Marc Essig, strategy and international development consultant
An international career and a dual civil/military background, at the service of mid-sized companies.
Background
International Defense, Aerospace, Sales & Strategic Growth: 30+ years of experience in defence and aerospace, across France, the Nordics, the Baltics and the Balkans, Europe, the UAE, the GCC and APAC. I have led regional operations, sales teams and multinational programmes.
I work as a commercially driven executive: I build trusted relationships with governments and industry stakeholders, and turn complex geopolitical and defence environments into clear business opportunities. I lead through structure, accountability and cross-border collaboration, balancing long-term strategic positioning with measurable results in highly regulated and sensitive markets.
Today I support defence, aerospace and security organisations that want to expand internationally, strengthen their government and institutional partnerships and accelerate strategic growth. My expertise: defence and aerospace strategy, international expansion, public and government affairs, partnerships and M&A, electronic warfare, radar and cyber, NATO and multinational programmes, P&L.
Background
Key stages
From 1989 — Thales
I joined Thales in 1989: software maintenance for air traffic control (ATC) systems in Kenya, then ATC projects in Finland, the ATC simulator for the French civil aviation authority (DGAC), and system development for Finland and Sweden, running the Swedish and Danish branches, until 2008.
2008–2015 — ThalesRaytheonSystems
Capture team leader for a radar project for Finland and Estonia, then programme director for NATO ballistic missile defence: a €140M programme, a consortium of 15 companies in 7 countries. I also led the bid for 14 radars for Finland/Estonia, a €200M+ contract.
2015–2018 — CEO Thales Denmark
CEO of Thales Denmark and country director for the Nordic and Baltic states: an organisation of 150+ people and €120M in order intake.
2018–2020 — Chairman & CEO Thales Hellas
Country director for Greece, Cyprus and the Balkans: return to profitability, +10% sales and order intake in Greece and Cyprus, restart of defence industrial activities.
Since 2019 — ACE-Essig
Created a consultancy supporting SMEs in defence, aerospace, transport and security on international markets.
2022 — EDGE, Abu Dhabi
Business strategy director, Electronic Warfare & Cyber, in the United Arab Emirates.
2023 — EOS
VP Special Projects: set up the sales and marketing teams, international expansion across Europe, APAC and the Middle East, +20% sales.
Dual civil / military background
My dual civil/military background is one of my two main strengths: it lets me understand both civil industrial logic and the constraints specific to defence.
Areas of expertise
Civil
Aeronautics
- Construction and equipment
- Air transport
- Air traffic control
Defence
Defence
- Air defence and control centres
- Naval systems
- Unmanned systems
- Military aviation
Examples
Civil
- Air traffic control (Kenya, Finland, Sweden, DGAC)
Defence
- Radars for Finland and Estonia
- NATO ballistic missile defence
Affiliations, languages and regions
CCE
Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France since 2001: chair of the Finland committee (2005-2014) and the Denmark committee (2015-2018), chair of the Europe committee and board member (2012-2022), member of the Greece then France committees, and of the UAE committee since 2022.
EuroDéfense
Founding member of EuroDéfense Denmark, then member of EuroDéfense-France.
IHEDN
Former auditor of the IHEDN.
Role
Founder of ACE-Essig, a business created in 2019.
Board
Board member of TesPack, a Finnish start-up specialised in electric batteries, since 2025.
Working languages
Fluent French and English; German, Danish, Arabic and other languages to varying degrees (ten languages in total).
Regions
France, the Nordics, the Baltics, the Balkans, Europe, UAE, GCC, APAC.