Cyberdefense and sovereignty: what Thales expects from future engineers

On Thursday, November 20, the Léonard de Vinci Campus hosted an exceptional conference led by Stéphane Lenco, VP Cyber and Group CISO at Thales. This was a strategic event for students... but also for the twenty or so alumni in attendance, to whom our expert had a special message: the daily battle is also yours.

The meeting opened with a welcome address by the new Director General of the Léonard de Vinci Campus, Martin Coriat, who emphasized how deeply rooted the day's topic is in the campus's curriculum: strategy, operations, cybersecurity, and technological sovereignty.

A career marked by a taste for challenge

With humor and simplicity, Stéphane Lenco recounts the major milestones of an inspiring career.

I always dreamed of being an aeronautical engineer!

After graduating from ENAC (National School of Civil Aviation) in 1998, he became coordinator of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company. He joined the Airbus group in 2004, where he led IT strategy and architecture, before becoming the group's Chief Information Security Officer. In 2018, he was appointed Chief Information Security Officer of the Thales group, where he supports the development of the group's cyber activities in a context of strategic acquisitions and continuously rising standards.

My mission at Thales: setting the course

At the same time, he contributed to European efforts as a member of ENISA's Permanent Stakeholders Group, then the agency's Advisory Group.

Throughout his career, he has worked on cutting-edge projects ranging from the space industry to high-intensity programs, and regularly participates in major events such as VivaTech.

His guiding principle? Resilience. A word that comes up often and that he embodies.

“The world is in trouble”: a geopolitical and cyber reality

Stéphane Lenco then brings the audience back to the heart of the matter. Before the invasion of Ukraine, he recalls, a wave of massive cyber attacks targeted the state, the media, banks, and even electrical infrastructure.

There is no Geneva Convention in cyberspace: war happens every day, it has no laws, it has no borders

Thinking about resilience therefore means anticipating extreme situations. His message to students and alumni is clear: tomorrow's world must be safer, "and it's up to you to make that happen. "

He then broadens the perspective to major European issues: regulations, technological sovereignty, and the need for a sovereign cloud. Artificial intelligence represents both the challenge and the solution, particularly in critical areas such as autonomous driving. Thales is positioned precisely at this crossroads: digital security, sovereign technologies, and digital trust.

A shared future: projects and ambitions

Addressing students and alumni directly, Stéphane Lenco emphasized the importance of a deep understanding of the fundamentals: “You don't just need to know the basics, you need to understand them.” For him, resilience is neither a slogan nor a fad, but an essential organizational process that is integrated into the normal functioning of businesses: “Crisis is a normal part of a company's life.” There is no miracle product in cyber, he reminds us: the only thing that counts is knowledge of the field. 

We cannot build digital without cyber confidence

This message resonates particularly with alumni, who are already confronted with operational realities and invited to play a decisive role in spreading cyber culture.

In conclusion, Stéphane Lenco mentions the joint venture project between Thales, Airbus, and Leonardo, aimed at consolidating European space activities. The letter of intent, which has already been signed, illustrates the strategic ambition of an industry seeking to strengthen its resilience and autonomy.

This conference offered a clear-eyed and passionate look at the challenges of the digital world. For students, it provided valuable insight into the careers that await them; for alumni, it was a special opportunity to take a step back, reconnect with the Pôle, and reaffirm their essential role in building a trustworthy digital world. It was an inspiring event that reminded us that resilience is not just a concept, but a genuine collective responsibility.