Jacques Tierny replaces Charles Desmartis, who has decided to leave the company to pursue other interests. Jacques Tierny began his career as a trader. He then spent 23 years in different finance positions at Michelin in France and abroad, where he became the Group Deputy CFO. In 2003 he joined the retail group Casino as Group CFO, later becoming Casino's Executive Deputy General Manager. Since January 2007, Jacques Tierny was heading the Valuation and Strategic Finance practice at KPMG Corporate Finance in Paris.

Charles Desmartis stated "I am grateful to Gemalto for the rich and intense professional development opportunities it has offered to me over the last years. We have now completed the financial integration of the Group following the merger and built a strong Finance team to support Gemalto's growth and success. I leave Gemalto fully confident in its ability to realize its digital security vision and reach its financial objectives."

Olivier Piou, Gemalto Chief Executive Officer, added "We thank Charles for his contribution to the creation of Gemalto and the successful financial integration of the Group, and wish him the very best for the future. And we welcome Jacques Tierny, who brings to Gemalto a wealth of senior financial experience acquired in the industrial, retail and consulting environments."

Separately, Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 - GTO), the leader in digital security, today announced its results for the half year ended June 30, 2007.

• Revenue for the first half at EUR 760 million
• Operating income at EUR 15 million
• Ongoing adjustments in operating cost structure delivering benefits
• Strong net cash position at EUR 291 million after use of EUR 100 million in share buyback program

Olivier Piou, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Gemalto's performance in the first half of 2007 reflects the benefits of our pricing discipline in Mobile Communication, the first effects of our cost structure adjustments to better address the market environment, and good patent licensing activity. During this first semester, we moved from managing post-merger integration to actively developing our joint capabilities and winning significant digital security business. We remain confident that the second half of 2007 will further reflect the benefits of our strategy, which combines initiatives for profitable growth with cost reduction programs."

Read the full statement here:Download the document now 66 kb (PDF File)