Latest news with #Sourisse
Arabian Post
03-07-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Thales Accelerates Gulf Defence Industrial Expansion
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai French defence and technology group Thales is deepening its strategic footprint across the Gulf by advancing plans to build a radar production facility in Saudi Arabia and an AI research centre in the UAE. At the Paris Airshow, Pascale Sourisse, senior executive vice‑president of international development at Thales, confirmed discussions on expanding a joint venture with Saudi Arabian Military Industries beyond radar systems to encompass broader air‑defence and communications technologies in the kingdom. This marks a notable evolution in Gulf nations' ambition to embed themselves within global defence and technology supply chains. Saudi Arabia, the largest military spender in the Middle East in 2024 and seventh globally, logged outlays of approximately US $80.3 billion, sustained largely by strategic efforts to diversify its economy under Vision 2030. Thales's radar factory would join several localisation initiatives already in motion, including radars, missile systems and counter‑drone technologies pursued by SAMI and its partners. ADVERTISEMENT In the UAE, Thales Emarat Technologies has committed to a dedicated factory producing its Ground Master air‑surveillance radar series under a cooperation agreement with Tawazun Council, struck in May. Set to be operational by 2027, the facility will handle assembly, testing and qualification for both domestic and export markets. The UAE deal includes broader vendor integration and talent development, with plans to deepen partnerships across the supply chain and nurture Emirati experts in aerospace and defence technologies. In parallel, Thales is pursuing the establishment of a cortAIx artificial intelligence research hub in Abu Dhabi—its first in the Middle East. With existing centres in Singapore, France, Canada and the UK, the UAE facility will co‑develop AI applications within defence systems, in close collaboration with end users such as the UAE Armed Forces. Sourisse noted that the centre aims to generate actionable insights from equipment data, aligning directly with client priorities on the ground. Strategically, Gulf nations are building sovereign industrial frameworks that reduce dependency on foreign armaments and strengthen regional autonomy. Saudi aims to localise half of its military procurement by 2030, supported by SAMI's network of joint ventures with global defence firms, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales. Likewise, the UAE is enhancing its industrial base via Tawazun Council and EDGE Group partnerships focused on smart weapons, missiles, radar systems and electro‑optic platforms. Thales stands to benefit significantly from these developments. Its factory investments in radar production and AI research secure long-term revenue streams, embed the group in critical national supply chains and grant access to lifecycle support contracts. An Ainvest analysis estimates the UAE radar factory alone could cost up to US $500 million, signalling both scale and investor confidence. Regionally, the spread of these initiatives could serve as a template for neighbouring states. With Gulf states increasingly aligned on defence self‑sufficiency, Thales may replicate its model with other partners beyond the UAE and Saudi, potentially in countries such as Qatar and Egypt. Academic research also underscores this growing industrial sophistication. Work published on AI‑augmented radar engineering highlights the utility of digital twin frameworks and machine‑learning algorithms in enhancing radar adaptability and performance, suggesting that Thales's cortAIx model reflects broader cutting‑edge trends. Commercially, localisation allows Gulf players to streamline supply‑chain logistics, support continuous operations—even during geopolitical tensions or sanctions—and catalyse export opportunities. Regionally, Thales's UAE‑based radar factory and proposed Saudi facility fit within a wider surge in Gulf defence industrialisation, spanning missile systems, drones, counter‑measures, air‑defence networks and electronic‑warfare platforms. End‑user demand for air surveillance, weapon systems, comms equipment and counter‑drone technologies has intensified. Thales's engagements align with this dynamic, suggesting ongoing growth in contract flow for its Gulf‑based defence facilities. Industry experts note that embedding AI within radars and systems will enhance detection accuracy and responsiveness, factors that both Gulf militaries and global buyers find increasingly compelling.
Toronto Star
18-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
WSP welcomes new Board member Pascale Sourisse
MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WSP Global Inc. (TSX: WSP) ('WSP' or the 'Corporation'), one of the world's leading professional services firms, is pleased to share that Pascale Sourisse has joined its Board of Directors as a director and member of its Governance, Ethics and Compensation Committee. Ms. Sourisse is an accomplished executive with a successful track record running global high-tech businesses across the defence, aerospace, cybersecurity and digital sectors. Her appointment comes as WSP sets its sights on expanding its presence in strategic high-growth areas, including Digital, Advanced Manufacturing, Mission Critical and Advisory.
The National
23-02-2025
- Business
- The National
France's Thales to produce radar antennas in UAE this year for domestic and export sales
French defence and technology group Thales plans to produce radar antennas in the UAE this year for domestic sales and export to global markets, as the UAE seeks more local manufacturing contracts and technical know-how transfers in its deals with international defence suppliers. The company's wholly-owned unit Thales Emarat Technologies aims to double its workforce this year to 340 people, with 30 per cent of the new hires to be Emiratis, Pascale Sourisse, senior executive vice-president of international development at Thales, told The National. That is up from the current Emiratisation rate of 20 per cent. Thales is also working with local universities to source Emirati talent, mainly engineers, for high-tech jobs. The radar factory project, first announced in 2021, is 'targeted towards the needs of the UAE but also to make sure that this radar competence centre will be included in Thales' global network of competence centres and it will produce radar antennas that we plan to definitely also sell to non-UAE customers', Ms Sourisse said. 'We are not limiting the market potential only to the region. Thales markets radars all over the world and this UAE competence centre will be used in the Thales global supply chain … our hope is to start producing elements in the year to come and start having the capacity to contribute to some programmes.' The company plans to capitalise on the UAE's strategic position as an export hub to its customers around the world so that it can maintain 'sustainable and competitive' operations and guarantee continuing work loads that will not be impacted by the length of its programmes in the UAE, Ms Sourisse said. The move comes as the UAE pushes to develop its own military production capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. The strategy is intended to diversify its economy from the oil sector, create more jobs for its citizens, attract highly-skilled workers and become part of the global industrial supply chains. 'It's essential to build capabilities in-country and to give the UAE the possibility to really master the systems that they are going to use in the future, so we are constantly interacting with the UAE Armed Forces and authorities to support them in this direction and working a lot on the questions of sovereignty and localising competencies in-country,' Ms Sourisse said. Europe's largest defence technology company specialises in aerospace, satellites, cyber security and digital security. Thales Emarat Technologies works in three main areas of radar technology, digital services such as radio communications and defence. 'We plan to grow all these activities and we are actually quite optimistic and positive on the discussions we've had with the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces that they are counting on us to grow the competencies and capabilities here in the UAE in all these three spheres,' Ms Sourisse said. "Each time they acquire a solution, they want Thales to commit to not only local production, but also to rely on local teams to service and maintain the installed base." The company sees a 'great opportunity' to strengthen its activities in the UAE with artificial intelligence-embedded defence equipment and training Emiratis for its use, Ms Sourisse said. 'AI will be using data that is coming from our military users and this data is very sensitive and sometimes, it is classified. It therefore makes sense to ensure that the work in AI can be performed by Emirati citizens,' she said. 'We are definitely planning on developing competencies in AI to be embedded in the systems we supply to the UAE and to have competencies in the UAE.' Since AI must be trained based on data from the users and since the UAE is emphasising creation of jobs for citizens, Thales is seeking to hire and train Emirati engineers for such jobs, she said. Thales has more than 600 experts globally working on AI in mission-critical systems and expects that number to grow 'tremendously' in the future, she said. Thales, which says it is among the top five globally for cyber security, identified the intensification of geopolitical conflicts, the implementation of AI and growing digital reliance as the main challenges this year facing sectors such as energy, finance and transport, in its January report on cyber security. 'We are offering mission-critical systems to our customers, so they need to be cyber secure … our systems embed more and more AI. And AI is not only a question for the future, we area already working on it … we are developing AI solutions for critical missions, so security and lives are at stake,' Ms Sourisse said. 'This kind of AI needs to be trustable and transparent.' AI is embedded in more than 100 of Thales' products, such as radars and the reconnaissance pods below an aircraft, she added. Use of AI in defence systems raises two risks including the threat of hacking and therefore must be cyber-secured, and it must also be certified for safety as lives are at stake, she said. Political tension in Europe, arising from Russia-Ukraine war and Washington's push for European countries to spend more on protecting themselves is set to boost growth for defence manufacturers, according to some companies such as Swedish conglomerate Saab. Thales is tracking a similar trend and plans to increase its spending on new products in response to growing market requirements. 'Yes, we are expecting a higher level of demand from a number of customers, certainly in Europe, but our defence markets are growing pretty much everywhere in the world and we plan to see additional investments in developing new solutions,' Ms Sourisse said. Thales is spending 20 per cent of its annual revenue on research and development (R&D), she said. With annual sales revenue of €20 billion ($20.9 billion), this translates into €4 billion of investment into R&D. 'We see that growing in the future, we plan to reach about €5 billion on investment in R&D by 2028 globally,' she said.
