Henri Martre (6 February 1928 – 3 July 2018) was a French
telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
s
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
. He headed both the
Délégation générale pour l'armement, the aerospace conglomerate
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ...
and the
French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS). He was considered one of the main promoters in France of "
competitive intelligence
Competitive intelligence (CI) is the process and forward-looking practices used in producing knowledge about the competitive environment to improve organizational performance. It involves the systematic collection and analysis of information from ...
".
Henri Martre received the Grand Croix of the
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
on 31 December 2002.
Biography
Martre was born on 6 February 1928 in
Bélesta,
Ariège. He was admitted at the
École Polytechnique
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
in 1947 and chose the Corps of Military Telecom (which later merged into the
Corps de l'armement
The Corps de l'armement, or ''corps des ingénieurs de l'armement'' is a Technical Grand Corps of the French State (''grand corps de l'Etat''), aimed at providing the French Armed Forces with all appropriate equipment and at supervising the French ...
) upon graduation in 1950. In 1952 he graduated from
Sup Télécom.
Martre embodied the French "
high tech
High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...
"
colbertism; he was involved with most major aerospace and defence programmes between 1955 and 1995 (
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
,
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
,
Ariane, etc.). He reached the top of French administration being
Délégué général pour l'armement between 1977 and 1983 and was then
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ...
between 1983 and 1991. This typical switch from public administration to industry is called
pantouflage The term pantouflage refers to a practice by which high-level French civil servants, usually former students of the École Polytechnique or the École nationale d'administration, obtain work in private enterprise. In use, the term can be applied to ...
in France. After his departure from Aérospatiale, Martre was chairman of the
AFNOR
Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR, English: French Standardization Association) is a Paris-based standards organization and a member body for France at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The AFNOR Group develo ...
(French Association for Normalization) between 1993 and 2002.
Subsequently, Martre began a third career as an intellectual. He was considered one of the precursors in France of competitive intelligence. In the framework of the
Commissariat général du Plan, he wrote in 1994 a report entitled "Competitive intelligence and business strategy, in collaboration with
Philippe Baumard and Christian Harbulot.
He died on 3 July 2018 at the age of 90.
Disparition d’Henri Martre
Books
* "L'intelligence économique : Quelles perspectives ?", avec Hélène Masson, Paris, L’Harmattan, 2004
* "Pratique de l'analyse fonctionnelle", avec Robert Tassinari, Paris, Editions Dunod, 2003
* "Intelligence économique et stratégie des entreprises", Travaux du groupe présidé par Henri Martre, La Documentation française, 1994
See also
* Coopetition
References
External links
Portail de l'intelligence économique
Dans ce rapport, Henri Martre met l’accent sur le développement des relations de « Coopération - Concurrence » entre les nations et entre les entreprises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martre, Henri
1928 births
2018 deaths
French telecommunications engineers
Directors of government agencies of France
French chief executives
École Polytechnique alumni
Télécom Paris alumni
Corps de l'armement
People from Ariège (department)
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur