Brussels, 27 September 2023
The European Commission has decided today to appoint Christoph Kautz as Director for ‘Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation’ at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). This Commission department is responsible for upholding the competitiveness and innovation of the European defence and space industry. The date of effect will be determined later.
Throughout his 23 years of experience in the Commission, he has refined his skills in a variety of areas including coordination, international and multilateral cooperation, inter-institutional relations, budgetary procedure and human resources matters. In addition to being equipped with management experience, Mr Kautz will also draw on his extensive experience in policy development in the field of space and security, contributing to the further consolidation of DG DEFIS as a key actor in this domain.
Christoph Kautz, a German national, is currently Head of Unit for ‘Secure Connectivity, Space Surveillance and Applications’ at DG DEFIS. Previously, he was acting Head of Unit for ‘Development and Applications’ and ´Space Research, Innovation and Start-ups’.
Mr Kautz joined the Commission in 2000 through the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs responsible for a variety of Internal Market issues. Previously he worked in the private sector responsible for European Public Affairs in several consultancies. He holds a Master’s Degree in History and a Master’s Degree in EU policies.
Source – EU Commission