Governance

Carlo des Dorides, Executive Director

As Executive Director of the GSA, Mr. des Dorides sets the vision of the Agency and ensures that the GSA is well placed to accomplish its mission of supporting the effective operation, maintenance and security of the Europe’s satellite navigation systems, while guaranteeing optimal service levels and developing applications and services that ensure the satellites benefit end users.  

Mr des Dorides has almost three decades of experience managing space service focussed teams. Most recently, he had key management responsibilities at the European Commission and was responsible for the definition of the Galileo/EGNOS exploitation phase and the EGNOS operational phase.

Before joining the Commission, Mr. des Dorides led the Concession Department at the European GNSS Supervisory Authority and served as Chief Negotiator of the Galileo Public-Private-Partnership/Concession contract at the Galileo Joint Undertaking.

Mr des Dorides’ career has focussed on program management and operations of advanced satellite systems. As Director of Programs and Engineering at ENAV, the Italian air navigation service provider, he was responsible for updating the technology of Italian airports and Area Control Centres. Prior to that he held several management positions in the aerospace private sector including Head of advanced telecommunication programs and Program Manager for major satellite telecommunication projects at Alenia Spazio. Within these organisations he managed a significant number of projects in the areas of contracts, procurement and service engineering.

Mr. des Dorides holds a degree in engineering from the University of Rome and an M.B.A. from CUOA, Vicenza, Italy, complemented by his studies at the International Space University in Toulouse.

Curriculum Vitae

Declaration of Interest

Pascal CLAUDEL, Chief Operating Officer

As the Chief Operating Officer of the GSA, Mr Claudel’s mission is to ensure efficient and effective management of the Agency’s Galileo service, EGNOS service, Security, GSMC, Project Control and Market Development activities, working in a matrix organisation structure, leading GSA operational corporate activities.

Pascal Claudel has 30 years of experience fully dedicated to the Space sector - with a particular attention to relations with customers, both institutional and commercial from operational experience with the launch-related activities and adaptability to evolving customer needs to implementing a strategic vision with institutional and industrial partners.

Before joining the GSA, Mr Claudel held several positions in Arianespace, Thales Alenia Space or Starsem for instance. 

Mr Claudel holds an engineering diploma from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique de Nantes in France completed by his studies at the Centre des Hautes Etudes de l’Armement.  

Curriculum Vitae

Patrick Hamilton, Head of Administration

With experience in particular from the European Commission, Patrick Hamilton joined the GSA in 2013, becoming head of the newly created Project Control Department in 2014. With the reorganisation of the GSA in 2017 he became Head of Project Control & Office of the Executive Director & Quality. In June 2019, Mr Hamilton became Head of Administration of the GSA. He holds a Master of Physics degree and graduated in 2001.

Curriculum Vitae

Rodrigo da Costa, Galileo Services Programme Manager

Rodrigo da Costa became the Galileo Services Programme Manager in March 2017. Prior to joining the GSA, Mr da Costa held several senior project management, business development, and institutional key account management positions in the space industry, in the areas of human space flight, exploration, launchers and R&D. Mr. da Costa holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the “Instituto Superior Tecnico” in Lisbon, a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Delft, and an MBA from the EuroMBA consortium of Business Schools

Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development

Fiammetta Diani is Head of Market Development at the European GNSS Agency (GSA) since January 2019, previously she was Deputy Head of Market Development. She has been working at the GSA since 2009 where she has been responsible for transport and governmental segments, while supervising mass market and professional domains, contributing to some of the major achievements in terms of Galileo market adoption and user uptakes. Before joining the GSA, she worked in the private sector for more than a decade, both in aerospace and information technology industry, with focus on market and business development of products, applications and services based on space technologies (GNSS, Earth Observation and Satellite Communications). Mrs Diani holds a master degree in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and a post-graduate Master in Economics and Business Administration of governmental and non -profit organisations from University of Ferrara, in Italy. 

Stefano Iannitti, Head of the Security Department

Stefano Iannitti has been an active contributor to the development of security in the European GNSS programmes since 2003. He took up his current position at the GSA in October 2015. Prior to this role, Mr Iannitti was the GNSS Security and Standards Manager at the GSA between 2014 and 2015, in charge of the management of the security requirements of both the Galileo and EGNOS programmes. Prior to that, he worked at the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana where he was appointed as Head of Galileo PRS Unit. From 2007 to 2011 he worked at the GSA as Security Accreditation Officer for the establishment of the Galileo security accreditation process and of the Security Accreditation Board for European GNSS systems. Mr Iannitti holds a Master degree in IT and Network Security, a PhD in Systems Engineering and a Degree in Computer Engineering from “La Sapienza” University of Rome.

Curriculum Vitae

Jean-Marc Piéplu, EGNOS Services Programme Manager

Jean-Marc Piéplu has been an active contributor to the European GNSS programmes development since 1994. He took up his current position at the GSA in May 2012. Prior to this role, Mr Pieplu was the Galileo Project Officer at the European Commission between 2009 and 2012, in charge of the Galileo IOV and FOC deployment phase activities. Prior to that he worked as GSA Head of System Implementation between 2007-2009.  He previously worked at the European Space Agency and at Thales Alenia Space France, in charge of early Galileo Mission analyses, of the EGNOS Performance & Algorithms engineering, of the EGNOS Central Processing Facility Design and Development, of the Galileo System Engineering (at Galileo Industries in Rome) and of the Galileo Ground Mission Segment Design and Development. Mr. Piéplu graduated in 1989 from ISAE/Sup’Aéro (Aeronautics & Space Engineering diploma) in Toulouse, France and holds a MBA from IAE Toulouse, France.

Curriculum Vitae

Declaration of Interest

Donna Reay, Head of Communications

In 2009 Donna Reay became the Head of Communications for the GSA. From 2007 - 2009, Ms. Reay served as Communications Officer and Spokesperson for the agency. Previously, as Communications Officer for the European Commission’s Transport Research Directorate, she worked on a range of European transport and aerospace aspects, including European Space Policy, Security Research, and GMES (now Copernicus). Prior to her work within the European institutions, Ms. Reay worked as a communications consultant on a range of European research and technology initiatives in Brussels and held several communications management positions for private industry in the United States. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida and a Masters in International Relations from Boston University.

Philippe Rosius, Head of GSMC

Philippe Rosius is a former captain in the French Navy in which he spent 28 years. He has been assigned on surface warships as communication and information systems officer, operations officer, executive officer and commanding officer. He was deployed in several areas of operations such as Ex-Yugoslavia in the 90’s, Indian Ocean in the 2000’s or in the Caribbean for counter-narco operations. After the war college in Paris in 2007, he has been assigned to the Joint staff as navigation programme officer responsible for national navigation programmes and equipment and for following GNSS (GPS and GALILEO) for the joint staff in coordination with the other concerned ministries and CNES. He then moved to the new French Joint Space Command in 2010 with responsibilities in space policy (national and international) and cooperation with allies, NATO and EU institutions. After 15 years of military and naval operations, and a 10 years period in military space programmes, policy and cooperation, Philippe Rosius joined GSA on November 1st, 2017 as head of GSMC in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France).

Curriculum Vitae

Miroslav Slezak, Head of Information and Communications Technology, Facility Management and Logistics Department

Mr. Slezak graduated from the Brno University of Technology in 1991. He holds a degree in software engineering, informatics and cybernetics. After a few years of commercial application development he entered the Czech diplomatic service and served for almost 10 years in various positions in Prague and Brussels, including 5 years in NATO HQ. He joined the GSA in Brussels in 2006 and in 2012 helped to establish its seat in Prague. In 2015, he contributed to the start-up of the Single Resolution Board in Brussels and from 2016 to 2019 led the IT unit of the European Defence Agency. He returned to the GSA in January 2020.

 Kate Szabo, Head of Finance Department

Kate Szabo joined the GSA in September 2012 after more than a decade of working for the European Commission in the Czech Republic in the area of finance. She became Head of Finance as of June 2016.

Ezio Villa, Head of Legal Department

With legal and procurement experience gained in law firms (Andersen Legal, EY Law, Studio Legale Pecoraro-Travostino) and in public sector (European Commission) Ezio joined the GSA as Head of Legal Department in 2016 from the European Commission.

Martina Vondraskova, Head of Human Resources department

With human resources experience acquired in private and public sectors, including at the European Commission, Martina Vondraskova joined the GSA in 2013. She became Head of Human Resources in 2018.  Ms Vondraskova holds a Master Degree in International Relations from Charles University in Prague and a Master degree in European Political and Administrative Studies, in Bruges, Belgium.