Considering leaving since February 2022, the Anssi CEO has just formalized his departure in a LinkedIn post. “After eight years and nine months, I will leave management at the end of the year,” the boss of the French cyber-firefighter emphasizes, but does not specify his future functions. Appointed to this position in 2014, he succeeds Patrick Paya, who moved to the position of DGSE Technical Director before recently joining the Council of State.
And the news of the day is still Guillaume Poupard’s opening message 🥺 End of an era… but what an era!! 👏👏👏https://t.co/thbEwkLC4J
— Jérôme Billois (@gbillois) December 2, 2022
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“The experience was simply extraordinary: an extraordinary mission serves the common interest, our fellow citizens, our national security,” emphasizes Guillaume Poupart. And to applaud the experience, demands and commitment of the Annecy agents, calling in particular to “keep them out of administrative stupidity” and “give them the means to carry them out in the long run.”
A graduate of the Polytechnic School in 1995, the weapons engineer also holds a PhD in cryptography, having defended his thesis in 2000. He then joined the structure that would become Anssi, the central information systems security department. cryptography laboratory. Then in 2006, Guillaume Poupart moved to the Ministry of Defence, where in 2010 he became head of information systems security in the technical department of the General Directorate of Armaments before joining Anssi management.
Strong workforce growth
During his tenure, the agency has significantly increased its staff from about 400 employees to about 600. This increase reflects the government’s focus on cybersecurity, a topic the head of state raised last year when he introduced one plan to support billions of euros. For example, in administration, Anssi’s boss did not hesitate to defend encryption.
A good communicator, Guillaume Poupart also made Annecy better known to the French under his mandate. Because at the same time, cyberattacks were making headlines, from the computer attack that paralyzed TV5 Monde to attacks on hospitals. “We are still seeing growth that can be described as exponential,” he told the Senate this fall.
At the FIC last June, Anssi’s boss jotted down a list of issues that need to be addressed after his departure. For example, raising awareness with a national campaign reaching even more citizens, maintaining budgetary priority, or even opening up a wider range of tools and services such as Britain’s Active Cyber Defense. A reminder that, of course, there is still much to be done.