Europe’s operational satellite agency for weather and climate, EUMETSAT, has appointed Chris Hartley as its new Director of the Technical and Scientific Support Department.
Chris Hartley will join the department on 1 November 2026 and work alongside the current Director to ensure a smooth transition before formally assuming the role at the end of February 2027.
As Director of Technical and Scientific Support, he will oversee the delivery of technical and scientific support to the development and operations of EUMETSAT satellite systems, as well as ICT and management support services to the whole organisation.
Chris Hartley brings extensive experience in satellite systems, programme management, procurement and organisational transformation. After beginning his career in aircraft systems, he moved into the space sector, working on satellite command and control software projects at the European Space Agency’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt and to systems development for Argentina’s space agency.
Chris Hartley first joined EUMETSAT in 2000 and spent more than 20 years working across the EUMETSAT Polar System and Meteosat Third Generation programmes. In 2021, he moved to CERN as Head of Industry, Procurement and Knowledge Transfer, where he oversaw procurement, knowledge transfer and EU relations and contributed to strategic initiatives including CERN’s focus on socio-economic return to its Member States.
Source: EUMETSAT
