Ross McInnes

A French and Australian national, Ross McInnes is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran, a Director of Engie, Chairman of the Ethics, Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, a member of the Audit Committee and a member of the Strategy, Investment and Technology Committee, and, until November 2022, a Director of Eutelsat Communications, Chairman of the Appointments and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit, Risks and Compliance Committee. 

Ross McInnes began his career in 1977 with Kleinwort Benson in London and then in Rio de Janeiro. In 1980, he joined Continental Bank (now Bank of America) in corporate finance. He went on to hold the position of Chief Financial Officer of Eridania Beghin-Say from 1991 to 1999, of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Thomson-CSF (now Thales) from 2000 to 2005, and of Vice President, Finance and Strategy of PPR (now Kering) from 2005 to 2006. In 2006, Ross McInnes joined the Supervisory Board of Générale de Santé and the following year served as acting Chairman of the Management Board. He was also Vice Chairman of Macquarie Capital Europe. In 2009, Ross McInnes joined Safran and became Executive Vice President, Economic and Financial Affairs, then Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran in 2015. 

In February 2015, Ross McInnes was also appointed as Special Representative for Economic Relations with Australia, by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, within the scope of France’s economic diplomacy policy. From 2016 to 2019, he was a member of the High Committee for Corporate Governance. In 2017, Ross McInnes was appointed as Co-Chairman of the “Action Publique 2022” Committee by the French Prime Minister, responsible for proposing public policy reforms. 

In 2018, Ross McInnes was appointed as a Trustee of the IFRS Foundation. In October 2018, the French Prime Minister entrusted him with the mission of promoting France to British and other foreign non-financial companies established in the United Kingdom who are considering their future outside the European Union.

In the last five years, Ross McInnes has been a member of Lectra’s Board of Directors, and a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee. This first mandate came to an end in April 2020.

Ross McInnes is a graduate of the University of Oxford.