Sonatus, a leading supplier of software products and solutions that accelerate the shift to software-defined vehicles, today announced the expansion of its business development team in France. Since opening its first European office in Paris in October 2022, Sonatus has seen commercial momentum accelerate rapidly in France. To support that, two experienced commercial leaders based in Paris are joining Sonatus, bringing their specialized expertise with vehicle manufacturers spanning a range of subsystems.
Michaël Chandebois joins Sonatus as Business Development Director, with a focus on engagements with vehicle manufacturers (OEMs). Michaël has 25 years of experience, including over 16 years at PSA Peugeot Citroën where he was involved in managing projects in infotainment, navigation, security, partnerships and other roles. More recently he served as senior sales director at Elektrobit, which sells vehicle operating systems and other middleware that complements Sonatus technologies. Michaël has a degree in Telecom and Embedded Engineering from ESME in Paris, France.
Michaël says: “The rapid evolution of automotive architectures and the increase in software content and sophistication in vehicles presents an ideal opportunity for automakers to advance their vehicles significantly. I look forward to bringing my automotive expertise to Sonatus and introducing the benefits of the Sonatus Vehicle Platform to accelerate the deployment of next generation vehicle software.”
Farid Benaissa is also joining Sonatus as a Senior Pre-sales Engineer, bringing over a decade of experience in the automotive industry and embedded systems. In this role, he will provide technical support for OEM customer engagements. Previously, Farid worked at Vector Informatik as senior application engineering & Business Manager overseeing ADAS logging and cloud-based data processing tools. He also brings experience as an ADAS resimulation software developer and technical manager at Groupe Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën.
Michaël and Farid bring invaluable experience and relationships, adding their expertise to Sonatus’ existing France team of Karine Paulini, Senior Director of Business Development for EMEA & India, and Gen Li, Senior Pre-sales Engineer.
About Sonatus
Sonatus is accelerating vehicle software innovation and the transition towards software-defined vehicles. The diverse products comprising the Sonatus Vehicle Platform serve as the key building blocks that allow automotive companies and their ecosystem to fast forward to the future of mobility and deliver continuous improvements in costs, capabilities, reliability, and user experience over the vehicle lifespan. Sonatus’ award-winning software platform is in mass production in over 2 million vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. The company has raised more than $110 million USD with world-class automotive, technology, and venture investors including Foxconn, Hyundai Motor Group’s Kia Corporation, LG Electronics, Marvell, NEC and Translink Orchestrating Future Fund, SAIC Capital, Translink Capital, UMC Capital, and Wanxiang. Sonatus is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA (Silicon Valley), with offices in Bangalore, Dublin, Detroit, Kraków, Paris, Pune, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo. For more information visit www.sonatus.com.