Thibauld Jongen joined EASA as its Certification Director on June 1, 2026.
Previously, Jongen was CEO of Common Sense Robotics, a company he co-founded in 2023, which develops intelligent robots to enable reliable automation of manual work in the manufacturing industry.
Prior to this, he served as CEO of Sabca Group, where he led a full strategic transformation of this major Belgian aerospace and defence company into a modern innovation-driven player, developing a new product portfolio and ensuring sustainable growth. He also held the role of Managing Director of Safran Test Cells, a Safran Group business unit specializing in the design of aeroengine test facilities worldwide.
He is strongly committed to ensuring that innovation in Europe translates into tangible industrial and societal impact. He advocates for strengthening and repatriating industrial capabilities through technology, as a foundation for preserving European values and autonomy.
His academic background combines an engineering degree in applied mathematics, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a master’s in fluid mechanics, and a PhD in computational science—reflecting his ongoing effort to connect technical excellence with broader human and societal perspectives. He has worked and studied in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, and Switzerland, and has served on numerous boards, including ADRA (the European AI, Data, and Robotics Association) and Arianespace.