Thales appoints Otto de Bont as Chief Executive Officer of Thales the Netherlands

Thales announces the appointment of Otto de Bont as Chief Executive Officer of Thales the Netherlands. As of January, Otto de Bont will join Thales and will formally take over the role of CEO of Thales the Nederlands on April 1^st, 2026. He will succeed Gerben Edelijn, who has expressed his wish to retire after 16 years in the position.

In his new role, Otto de Bont will oversee Thales’ strategy and operations in the Netherlands, focusing on the industrial ramp-up, reinforcing local innovation and engineering capabilities, and delivering advanced solutions across defense, aerospace, cyber and digital markets.

Otto de Bont, former Chief Executive Officer of Renewi, brings a solid track record in driving transformation and strengthening operations in high-tech and sustainability. He has also held executive and commercial positions in the US and Europe at United Technologies and General Electric. Otto de Bont is Member of the Board of Advisors Energy & Materials Transition at TNO and holds an MSc degree from the University of Twente.

Gerben Edelijn is ending a 36-year career within Thales. He started out as software engineer in 1990 and has worked in many international roles in the company. Under his leadership, Thales the Netherlands has almost doubled in revenue and employees and has expanded the footprint of the Above Water Systems business line across Europe.

“Thales the Netherlands has a leading position in Defence, especially the Radar and Naval markets, solidly based on our close cooperation with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. I am looking forward to working closely with the teams, partners and other stakeholders to accelerate growth and development of Thales Netherlands” - Otto de Bont.

“I’m proud of how the company has transformed over the past decade, and of all the talented people I have had the opportunity to work with. It has been an honor to work at Thales, delivering upon our commitments to our customers in Europe and all over the world.” - ​ Gerben Edelijn, CEO, Thales the Netherlands.

“I would like to warmly thank Gerben for his personal commitment and outstanding contribution. I am pleased to welcome Otto de Bont to Thales. With his proven expertise, we aim to further enhance our support to the ambitious objectives of our customers at such a pivotal time.” – Patrice Caine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thales.

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About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.

Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.

About Thales in the Netherlands

Thales in the Netherlands is the international Thales Group’s global center of excellence and expertise for radar systems, fire control, combat management, communications and (cyber) security of critical infrastructure. More than 3000 colleagues work across seven sites in the Netherlands employing talents from over 35 countries.