Thales last week announced the appointment of Victor Chavez to the position of UK CEO, with effect from 1 January 2011. Victor has been Deputy CEO of Thales UK since October 2008.

Alex Dorrian, currently CEO of Thales UK and Executive Vice President (EVP) of Thales SA, will be Chairman of Thales UK Plc as part of his role as EVP of Thales SA. Victor will continue to report directly to Alex Dorrian.

Lord Freeman, currently Chairman of Thales UK Plc, will remain a Director of the Thales SA Board, and the Chairman of Thales UK Advisory Board.

Alex Dorrian, CEO Thales UK, said: “My congratulations to Victor on his new role. I am confident that Victor will build on our already strong relationships with our key customers and will continue to drive the innovation and excellence that underpins Thales’s success in the UK and will shape our future strategy and growth.”

About Victor Chavez:

As Deputy Chief Executive for Thales UK, Victor has had broad responsibility for the performance and strategic direction of the UK business. He is also the Industry Co-chair of the National Defence Industries Council (NDIC) Acquisition Group, Chairman of the Defence & Security Board of Intellect and a member of the NDIC.

Victor joined Thomson-CSF in 1999 as the Business Development Director responsible for UK defence programmes, a role that expanded substantially with the acquisition of Racal in 2000. In 2004, he was appointed Director of Business Development, Sales & Marketing for the land & joint systems business, before being appointed as VP, Business Development, Sales & Marketing for Thales UK in 2006.

Prior to joining Thomson-CSF, Victor fulfilled a number of roles within EDS Defence Ltd working closely with UK MoD in a wide range of technical, management consultancy and major programme management roles in the C4ISTAR domain.

Victor graduated in Physics from the University of York in 1984, followed in 1993 by an MSc in Satellite Engineering & Telecommunications at the University of Surrey.