Laurent Kalchman

Laurent Kalchman is currently the Head of Production at Exotrail, a role they have held since 2021. Prior to this, they were the Head of Inspection and Tests - Production of Ariane 5 & 6 main stages at ArianeGroup from 2016 to 2021. In this role, they managed a team of 25-29 engineers and technicians in charge of the inspection operations and methods and functional tests of the main stages of Ariane 5 (the EPC) et Ariane 6 (the LLPM). Laurent was also the Deputy manager of the Production team of both Assembly, Integration and Test factories. From 2007 to 2016, they were the Head of Satellite Equipment Engineering and the Antenna Reflector Technical Leader at Airbus Defence and Space. As the Technical Leader, they were responsible for the choices regarding conception and definition, supervision of the thermal and mechanical analyses, technical assistance during manufacturing, specification, monitoring and exploitation of thermal and mechanical tests performed on flight models, technical interface with the customers, and the elaboration of new products development plans and monitoring of test activities up to qualification. In 2006, they were a Research Engineer at Cranfield University, where they focused on a novel technique to improve the delamination resistance and the damage tolerance of composite lap-joints in aerospace structures, and set of design guidelines for the reinforcement with Z-pins of I-section joints.

Laurent Kalchman completed their education history with a Master of Science from Centrale Lille in 2007, following a MSc from Cranfield University in Advanced Materials, Composites in 2006. Prior to this, they attended Lycée Saint-Louis from 2001-2004, completing Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles. In addition, they hold certifications from LeanPerf's Lean Learning Academy in 2012 and a TOEIC score of 945/990 in 2006.