Ambassador Richard NARICH has just been appointed President of the European Homeland Security Association. He is also an advisor to the Director of the National Institute for High Security Studies (INHES) in Paris and a member of the Board of the French High Committee for Civil Defense (HCFDC).
Mr. Narich is originally a career diplomat who served in various countries (Indonesia, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, Greece, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Nicaragua and Paraguay).
Posted to Brussels (French Delegation to NATO), he has also been an adviser to the Foreign Minister  (1981-1984).
During the first part of his career he specialized on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, East-West relations, NATO and disarmament issues.
In the second part of it, he served in Latin America where he spent eight years as Ambassador (Nicaragua, Paraguay) after being Consul General in the United States in charge of the Mid-West area.
During the last five years Ambassador Narich was assigned at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) where the French Government regularly sends diplomats of Ambassadorial rank as special advisor to the Director.
In the last three years he has been dealing mainly with new security issues, including critical infrastructure protection and Homeland Security. He wrote articles on these topics in various journals and publications.
Ambassador Narich did studies in philosophy, oriental languages and political sciences.
He speaks French, English, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Modern Greek. 

Mr. Christian Sommade is the Executive Director of EHSA. He also is the Executive Director of the HCFDC (Haut Comité français pour la défense civile) since 2004, after having served as its Secretary General from 1997. After obtaining a DESS (French equivalent for MA) in Defence in 1985 from the University of Paris II, Mr. Sommade was the Export Director for the company Sofiltra Poelman (1986-1990) in Paris. From 1990 to 2001, he served as commercial and marketing director for the defence, security and CBRN activities of the company Giat Industries, in Paris and Washington. Before leading HCFDC, he worked as Director of development for the defence and security activities in France and Europe, for Cegelec (2001-2004).
Mr. Sommade is an expert in the national network of experts PIRATOX for the French Ministry of Interior.

Ms. Abriat is the Assistant for Communication, for the French High Commitee for Civil Defence, since 2003. She was tasked with co-ordinating numerous workshops and breakfast debates in the French Senate. She obtained a DESS (French equivalent for MA) in Management of public companies and organizations in 2002 from the Political Studies Institute of Bordeaux (France). Before working for HCFDC, Ms. Abriat undertook several internships, for the French Post (2002), France Telecom (2001-2002) and the information & public relations services of the French Army (2001).