Chairwoman, Founder and Partner
Fanny Turgis founded the Turgis Gaillard group in 2015 in partnership with Patrick Gaillard.
A former commander in the French Foreign Legion’s civil reserve force, Fanny Turgis is a graduate of the French War College, a member of the French National Order of Merit and holder of a post-graduate diploma in Political and Social Sciences.
Driven by a keen interest in entrepreneurship and technological innovation, she founded the start-up AAROK in 2011 to develop the Gerfaut system. This innovative project for the French Special Forces increases the versatility of the C-130 Hercules for operational missions.
Drawing on the experience she has gained in industry and defense through the development of Turgis et Gaillard, she advocates for greater employment of women in these sectors.
She is a strong believer in animal rights and the prevention of cruelty to animals. In 2017, she created the association “Les petits rescapés” to help French animal shelters. In 2022, she wrote a book entitled “Héroïques” in tribute to French military and police dogs.
CEO, Founder and Partner
Patrick Gaillard began his professional career in the civil service, as a political associate, before joining the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, where he held operational positions in the Military Intelligence Directorate (DRM – Direction du Renseignement Militaire).
Inspired by technological and doctrinal innovations, and the emergence of new industrial players among our allies, he and Fanny Turgis founded the AAROK design office, whose ambition is to respond to the needs of the armed forces as simply and efficiently as possible.
The success of this start-up gave him the opportunity to carry out his first external growth operations, giving rise to the Turgis Gaillard Group, of which he is CEO.
An expert in aeronautical and military technologies, he created the Gerfaut, MIGALe, NITRATHE, ODIN, Sefiam 1602 and AAROK programs.
Patrick Gaillard is a member of the French National Order of Merit.
Deputy CEO
A graduate of the Arts et Métiers engineering school, Michel Catimel began his career as methods manager and technical manager in the forging industry (Facom), then in the automotive industry (Former), before taking charge of production sites employing several hundred people at Faurecia (Nogent-sur-Vernisson, Pierrepont), then Parisot.
Between 2006 and 2011, he managed the turnaround of ACTM and Trailor (trailer and tanker construction), before completing their merger.
As a transition manager from 2012 onwards, he drew on his wealth of experience to help companies facing major operational challenges. It is in this context that he has worked for Turgis Gaillard, first as Director of a subsidiary, then as Deputy CEO, with particular responsibility for performance.
Corporate Secretary
Holder of a management and business diploma, Céline Bleau began her professional career in the air freight sector. She joined EFIS, a pioneer in the leasing of military transport aircraft, such as Il-76s, C-130s and An-124s, for the transport of special and sensitive payloads. Intrepid and efficient, she was quickly appointed Operations Manager, and supported the company’s development. She was in charge of such exceptional projects as the transport of satellites, special machinery, pyrotechnic equipment, the logistics of several Paris-Dakar rallies, etc.
In 2007, she joined Arinc, a company specializing in the development of electronic warfare equipment and international trade in military equipment, as Corporate Secretary. In 2017, she became Corporate Secretary of Turgis Gaillard, making a decisive contribution to its development thanks to her exceptional and wide-ranging professional experience.
Admiral (ret.)
Admiral Philippe Coindreau entered the French Naval Academy in September 1979; he qualified as a naval aviation pilot in 1984, specializing in maritime patrol. He has experience from numerous operations (Silure 1985, Prométhée 1987, Epervier 1988, Trident 1999, Héraclès 2002; commander of the European naval force as part of Operation Atalante in 2010, then commander of Task Force 473 — Unified Protector — in 2011). After commanding the French Naval Action Force in 2013, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff “Performance” of the French Armed Forces General Staff in 2015, before being appointed Major General of the French Armed Forces from September 1, 2016 until August 31, 2018.
He is a Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor and Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit.
Air Force General (ret.)
General Ferlet entered the École de l’Air in 1986. He qualified as a fighter pilot in 1989, specializing in air defense and reconnaissance. He was deployed in Chad during Operation Epervier in 1991, as well as in the former Yugoslavia during Operation Crécerelle, in Afghanistan during Operation Héraclès and in Ivory Coast as part of Operation Licorne. He was deputy operations officer for Operation Barkhane in 2014, then took command of the French Defense Staff’s Planning and Operations Center between 2015 and 2017, then of the Military Intelligence Directorate (DRM) between 2017 and 2021. Appointed Inspector General of the Armed Forces reporting to the Minister for the Armed Forces in 2021, he retired on August 31, 2022 after 39 years of service.
General Ferlet is a Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor and Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit.
Lieutenant General (ret.)
Lieutenant General Olivier Tramond is a graduate of the Saint-Cyr Special Military School and a paratrooper in the French Marines. He has been deployed in the Middle East, the Balkans, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. He commanded the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, served in the cabinet of the Minister of Defense, in the General Secretariat of National Defense (SGDSN), then was Superior Commander of the Armed Forces in New Caledonia between 2009 and 2011, before heading the Center for the Doctrine of Employment of Forces (CDEF) between 2011-2013.
From 2013 to 2015, he served on a special mission as Controller General of the French Armed Forces. Having retired from the military, he became operational advisor at Safran Electronics & Defense, notably for the development of the Patroller tactical UAV. He then went on to work for U.S. companies Fenix, Dataminr and Rain Defense. He is also a research associate at the HEC business school.
General Tramond is a Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit.
Major General (ret.)
A graduate of the Prytanée Militaire and École de l’Air military schools, and a qualified fighter pilot, Major General Serge Cocault began his operational career with the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, where he commanded the Centre d’Expertise Aérienne Militaire (CEAM) aeronautical test center in Mont-de-Marsan, before heading the Programs and Weapon Systems Department at the French Air Force General Staff. He then worked for the French defense procurement and technology agency DGA as deputy to the Director of the DGA’s flight test center, then to the DGA’s Director of International Development.
Having retired from the military, Serge Cocault specialized in the international promotion of military equipment, in particular aircraft and their equipment, with Aresia, then Secamic.
A loyal member of the legendary “Tiger” community, he has logged over 5,000 flying hours on a wide range of aircraft types. He is an Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor and a Commander of the National Order of Merit.
Within Turgis Gaillard, Serge Cocault brings his expertise in the international promotion of aircraft and military equipment.
Christian Wilhelm joined the French Air Force in 1992, initially as a combat navigator. After specializing in UAVs, he contributed to the development of this new capability within the French Air Force. First as a remote pilot for the entry into service of the Harfang MALE UAV, in Mont-de-Marsan, then in Cognac. Then as payload operator on the MQ-9 Reaper MALE UAV. He is a qualified examiner and mission leader on both types.
A recognized UAV expert with an exceptionally wide-ranging operational career, Christian Wilhelm has been deployed on 25 overseas missions (Kosovo, Afghanistan, Niger, Middle East). He left the French Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel, having accumulated 31 years of service, more than 2,600 flying hours on manned aircraft, 4,500 hours on UAVs, including more than 3,000 hours on the MQ-9 Reaper, and 145 UAV and fighter combat missions.
Christian Wilhelm is a knight of the Legion of Honor, a knight of the National Order of Merit and recipient of the Aeronautical Medal.
Within Turgis Gaillard, he contributes his expertise to the commissioning, deployment and operational use of MALE UAVs.
