CHESEAUX-SUR-LAUSANNE, Switzerland – senseFly, a provider of professional mapping drones and a commercial drone subsidiary of Parrot Group, today confirmed the appointment of its new CEO, Gilles Labossière.

Gilles Labossière

Labossière is the Executive Vice President and COO of Parrot Group, a position he will continue to hold as he focuses on boosting senseFly’s growth in the professional drone space.

“I am excited by the chance to build upon senseFly’s leading position in the fixed-wing drone market,” Labossière said. “As CEO, my focus will be on continuing to grow the company’s share of the professional drone market and on leveraging its team’s outstanding geospatial and agricultural expertise across the wider Parrot Group. senseFly will, in turn, benefit from our ongoing strengthening of the group’s Business Solutions portfolio, which comprises dedicated drone hardware, software and services.”

He added, “I am sure I speak for everyone when I thank Jean-Christophe for his incredible leadership, dedication and innovation over the years. The departure of a company’s founding CEO is often an emotional time but also part of the ebb and flow of start-up life.”

Precision senseFly solutions, such as the eBee Plus, comprise part of Parrot Group’s wider Business Solutions portfolio. This portfolio also includes Parrot’s multipurpose drone solutions for small and medium sized businesses.

Labossière’s executive career has spanned both the technology and industrial sectors, with large companies and start-ups alike. He joined Parrot as Chief Financial Officer in 2008 and became Executive Vice President and COO in May 2017. Labossière was also instrumental in the 2015 acquisition and integration of senseFly, and continues to drive the growth of Parrot Group’s Business Solutions activities.

senseFly’s outgoing CEO and co-founder, Jean-Christophe Zufferey, will work closely alongside Labossière to ensure a smooth handover and continuity before he leaves to pursue new challenges.     

“I leave senseFly immensely proud of what our team has achieved and I am excited about where the company is headed,” said Zufferey. “We have a roadmap of truly innovatory drone solutions already in place and with Gilles’ industry experience and knowledge of both our company and Parrot Group he is perfectly positioned to bring these solutions to more and more customers around the world.”