Describe your current job role and provide a brief summary of your organisation’s business model?
Thibaut Faivre is the Head of Sales and Programme Delivery for Public Safety and Security in the Middle East, Africa, and India at Airbus since September 2024. Based in Dubai, he is fully responsible for overseeing these three regions, managing their end-to-end operations, including Profit and Loss.
As part of Airbus Defence and Space, Public Safety and Security provides end-to-end communication and collaboration solutions, services, and consultancy to global public safety and private organisations, facilitating their digital transformation.
What strengths and abilities do you bring to your role?
Thibaut brings over 15 years of experience in defence, security, and intelligence to his current role. His expertise spans missile propulsion, unmanned air systems, satellite imagery, C4I, and communications. Having spent four years in Abu Dhabi managing satellite imagery and defence solutions, he has a deep understanding of the regional security landscape.
This positions him well to lead Airbus’ strategic initiatives in the Middle East, Africa, and India. In addition to his professional experience, he strives to bring energy, passion, and resilience to his role.
What are the expectations and challenges of the end customers you address today?
The expectations of customers are very high, as Airbus’ communication networks support critical activities such as public safety, defence, and industry. Customers seek resilient, scalable, and secure solutions. One significant challenge customers face is navigating digital transformation, including an incremental transition from narrow to broadband technologies or hybrid configurations, which are both long-term projects requiring investments and change management.
At the same time, our customers need to constantly make sure that their critical communications solutions remain user-centric.
Which technologies and innovations do you believe can make a significant difference to your customers’ businesses?
As a 3GPP member, Airbus Public Safety and Security is convinced that satellite communication services, integrated from end to end to terrestrial communication networks will significantly enhance public safety and professional organisations’ daily operations. This integrated approach indeed offers extended coverage and capacity for uninterrupted field collaboration in all types of geographical areas, even when commercial networks fail or in emergency situations.
Agnet over Satcom, Airbus PSS communication and collaboration solution, for example relies on deployable networks that can be installed on mobile platforms such as vehicles or drones and set up rapidly. In addition to that, satellite connectivity can be established on a temporary basis or permanently.
Which non-competitive business in the region do you admire for its innovative use of technology?
Thibaut truly admires the fantastic work that the architects and designers have done with the Louvre Abu Dhabi, using computational design tools extensively to make the buildings highly sustainable, create the intricate pattern of the dome and the museum’s façade, and minimise the amount of solar radiation entering the buildings.
He also thinks of Doha and Dubai airports whose use of technology enables a digitised and stress-free customer experience, and the recently launched Riyadh metro line which if fully automated.
What aspects of your job do you find most rewarding and which do you find most challenging?
Thibaut finds the most rewarding part of his role to be working everyday with very intercultural teams of 18 nationalities and doing his best to make everyone go in the same direction. He has experienced solidarity and collaboration since his first day on the job.
The biggest challenge he faces is adapting to the fast-changing geopolitical environment, which can disrupt supply chains and requires the team to react swiftly and effectively.
How do you prefer to de-stress and recharge outside of work?
Thibaut enjoys running and participates in one marathon annually, with his latest being in Dubai in January. He also enjoys reading, especially Romain Gary’s books. He admires Gary for his extraordinary life as a war aviator, diplomat, and novelist, considering him a true hero.
