European defence contractor KNDS has named Nicolas Groult as CEO of KNDS France, with his tenure scheduled to begin on 5 January 2026.
The appointment follows the departure of Nicolas Chamussy, who stepped down on 30 September 2025 after more than four years in the role.
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During the interim period, Nicolas Million, currently chief financial officer of KNDS France, is acting CEO.
Groult will be responsible for overseeing all French operations, managing key programmes, supervising industrial sites and directing the company’s development according to the strategy set by the KNDS Group.
Groult has 25 years of senior management experience in technology-focused sectors including automotive, railway, and aerospace and defence.
Since 2023, he has held the position of CEO at Pandrol, a company specialising in railway infrastructure systems.
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By GlobalDataBefore joining Pandrol, Groult spent ten years at Parker Meggitt, where he led the Power & Sensing division with responsibility for aerospace and defence systems.
KNDS Group CEO Jean-Paul Alary stated: “Nicolas Groult’s appointment marks a significant milestone for KNDS France. His proven leadership and extensive business development experience will be key assets as we accelerate our initiatives in program management, operational excellence and long-term capability building.
“With his commitment to developing state-of-the-art solutions that deliver high performance to our customers, Nicolas will guide our French organisation through its next phase of sustainable growth. I am confident he will make a decisive contribution to strengthening both KNDS France and the Group as a whole.”
KNDS France employs 4,500 people to design and manufacture armoured vehicles, artillery systems, guns and turrets, ammunition, robots and other defence equipment.
The company operates from nine sites within France and works with a supply chain comprising more than 2,200 companies, of which 90% are French.
