Toulouse, here we come!

The successful growth of HE Space is founded on the quality of our personnel, delivering on our promises and a balanced approach to new business. From our Noordwijk base, we opened a new office in Bremen in 2005 to address the industrial space market there. In 2009 the business was ready for a further step and Darmstadt, the home of ESOC and Eumetsat, was our destination. Now in 2020 we are heading south to Toulouse.
Toulouse, and the South of France in general, is the location of Europe’s most significant cluster of space activity. On 1 July 2020 we took possession of our latest office in the B612 Centre D'Innovation, in the heart of the Toulouse Aerospace District.

Our Toulouse office will be manned by Ben Kawak. Ben has been working for HE Space for the past 5 years in ESTEC as a Galileo Systems Engineer. He recently completed his MBA and is now keen to head off on a new career path. We asked him a few questions:

Ben, could you please describe your role and the scope of Business Development Manager at HE Space?
Although the current health and economic crisis will add additional difficulties to my new Business Development Manager role, I am very thrilled to take up this challenge. In the next six months, my role will consist of increasing the awareness of HE Space to potential French customers in view of being commercially operational in 2021. The French market is attractive because of its institutional space agencies, major space companies and emerging space start-up’s. Through my role, HE Space has the ambition to increase its business by being a proactive actor in France from 2021.

Could you let us know a bit about your background – what led you to this position?
 In the past 10 years I have been working in France (my native country), England, Germany and the Netherlands. I am a true European, believing that only in collaboration between countries we could achieve world-famous space programs such as the Ariane launchers, the Galileo program or the Copernicus programs.   
For the last three years, I have been pursuing the idea to become active in the French space market. At the completion of my MBA in 2019, I performed a business analysis study for HE Space to assess the French market opportunities and convinced the board of directors to expand in France.  

What are you looking forward to the most in running the Toulouse office?
I have always had an entrepreneur mindset and I am looking forward to promote HE Space on the French market. I am truly convinced that the business approach of HE Space which finds an ideal balance between customers and employees will be positively received in France.

Why are you passionate about people and passionate about space?
I am convinced that the curiosity and the need of continuous development will push humans to go beyond planet Earth. Considering the current global warming, this tipping point might come earlier than expected. This unprecedent challenge can only be accomplished by outstanding people.

A good fairy appears and you have 3 free wishes – what are they?
I would wish freedom and happiness to everybody on this planet and beyond.

Contact
Ben Kawak
Business Development Manager
Call: +33 6 198 799 12
bkawak@hespace.com
Office address