Airbus, a leading aerospace manufacturer, has announced the promotion of Gabriel Semelas to President for the Middle East and Africa, effective from 1st January 2025.

Gabriel will succeed Mikail Houari, who has served as President of Airbus Middle East and Africa for the past eight years. In his new role, Gabriel brings over two decades of industry leadership experience. He will be responsible for driving strategic growth and expanding the aerospace manufacturer's presence in the region.

Currently, Gabriel serves as Vice President of Sales (Commercial) Contracts for the Middle East and Africa region, as well as Chief Commercial and Financial Officer for Eurofighter GmbH in Germany. He joined Airbus in 2008 and has held key positions, including Head of Aircraft and Services Sales Contracts and Head of Pricing & Business Cases in Spain. Earlier in his career, he worked as Commercial Manager at AirTanker and Design Engineer at Rolls-Royce.

Academically, Gabriel holds an MBA from IE Business School and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from City, University of London. He also completed a programme in Organisational Leadership from Airbus Learning. 

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Welcoming Gabriel to his new leadership role, Wouter Van Wersch, Executive Vice President International at Airbus, commented, "Gabriel's extensive background in the aeronautical industry, along with his proven leadership skills, makes him the ideal candidate to lead Airbus' operations in the Middle East and Africa. We are confident that under his leadership, we will continue to strengthen our presence and partnerships in this strategically important region."

Gabriel also shared, "I am honoured to take on this responsibility at such a pivotal time for Airbus in Africa and the Middle East. I look forward to working with our talented teams and partners to drive growth and innovation in this dynamic market."