WIA-Europe is pleased to announce Géraldine Naja as the recipient of the 2026 WIA-Europe Outstanding Achievement Award.
Géraldine Naja will be presented with the award at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2026 in Türkiye, recognising her exceptional career, leadership and longstanding contribution to the European space sector.
Each year, WIA-Europe presents the Outstanding Achievement Award to honour individuals who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments and leadership within the aerospace community. The award serves both as a tribute to outstanding achievement and as an inspiration to future generations. It comprises an engraved statuette and Honorary Membership of WIA-Europe, presented during an awards ceremony. WIA-Europe’s Honorary Members continue to support and enrich the WIA-Europe community through their experience and expertise.
A Distinguished Career in European Space
Géraldine Naja has dedicated nearly four decades to the European space sector. She joined the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1987 as a Payload Operations Engineer and has since held a wide range of strategic, managerial and institutional roles across the Agency.
Her career has included positions as Head of the Long-term Space Policy Office, Head of Strategic and Institutional Matters in the ESA Director General’s Cabinet, Head of the EU Relations Office, and Senior Advisor to the Director of Launchers. She also served as Advisor to the Cabinet of the French Minister of Research and Higher Education.
From 2015, she was Head of ESA’s Industrial Policy and Audit Department and subsequently took on leadership roles as ESA strengthened its focus on commercialisation and industry.
Until recently, Géraldine Naja served as Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness, where she advanced commercialisation and competitiveness as strategic priorities for ESA, developing new approaches to strengthen Europe’s space sector and foster a more dynamic, market-oriented ecosystem.
On 1 April 2026, she took up her new role as ESA Director of Space Transportation, while continuing to serve as Acting Director of the Commercialisation and Industry Partnership Directorate.
Recognising Leadership and Impact
Originally from France, Géraldine Naja holds an engineering degree from École Polytechnique, a Master’s degree in propulsion and chemistry from ENSTA, and a Master’s degree in political science from Sciences Po Paris.
Through her career, she has combined technical expertise, strategic leadership and extensive experience in European space policy, industry and institutional relations.
Please join us in congratulating Géraldine Naja.
