defence.professionals

18:23 GMT, July 28, 2010 Ulm/Stuttgart | Handoff at Thales Deutschland in Ulm: Dieter Scharr, head of Thales Electron Devices since 2007, will retire on August 1. He will be succeeded by his current second-in-command, Horst Strauss. Dr. Markus Hellenthal, CEO of Thales Deutschland, thanked Dieter Scharr for his outstanding commitment to the company: "Thales Electron Devices is a strong part of Thales Deutschland and our entire corporation, from both a business and technical perspective. The continuity of this success is closely tied to the name Dieter Scharr."

Dieter Scharr, 67, embarked on his career in the 1960s. He started working in the aerospace industry in 1990, after joining the former DASA. After holding management positions at companies in various industries, including subsidiaries of EADS, the European Aerospace, Defence and Space Company, he accepted the position of managing director of Thales Electron Devices in Ulm in 2007. The most important milestone during this time was the signing and launch of the "Hemp for Small Geo" project. With the help of DLR, the German Aerospace Center, an innovative ion drive for satellite position control was developed, qualified and manufactured under the terms of this agreement. The first launch of the Small-Geo satellite is planned for December 2012.

Dieter Scharr's successor, Horst Strauss, is 57 and has worked at Thales Electron Devices and its predecessor AEG Telefunken in Ulm since 1984. He has a degree in communications engineering and first worked as a developer in the satellite travelling wave tube area before becoming a project manager in the microwave and high-voltage tubes department. From 2002 to 2009, he was responsible for the company's space projects and has been a member of Thales Electron Devices' executive management team since 2007. Born in Swabia, Horst Strauss is married and has two children.

Thales Electron Devices is headquartered in Ulm and employs about 440 persons. The key activities include development and manufacturing of travelling wave tubes and amplifiers for satellite communications, as well as ion drives for satellite position control.

Thales Group

Company or Organisation Portrait:
Thales is a global technology leader in the aerospace, space, defense, security and transportation markets. In 2009, the company generated revenues of EUR 12.9 billion and had 68,000 employees in fifty countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique ability to design, develop and install products, systems and services that satisfy the most complex security needs. Thales has an outstanding international presence with numerous branch offices throughout the world, whose people work in partnership with local customers to develop custom solutions.

Thales Deutschland is headquartered in Stuttgart and is Thales Group's third largest national subsidiary. The company employs more than 6,000 persons at twenty-four locations and carries out its own manufacturing and development. In 2009, Thales Deutschland generated sales of EUR 1.38 billion, of which seventy-five percent were German value added. Thales Deutschland has been based in Germany for half a century. The company, an integrated German electronics corporation and systems house, is a model of traditional German engineering skills. As a recognized member of Germany's high-tech industry, Thales Deutschland offers its customers at home and abroad state-of-the-art, highly secure and ultra-reliable communications, information and control systems, as well as services for secure ground, air and sea transportation, for both civilian and military security and protection needs. The company also develops and manufactures satellite components. Thales Deutschland focuses on the lasting business success of its customers. Its business partnerships with customers worldwide, as well as with local and international engineering and research partners, are based on trust.

Company or Organisation Contact:
Erwin Teichmann
Director Communications Thales Deutschland
Phone: + 49 173 320 87 83
E-Mail: erwin.teichmann@thalesgroup.com

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