« I like to see things differently »

Before taking up the position of Managing Director at Galland, Christophe Khouya led several missions abroad. He intends putting his operational experience at the service of Galland in order to make the company an international leader.

What were the high points of your trajectory before arriving at Galland in the middle of January 2021?

I terminated my degree in aeronautics and aerospace engineering at IPSA (Engineering School in Aeronautics and Space) with an internship with Alstom Alcatel in South Africa. I think this is where I caught the virus of missions abroad. Following this, I worked in the USA as a quality engineer for Siemens and also in several locations in Europe for the automotive parts manufacturer Delphi as methods controller and then as purchase manager. My career then took me to China where I spent 5 years with the Fabricon company (subsidiary of INEO), first as site managing director and then as head of commercial development for 2 years at the head of two SMEs: Brovarec Services (specialist of electro spindles) and CNC Services (Fanuc smart cards) which now belong to the Aserti group.

What did these experiences abroad bring you?

I have spent 15 years out of my 22-year professional career abroad. I speak English and Spanish fluently and I can speak a little Chinese. Every one of these experiences was a source of challenge, of sharing and the opportunity of personal enrichment from the contact of other cultures. I like to see things differently. When you are passionate about technology and you claim to manage teams, confronting other points of view is imperative.

What are your ambitions for Galland?

I want to put my international experience at the service of Galland. This SME with so much potential has a long history behind it and it has managed to keep its independence. My mission will be to complete the transition from an artisanal era to an industrial one. In order to succeed I have two lines of approach: the first, fundamental, is to follow the developments in design and choice of materials, the other, more radical in contrast to the past, is to take on the era of connectivity. We are going to integrate sensors into our products that will provide data to operators with the objective of a surveillance of networks in real time.

On the international front, we are going to increase our prospecting for markets in countries that have been untapped up till now.

The objective is to become the European leader and then, why not, the top company in its field of the OECD.

 

Christophe Khouya in brief:

49 years old. Single father.

Born in the Paris region.

His hobbies: the mechanical restoration of vintage motorcycles and cars. Water sports.

His mantra: “We are condemned to succeed.”