François Heisbourg

Professor François Heisbourg is Chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

Career

Senior Advisor (1978-79), and then director of Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, (May 2001-2005): Member of the French Foreign Ministry's Policy Planning Staff (Centre d'analyse et de Prévision), in charge of nuclear non-proliferation issues. 1979-81: First Secretary at the French Permanent Mission to the U.N. (New-York), dealing with international security and disarmament issues. 1981-84: International security adviser to the French Minister of Defence. Founding-member of the French-German Commission on Security and Defence 1984-87: Vice-President at Thomson-CSF, in charge of European and Euro-American cooperation, 1987-92: Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), since 2001. 1992-98: Senior Vice-President (Strategic development), MATRA-Défense-Espace, subsequently: Special Advisor, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Paris (since May 2005); Member of the French Government’s Steering Committee for the White Paper on Terrorism (2005-2006); Member of the French "Defence White Paper" Presidential Commission (2007-2008); of the International Commission on the Balkans (2004-2006); Member of the European Commission’s Group of Personalities on Security R & D (2003-2004); Professor at Sciences-Po Paris (1999-2001); Head of interagency working group (groupe de travail interministériel) on the study of international relations, strategic affairs and defence issues in France (1999-2000); Chairman, Foundation Council of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (since December 1998). He is also a Board member of the Aspen Institute Berlin the Centre for European Reform in the UK and the French think tank Telos with fellow CER director Pascal Lamy and Anthony Giddens.