March 14, 2023
C&V Defence supports companies with their sustainable and ethical development strategy in EU and NATO defence markets.
Located in the heart of the European district in Brussels, we position ourselves at the forefront of international defence doctrine and regulations, focusing on responsible and sustainable innovation projects.
Whether your activities are already established in the defence markets or you consider an entry strategy, C&V Defence stands by your side to build tomorrow’s defence!
Our services
Vision and strategic plan
We help you design five-year development and growth strategies.
As specialists in defence, innovation and European affairs, our consultants support you in the development and implementation of cutting-edge and differentiating development strategies.
Whether you consider a defence market entry strategy (EU/NATO) or the development of your activities at international level, our consultants stand by your side throughout your project:
- designing of a positioning audit
- development of a business plan
- drafting of a roadmap and a five-year action plan
- implementation of a lobbying and communication strategy
Competitiveness of offers
We help you design your offers and seize opportunities for contracts, subsidies or synergies at the European level.
C&V Defence brings its consultant’s expertise to integrate the key success factors and seize the opportunities that will accelerate the development of your projects.
We carry out field-oriented actions and key factors for a fast return on investment:
- identification of key partners and contact people with converging, compatible or conflicting interests
- development and support for the coordination of technically and economically coherent consortia
- drafting proposals in line with the expectations of our clients clients
- composition of an ethics board and involvement of end-users as your project partner
- mediation actions
Economic intelligence and anticipation
We scan and anticipate political decisions, investment orientations, and regulatory developments likely to influence your activities.
In a changing environment where multiple stakeholders are involved, the strategic, technical and regulatory monitoring carried out by C&V Defence helps to understand the main political orientations and aims to:
- identify as soon as possible the players, draft decisions and trends likely to constitute opportunities or to affect the activity, the interests or the business plan of your company;
- monitor and analyze the governmental and parliamentary work of the European institutions and civil society (NGOs, Think Tanks, private groups) in Brussels.
Lobbying and communications
We organize tailor-made and targeted lobbying and communication actions.
To maximize the chances of success of our clients’ projects or to assist decision-making, C&V Defence conducts lobbying actions alongside them or on their behalf.
C&V Defence’s actions contribute to:
- positively influence decision-making processes towards decision-makers (civilian and military, national and European)
- organize meetings with key players
Wishing to develop our clients’ ability to influence, we promote their activities towards their public and the press through high value-added communication actions.
Ethics: our commitment
At C&V Defence, we strongly believe that the ability of States to carry out actions driven by principles of responsibility is crucial for the outcome of military operations.
We consider the commitment to ethics as a source of opportunity and a guarantee of sustainability for your projects.
- the integration of end-users is a guarantee of success and sustainability for innovation projects
- ethics-related topics are developing in defence markets and will soon be essential for claiming public funding
- ethical commitment is both a key positioning factor for your company and a lever for your future activities
Our team
The complementary profiles of our experts enable us to understand all the components of the defence ecosystem at the European level, whether operational, industrial, technological, regulatory, economic or diplomatic. This vision provides C&V Defence the ability to offer cutting-edge, tailor-made and resolutely differentiating solutions.
The co-founders
Col. (Retd) Jean-Marc Vesco
Co-Founder - Chief Executive Officer
As a former French Army colonel, Jean-Marc has a solid experience in managing large operational structures. The international dimension of his career (NATO/EU) gives him great mastery of the challenges of defence markets, particularly in the field of innovation.
IHEDN auditor, he graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy and from Sup’Aéro as an engineer in aeronautics and space.
Benoît Chaucheprat
Co-Founder - Chief Strategy Officer
Benoît has been practicing European Public Affairs for 20 years. He provides his clients with a large “Brussels” network as well as a tailor-made decoding of the EU arena practices and policies.
His broad commitment within the EU’s Military Capabilities Policy gives him proven abilities to monitor, lobbying and contribute to access to EU funding, in the fields of security and defence in particular.
Our consultants
Specialised in defence and security, our team of consultants provides personalised support to our clients through economic intelligence, project development, communication or representation of their interests with the European institutions and NATO.
Guilherme São Pedro
Project Manager - Scientific Pole
Guilherme brings a comprehensive academic and professional background, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Coimbra and a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and Management from Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal. His education was further enriched by studies in Spain, France, and Germany.
His career spans roles in engineering, project management, and an internship at the European Commission’s project management executive agency, CINEA. Guilherme now applies his scientific expertise and institutional experience to advance C&V Defence’s Scientific Pole.
Farah Duquesne Weber (PhD)
Deputy Director - Communications Ethics Consultant
Farah has worked in the defence and security sectors at the institutional level for ten years.
As a consultant, she now supports organizations in projects that require a detailed knowledge of contemporary geopolitics and the implementation of communication strategies adapted to its challenges.
Romain de Calbiac
Deputy Director - Prospection Defence Capabilities Consultant
Romain de Calbiac has been helping companies secure and expand their operations in Europe and overseas, in dangerous areas, for the past five years.
He brings his expertise of project management, acquired both in the field of consulting, supporting defence and security industry related programmes, and in the field of public sector, working with the armed forces.
Céline Naciri
Project Manager - Innovation and Technology for Defense Projects
With a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade and a Master’s degree in Public Relations, Céline has cultivated robust expertise in digital project management, functional analysis, and digital transformation. Since then, she has continuously pursued further education in digital and environmental issues, recognising that technological evolution never rests.
She specialises in leading multidisciplinary teams and optimising digital processes to ensure the quality of digital platforms. She has also developed expertise in cybersecurity, generative artificial intelligence, and keeping up with technological trends.
Susanna Hein
Head of EU Affairs
As part of the Franco-German double degree programme between the University of Münster in Germany and Sciences Po Lille in France, she specialised in European defence policy, economic intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Her previous experience includes working in the Commission for the Armed Forces at the French National Assembly, as well as in the field of economic intelligence at a Parisian public affairs firm. Most recently, she worked at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU, focusing on Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) issues.
Eder Cerro
Deputy Director - Operations
Eder graduated in Business Administration and holds a postgraduate qualification in Finance.
He has worked internationally since the start of his career, beginning in the international department of a Spanish banking institution. He later participated in the International Expert Programme, where he became involved in the realm of European projects.
Polen Turkmen
Project Manager - EU Eastern Markets & NATO Affairs
With a solid background in international affairs, Polen holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs, specialising in Security and Sustainability from the Hertie School of Governance in Germany. She also earned a bachelor’s degree, an MA (Hons) in philosophy, from the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom.
Her expertise lies in EU foreign affairs, security, and defence policies. Her professional experience includes multiple roles within EU institutions, such as the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) – Global and Transregional Threats Unit, DG NEAR’s Ukraine Service, as well as positions in the private sector and the think tank community.
Ioannis Sokos
Project Manager - EU Affairs
With a solid background in defence and security, Ioannis holds a Master’s degree in International Security from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
He has gained substantial experience in peace and security issues throughout his career, particularly through his work with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. More recently, he has further developed his expertise in EU defence policy and military affairs during his tenure at EUROMIL.
Laia Shadman
Project Officer
Laia holds a dual degree in International Relations and Law from the University of Deusto, Spain, alongside a specialised programme in Business Internationalisation through the Beint Scholarships awarded by the Basque Government. Her international experience includes internships at the Strasbourg City Council, where she participated as external staff during parliamentary voting sessions, as well as a year-long placement at the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Casablanca, Morocco.
Fluent in Spanish, French, English, and Persian, Laia offers a multicultural perspective and exceptional linguistic skills in her professional endeavours.
Stéphane Bellamy
Operational Expert
Stéphane is a graduate of the Saint-Cyr military academy, a doctoral candidate in social sciences and a former army colonel in transmissions and special forces. He was active in NATO for many years.
With broad and varied operational experience (UN, EU, NATO), he is now a consultant helping organisations manage projects that consider gender dynamics and energy transition.
Our associate experts
We work with the best European experts who provide us with independent support in analysing ethical issues in the defence markets.
Gérard de Boisboissel
Engineer
Specialities:
- Battlefield robotics
- Weapon System Autonomy
- Artificial Intelligence
Marie-des-Neiges Ruffo (PhD)
Philosopher
Lecturer at the University of Namur
Specialities:
- Defence and security ethics
- Roboethics
- AI and computer ethics
Norunn Kosberg
Ethics Specialist
Senior Advisor for the Ethical Council for the Defence Sector, Norwegian Ministry of Defence
Specialities:
- Applied Ethics
- Military Ethics
- Life and Death Issues
- Normative Ethics
- Political Philosophy
Laura Puumala
Philosopher
Doctoral Researcher at the University of Turku
Specialities:
- Moral Philosophy
- Military Ethics
- Environmental Conflicts
- Research Ethics
- Medical Ethics
Annica Waleij
Researcher
Senior analyst at the Swedish Defence Research Agency
Specialities:
- Strategic environmental security foresight
- Environmental issues in military operations
- Environmental emergencies
Peter Nielsen (PhD)
Engineer
Specialities:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Solution Architectures
Ioanna K. Lekea (PhD)
Philosopher
Associate Professor at the Hellenic Air Force Academy
Specialities:
- Military Ethics
- Medical Ethics
- Crisis Management
- Ethical Leadership
- AI and Cyber Ethics
Jean Brunet
Founder of Naej System Arkitect
Specialties :
- Complex systems architecture
- Big data technologies and artificial intelligence
Frédéric Mauro
Lawyer at the Brussels bar
Associate researcher at IRIS (Paris) and GRIP (Brussels)
Specialties :
- European law
- Defence planification
- Defence research
Didier Danet
Research Teacher
Specialities:
- Autonomy of Weapon Systems
- Conflictuality in digital space
Andrea G. Rodríguez
Technologist and Policy Expert
Lead at ImpaQT and Associate Fellow at CEPS
Specialities:
- Emerging Technologies
- AI and Cybersecurity
- Ethics of Technology
- International Security
Marek Kohv
Security and Defence Expert
Head of Security and Resilience Research Programme at the ICDS
Specialities:
- Hybrid Warfare
- Intelligence and Anticipatory Intelligence
- Situational Awareness
- Information Operations
Colonel (ret) Vincent Sassel
Engineer
Specialities:
- Politico-Military Affairs
- Information and Communication Systems
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