On taking up her new role, she stated: “As I step into this position, I intend to build on the solid foundations already in place, while strengthening Europe’s competitive edge in access to space and shaping its future transportation landscape.”

Prior to stepping into her new role, Géraldine Naja led the Directorate of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (D/CIC), now evolved into the Directorate of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership (D/CIP). In that capacity, she advanced commercialisation and competitiveness as a strategic priority for ESA, developing new approaches and instruments to strengthen the European space sector and foster a more dynamic, market-oriented ecosystem.

A French national, Ms Naja is a graduate of École Polytechnique and École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA), and holds a Master’s degree in political science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).

She joined ESA in 1987 as a Payload Operations Engineer in the Space Station Directorate. Over the course of her career, she has held a number of senior strategic and programmatic positions across the agency, including Head of Long-term Space Policy Office, Head of Strategic and Institutional Matters in the Director General’s Cabinet, Head of EU Relations Office, Senior Advisor to the Director of Launchers, and Head of the Industrial Policy and Audit Department.