Thales remains open to pour capital on additional mergers and acquisitions after three new acquisitions worth about $4.3 billion, the French defense electronics group’s Chairman and CEO Patrice Caine told the Financial Times.
The recent buyouts include the purchase of U.S. cybersecurity group Imperva for $ 3.6 billion in July, the largest since the 2017 acquisition of digital security company Gemalto, now known as Thales DIS, for $5.13 billion.
Caine noted, however, that Thales’ priority is to integrate the companies it has already acquired to show investors that it can “create the value they expect.” The future expansion opportunities that it would seek include not only the cybersecurity sector but also defense, aerospace and space, he added.
The strong growth trajectory is reflected in Thales’ announcement in February of plans to hire over 12,000 new employees worldwide in 2023. The company posted a record 11,500 new hires in 2022, up 50 percent from 2021.
Also in February, the aerospace company opened a new Thales Design Center, its 13th in the world, in India. The new facility on innovation, research and development is an extension of Thales’ Engineering Competence Centre in Noida.