Simaero Appoints Former IATA Director General and Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac as Chairman of the Board

Global – Simaero, the France-headquartered global pilot training and simulation engineering group, has appointed Alexandre de Juniac as Chairman of the Board, succeeding group founder Eric Renault who retires after decades of leadership and involvement with the company.

• De Juniac has been a member of Simaero's Board since 2022, and his appointment as Chairman marks a formalisation of his strategic role within the group's governance structure.
• He brings nearly three decades of senior leadership across the aviation, aerospace, and public sectors, including as Chairman and CEO of Air France from 2011, and of Air France-KLM from 2013 to 2016, where he directed the group's restructuring and return to profitability.
• From 2016 to 2021, de Juniac served as Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing the world's airlines through a period of major industry transformation including the COVID-19 crisis.
• Prior to his airline career, he spent 14 years at Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF), the French aerospace, defense, and transportation group, overseeing operations across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, and held senior French government roles including Director of Cabinet to the Minister of the Economy.
• He holds degrees from École Polytechnique and the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), and has since held board and advisory positions including at Riyadh Air and Europcar Mobility Group.
• Eric Renault founded Simaero, led the company as CEO until 2018, and has remained Chairman of the Board until this transition; he is credited with growing Simaero from its origins in Dinard, France, into an international pilot training group operating five training centres across France, South Africa, China, and India.
• Simaero currently trains over 5,000 pilots annually from more than 250 civil and military carriers across 80+ countries.

Statements

• "On behalf of Simaero, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Eric Renault for his vision, dedication, and decisive contribution to the company's journey. Eric built Simaero with passion and determination, and his legacy will remain an essential part of who we are. We are also very pleased to welcome Alexandre de Juniac as Chairman of the Board. His outstanding aviation experience, strategic perspective, and international leadership will be invaluable as Simaero enters this new stage of growth and transformation," said Nicolas Mouté, CEO of Simaero.
• "Having served on Simaero's Board, I have seen firsthand the strength of what the Group has built and the caliber of its teams. Pilot training sits at the heart of an industry I have known throughout my career, and I am honored to take on the role of Chairman at such a promising stage in Simaero's development. I look forward to working alongside the Board, Nicolas and the management team to support the Group's next phase of growth," said Alexandre de Juniac, Chairman of the Board of Simaero.

Source: Simaero