PARIS: Leading aerospace and defence firm Groupe Aerospatiale,
which is about to be privatised, has appointed former defence ministry
adviser Pierre Bayle as its new communications director.
Bayle joined Aerospatiale as media relations director last month. In his
new post, he replaces Patrice Kreis, who has now taken up the post of
communications director at Electricite de France.
Bayle will report to chairman Yves Michot and oversee a government and
media relations team of about 20 people. He will work closely with
financial relations head Marc Paganini and international affairs
director Yves Verret, who handles external affairs outside France.
Before joining Aerospatiale, Bayle was communications adviser in the
defence ministry for seven years. His role included launching specialist
defence newsletter TTU in 1993 and editing it for four years. He was
previously a journalist for 19 years and covered the Gulf War for
newswire service, Agence France Presse.
Aerospatiale is currently 99 per cent state-owned, but the French
government is due to sell around 30 per cent of its share to private
conglomerate Lagardere in exchange for rival firm Matra Hautes
Technologies, which belongs to Lagardere and will be merged with
Aerospatiale.
A further stake of about 20 per cent will be floated on the Paris stock
exchange in the first four months of 1999 and around two per cent will
be available for Aerospatiale employees, leaving the government with a
minority share.
Aerospatiale is a partner in European civil aircraft consortium Airbus
Industrie, alongside DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, British Aerospace and
CASA. Airbus manufactures planes including the A340.
