, following a process of selection that started in November 2007.
 
Five positions were opened at that time:

• Director of Legal affairs and External Relations (D/LEX)
• Director of Human Spaceflight (D/HSF)
• Director of Science and Robotic Exploration (D/SRE)
• Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications (D/TIA)
• Director of the Galileo Programme and navigation related activities (D/GAL)

Except for D/LEX, which is a position already well established within ESA, the other Directorates are the result of an organisational change triggered by ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and endorsed by ESA’s main governing body, the Council.

The ESA Council has therefore taken the following decisions:

• Appoint Peter Hulsroj D/LEX for a term of four years. Mr Hulsroj (DK) is currently Legal Advisor at CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization) in Vienna.
• Appoint Simona di Pippo D/HSF for a term of four years. Ms di Pippo (I) is currently Director of Observation of the Universe at the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
• Appoint David Southwood D/SRE until 30 April 2011. Mr Southwood (UK) is ESA’s current Director of Scientific programmes.
• Appoint Magali Vaissière D/TIA for a four year term. Ms Vaissière (F) is currently Head of ESA’s Telecommunication Department.
• Appoint René Oosterlinck D/GAL until 31 December 2010. Mr Oosterlinck (B) is currently ESA’s Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations.
• Select Didier Faivre for appointment as D/GAL from 1 January 2011 for a term of four years. Mr Faivre is currently ESA’s Head of the Navigation Department.