The French government Cabinet meeting dated July 29, 2009 has approved the nomination of Philippe Burtin as Chairman and CEO of Giat Industries. The group's board of directors proposed this nomination during the July 24, 2009 meeting.

Giat Industries holds 100% of the Nexter group’s shares. Philippe Burtin is also Chairman and CEO of the Nexter Systems company.

Philippe Burtin, 57 years old, graduated from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC Paris) in 1975, and the Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1977.

After working in the Centre Français du Commerce Extérieur, he joined the Credit Lyonnais Bank in 1981 where he set up international project finance packages. In 1990, he joined the as Head of the ATR regional aircraft contracts and sales financing department. He became after Deputy managing director of an aeronautical maintenance subsidiary. In 1993, he was named Executive vice-presidentof Eurocopter, in charge of finance, legal affaires and organization.

He started at Giat Industries in 2000 as the Executive Vice-President in charge of finances. When the Nexter group was founded in 2006, he was named Deputy managing director. In this role, he presided over all financial, legal, and information system activities, as well as managing the Nexter group’s commercial offers and contracts.

He is also the director of all the companies, which make up the Nexter group, as well as of Imprimerie Nationale SA.

Philippe Burtin is a knight of the National Order of Merit.