Denis Bertrand takes the helm at ESTACA

08 January 2025 School

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The ESTACA Management Board has appointed Denis Bertrand as Director of the School. This appointment takes effect on January 6, 2025, and follows the departure of Jean-Michel Durepaire, who stepped down on December 3. Denis Bertrand will work to pursue and accelerate the School's development, guided by the values of academic excellence and technological innovation at the service of tomorrow's major industries.

A high-level background in training, talent management and innovation

An engineer from the École navale (class of 1985) and a general officer in the French Navy since 2016 (vice-admiral), Denis Bertrand is an auditor for the 61st session of the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires (CHEM) and the 64th national session of the Institut des Hautes Études de la Défense Nationale (IHEDN) (2011-12).

His career has been marked by high-level responsibilities in the fields of training, talent management and innovation. In particular, he was Director of Teaching at the Groupe École d'application des officiers de marine, aboard the prestigious helicopter-carrier Jeanne d'Arc.

With a wealth of experience in strategic positions within the Ministry of the Armed Forces, notably in the Pacific where, from 2016 to 2018, he held the positions of Senior Commander of the Armed Forces of French Polynesia and Commander of the Pacific Ocean and French Polynesia maritime zones, or more recently with his supervising Minister as Director of the Protection of Defense Installations, Resources and Activities (2022-2024).

Denis Bertrand was until now chargé de mission to the Major General of the French Navy. He is also an Officer of the Legion of Honor and Commander of the National Order of Merit.

"I'm proud to join ESTACA, whose values I share, and which is at the heart of strategic issues for our country and our planet. Passion, commitment, innovation, pragmatism and solidarity: these fundamentals of the school have guided my professional life. Now more than ever, they are essential references for preparing young engineers to meet the challenges of tomorrow's mobility in the face of climate and energy issues. Building on this DNA and constantly anticipating the future, ESTACA has been training top-level engineers for a hundred years, who are passionate about their profession and highly appreciated by our industrial partners. It is this dynamic that I want to carry forward as a team - I was going to say "as a crew" - with all the School's staff, its partners and, of course, its most precious asset: its students."

Denis Bertrand Director of ESTACA

"I am delighted that Denis Bertrand has been appointed head of ESTACA. His technical and operational expertise, his passion for imparting knowledge and his management experience give him all the qualities needed to lead a school of excellence like ESTACA. His commitment and ability to steer ambitious projects, coupled with his knowledge of the challenges facing engineering education, make him the ideal leader to accelerate the development of our school. Under his leadership, ESTACA will continue to cultivate its identity as a school specializing in the aeronautical, automotive, space, rail and naval sectors, to train innovative engineers for more sustainable mobility."

Arnaud Marfurt - President of ESTACA