Thales has hired Christoph Ruffner as CEO & Country Director for Thales Germany from January 1, 2024. He succeeds Oliver Dörre, who has left the company on 31st December 2023. In his new role, Christoph Ruffner
will report to Philippe Duhamel, Thales Executive Vice President, Defence Mission Systems. Christoph Ruffner, CEO & Country Director Thales Germany Christoph Ruffner joins from Hensoldt, where he was recently Head of the
Spectrum Dominance & Airborne Solutions Division. In this function, he was a member of the Executive Committee of Hensoldt AG. Ruffner previously held various management positions in the Airbus Group, which included sales, development, transformation and staff activities as well as the management of an Airbus subsidiary.
Thales is one of the European leaders in manufacturing and marketing of electronic equipment and systems for the defense and security, aerospace, and transportation sectors. Net sales break down by product group as follows:
- defense and security systems (53.4%): C4I defense and security systems (control and monitoring systems, communication, protection, cyber-security, and other systems), defense mission systems, naval systems, electronic war systems, drones, air operation systems (air defense, air surveillance), ground defense systems and missiles;
- aerospace systems (28.4%): avionics equipment (cockpit, cabin multimedia, and simulation equipment), space systems (satellites, payloads, etc.);
- digital identification and security solutions (18.2%).
Besides, the group owns a 35% stake in Naval Group (manufacture of naval equipment for defense and nuclear energy sectors).
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: France (29.5%), the United Kingdom (6.6%), Europe (24.8%), the United States and Canada (14%), Asia (9.4%), Near and Middle East (6%), Australia and New Zealand (4.4%) and other (5.3%).
THALES 
