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Thales joins board of Global Industrial Cooperation Association
Thales has joined the board of directors of the Global Industrial Cooperation Association (GICA)! GICA is an initiative launched by the G20, originally founded by large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the defense industry in 1985. It serves as an organization to facilitate awareness, transparency and dialogue on offset and industrial cooperation policies between industry and government authorities. This is great news, as it gives Thales new opportunities to raise topics of concern and to recommend beneficial policy changes on a global scale. Marie Louise Aaskov Hansen, director offset management of Thales NL, has been elected to represent us on the board. We spoke to her to learn more!
Congratulations! Could you tell us more about offset management in general and the role of GICA in particular?
“Thank you, and of course! ‘Offset’ is a requirement that we often have to address, both in our domestic market but also abroad, where customers expect us to form partnerships with the local industry. As a supplier, we agree to become part of offset agreements to either gain or add defence specific capabilities and knowledge in a specific country. After a supply contract is won, the so-called offset obligor has to deliver on the agreed partnerships with industry and document the results to the relevant government authority.
One of the key contributions of GICA is the fact that it creates a forum where OEMs, government authorities and third-party service providers can network and discuss current matters for successful implementation of offset policies. Progress towards greater global interconnectivity and cooperation requires great interaction among the different players – the conferences hosted by GICA, which take place two times per year with more than 200 offset professionals from all over the world attending, are one example of how GICA contributes to achieving this.”
What is the link between GICA and Thales?
“Thales has been a GICA member for years, but has never been part of the board until now. The board is a unique forum for seeking influence and discussing new trends, ideas, developments and needs for changes based on dialogue and experience. If we see an opportunity for improvement, we can raise it within GICA and hereby have a better chance of realising change, compared with acting as an individual company. Much like how in the Netherlands the NIDV (The Netherlands Industries for Defence & Security) serves as a forum of sharing knowledge and advocating needs for change for our Dutch Defence operations, GICA does this for topics like offset and forming partnerships on a global scale.”
How did the selection for the board take place?
“Potential board members had to be nominated based on their professional merits. Based on the number of votes received from the GICA members, the candidates from Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, Safran, RUAG and Thales were formally elected and approved for the five available seats on the board of directors. Although the organization is global it has traditionally been American-led, so it is interesting that there is now for the first time a majority of European companies on the board.”
Can you tell us about the kind of projects the GICA will be working on this year?
“A lot of focus will be on sharing knowledge on best practices in managing offset bids and programs in virtual environments, which is a necessity during COVID19. We need to discuss how we can best secure progress on international cooperation even during lockdown, and come to a good solution for all parties involved when lockdowns bring projects to a halt. I’m sure our GICA involvement will lead to new opportunities and insights for Thales, and I hope to serve Thales well in this new capacity.”