The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will host a dinner and a policy discussion on the occasion of the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX 2015) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). The reception and dinner will convene senior American and Emirati defense leaders together to discuss the latest deal announcements and industry trends, commercial and military co-development opportunities, and the trajectory of U.S.-U.A.E. commercial defense partnership, especially in regard to the recent reorganization of the U.A.E. defense industry. Following keynote remarks by Mr. Luc Vigneron, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC); Mr. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), U.S. Department of Defense; and Mr. Puneet Talwar, Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State; guests will have an opportunity to engage public and private sector thought-leaders in the defense, security, and aerospace sectors. We hope you can join the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council for what promises to be a marquee event in Abu Dhabi. For your information, the biographies of Mr. Vigneron, Under Secretary Kendall, and Assistant Secretary Talwar can be found below.
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Mr. Luc Vigneron
Chief Executive Officer
Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC)
Luc Vigneron is the Chief Executive Officer of EDIC. Previously, he was Chairman and CEO of Thales Group from 2009 to 2012.
Prior to that, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Giat Industries. During his time at Giat, he managed an extensive restructuring, which led to a relaunch of the company under the Nexter name in 2001.
Mr Vigneron began his career in 1978 at the French Ministry of Infrastructure and Territorial Development and in 1982 he was appointed as an advisor at the Budget Department of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Budget. In 1984, he was appointed as a special advisor at the Finance Department of Compagnie Générale d’Electricité (now Alcatel-Lucent).
After serving as Director of Strategy and New Businesses at Alcatel RSD (Radio, Space and Defence) and Managing Director of Alcatel Radiotéléphone, Mr Vigneron was appointed Executive Vice President of Alcatel Mobile Communication Group in 1994.
He is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and holds an engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.
Mr. Frank Kendall
Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L)
U.S. Department of Defense
Senate Confirmed in May 2012, Mr. Frank Kendall currently serves as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L). In this capacity, he is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to acquisition; research and engineering; developmental testing; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base. He is the leader of the Department of Defense’s efforts to increase the Department’s buying power and improve the performance of the defense acquisition enterprise. Prior to this appointment, from March 2010 – May 2012 he served as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary and also as the Acting Under Secretary.
Mr. Kendall has over 40 years of experience in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security affairs in private industry, government, and the military. He has been a consultant to defense industry firms, non-profit research organizations, and the Department of Defense in the areas of strategic planning, engineering management, and technology assessment. Mr. Kendall was Vice President of Engineering for Raytheon Company, where he was responsible for management direction to the engineering functions throughout the company and for internal research and development. Before assuming his current position, Mr. Kendall was a Managing Partner at Renaissance Strategic Advisors, a Virginia-based aerospace and defense sector consulting firm.
Within government, Mr. Kendall held the position of Director of Tactical Warfare Programs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the position of Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategic Defense Systems. Mr. Kendall is a former member of the Army Science Board and the Defense Intelligence Agency Science and Technology Advisory Board and he has been a consultant to the Defense Science Board and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mr. Kendall also spent ten years on active duty with the Army serving in Germany, teaching Engineering at West Point, and holding research and development positions.
Mr. Kendall is an attorney and has been active in the field of human rights, working primarily on a pro bono basis. He has worked with Amnesty International USA, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors, with Human Rights First, for which he was an observer at Guantanamo, and with the Tahirih Justice Center, where he was Chair of the Board of Directors.
Over the course of his career as a public servant, Mr. Kendall was awarded the following federal civilian awards: Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive (Senior Executive Service), Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive (Senior Executive Service), and Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. He also holds the following military awards (US Army): Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.
Mr. Kendall is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and he holds a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering from California Institute of Technology, a Master of Business Administration degree from the C.W. Post Center of Long Island University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Puneet Talwar
Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Puneet Talwar was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on April 9, 2014. Assistant Secretary Talwar manages several critical components of U.S. foreign policy, including the maintenance of the State Department’s global security relationships, the provision of international security assistance, the negotiation of international security agreements, and the implementation of the President’s Export Control Reform Initiative. Mr. Talwar is also the State Department’s principal liaison with the Department of Defense. From 2009-2014, Mr. Talwar served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf States at the White House National Security Council. From 1995-1999 and 2001-2008, Mr. Talwar was the Chief Middle East Advisor to Vice President Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff from 1999-2001, and was a foreign policy advisor in the House of Representatives. He holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.
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About Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC):
EDIC is the region’s premier integrated defence services and manufacturing platform, providing world-class facilities, technology and support services. The company brings together the combined capabilities of the UAE’s defence industries into a single integrated platform to enhance value for our clients, shareholders, partners and other stakeholders.
About IDEX 2015:
The International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2015), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the U.A.E. and Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces, is the most strategically important tri-service defence exhibition in the world.
IDEX is the only international defence exhibition and conference in the MENA region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defence. It is a unique platform to establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces throughout the region.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit: www.idexuae.ae.
