Arianespace CEO stepping down
December 20, 2024
By Chris Forrester

Stéphane Israël, CEO of Arianespace since 2013 and member of the Executive Committee of ArianeGroup since 2017, will leave the Group on December 31st “to pursue a new career opportunity in January 2025” according to a statement from the rocket company.
He is being replaced by David Cavaillolès who will join the Group in January as CEO of Arianespace and member of ArianeGroup’s Executive Committee. Cavaillolès has worked at Capgemini since 2019.
The news came on the same day that the European Space Agency announced that it is to invite tenders for an alternate rocket launcher in addition to the existing Ariane and Vega rockets already on its manifest.
Martin Sion, CEO of ArianeGroup, commented: “I sincerely thank Stéphane Israël for his invaluable contribution to Arianespace and ArianeGroup over the last few years. Stéphane has supported Arianespace through major milestones, from the height of Ariane 5’s success to the first flight of Ariane 6. He also worked hard to transform Arianespace in line with ArianeGroup. His track record reflects his strategic vision and his ability to gain global recognition of the Ariane excellence. We wish him every success in his new job and look forward to welcoming David Cavaillolès to the Group.”