José Achache


José Achache is founder and CEO of ALTYN, a Swiss company developing space-related projects. After 17 years in academia as professor of Geophysics and Earth sciences, then 17 years as top executive in French and international R&D organizations in Environment and Space, José Achache is now involved in the development of advanced space systems for Earth observation, IoT, cybersecurity and secure telecommunications.
José Achache is also Managing Director of AP-Swiss, a joint programme of the European Space Agency and the Swiss Space Office, which supports space startups and fosters the development of commercial applications and services powered by satellites.

Directorships

José Achache is Director or Advisor of several space-related companies in Switzerland and Italy:
  1. Chairman of the Board of MEDIA LARIO Srl, a world leader in advanced optical components and systems for space missions
  2. Chairman of the Board of GEOSATIS SA, a company providing a GPS-based ankle bracelet for the monitoring and rehabilitation of offenders
  3. Chairman of the Board of ASTROCAST SA, a company building a constellation of nano-satellites to provide global M2M/IoT communication
  4. Advisor of GAMAYA SA, a company providing actionable information to farmers using remote-sensing from drones and satellites and AI
  5. Advisor of CYSEC SA, a cyber security company providing Secure Execution Environment platforms for finance, space, IoT and telecoms
  6. Advisor of DOTPHOTON SA, a software company providing quantum-based raw image compression for Earth observation, photography and medical applications.
José Achache is also co-founder and Director of GROUPE PLANI, a Paris-based company providing end-to-end equipment and services for video and TV production, Director of ILTOO PHARMA, a biotech company developing new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and Director of SUZETTE GOURMET Private Ltd, an organic food brand based in Mumbai, India.

Education

A graduate of Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, he holds a PhD in Geophysics from Université Pierre et Marie Curie, a PhD in Physical Sciences from Université Denis Diderot and was Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University.
José Achache has been Professor at Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, director of the 's research division, deputy director general of CNES the French space agency, director of Earth Observation Programs at ESA, the European Space Agency and the first Secretary General of the Group on Earth Observations when the Global Earth Observation System of Systems was established in Geneva.
He has been the Architect of the COPERNICUS programme of the European Union and its Sentinel series of satellites and the early advocate of its free and open data policy. He is the author of Les Sentinelles de la Terre, an essay on space policy and the applications of space on Earth. He has published numerous scientific papers as well as editorial, interviews and conferences for wider audiences on space and environmental Issues.