Amazon Web Services has appointed Stéphane Israël as managing director of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and global head of its digital sovereignty efforts, effective in October and based in Berlin.
The move underscores AWS’ push to meet regulatory and security demands from European governments and industries. Israël will oversee infrastructure, technology, services and sales for the sovereign platform.
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“I am excited to join AWS at a pivotal moment for digital sovereignty in Europe and around the world,” Israël said in the official announcement. He added in a LinkedIn post that demand for sovereignty-focused solutions is growing and emphasized his goal of strengthening AWS’ capabilities as it expands its European and global footprint.
AWS has pledged $9.17 billion to the sovereign cloud region, which will launch by the end of 2025. Governance will fall under a new parent company and three German subsidiaries, and operations will be handled solely by staff based in the European Union.
Israël previously led Arianespace, where he oversaw missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope launch and supported Amazon’s Project Kuiper. He also worked as a partner at Boston Consulting Group.
He joins Kathrin Renz, AWS Industries vice president and the first managing director of the European Sovereign Cloud, who was appointed in June. Both will operate under the newly established GmbH legal entity.