Former HP Global Executive Benoît Bonnafy joins PIMAN Group as Chief Operating Officer, to scale Private Discuss into a global Leader in mission-critical and secure sovereign collaboration.

After nearly three decades at HP, where he held several global Vice President positions and led the acquisition of Poly for $3.3 billion, Benoît Bonnafy has joined PIMAN Group as Chief Operating Officer.

His decision reflects a shared ambition: to build a European technology leader with global reach.

When Benoît Bonnafy discovered Private Discuss, PIMAN Group's sovereign mission-critical collaboration platform, he immediately recognized a technology capable of addressing some of the most strategic challenges organizations now face: digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, enterprise AI, data control and the resilience of critical operations.

But beyond the product, he discovered something even more compelling.

He discovered a company with nearly 500 engineers and consultants, recognized for supporting some of the world's most demanding organizations. A company whose technologies were not created in isolation, but born from years of experience working alongside customers operating critical environments.

Long before the market rediscovered the value of combining consulting, technology and artificial intelligence, PIMAN Group had already built its model around this conviction.

This unique combination has given rise to Private Discuss, PI Chat and GEDDAI—a portfolio of trusted sovereign technologies designed to solve real operational challenges where security, resilience and performance cannot be compromised.

Now it is time to take it to the world.

"I was first attracted by Private Discuss because I immediately saw a platform capable of addressing sovereignty and mission-critical challenges on a global stage. Then I discovered the company behind it. I met Jean-Pierre Lach and Nawfal Sikal, Co-Founder and CTO, and I was impressed by the quality of the teams, the engineering and consulting culture, and the maturity of the technologies they have built. What I found was not a startup with potential—it was an innovative company with exceptional people, very strong customer trust and intimacy, proven technologies and a clear vision. Everything is already in place. The next chapter is no longer about building technology. It is about building a global company. That is the journey I chose to join."
 
— Benoît Bonnafy, Chief Operating Officer - PIMAN Group & Private Discuss

This appointment marks a strategic turning point for PIMAN Group.

After years of innovation and execution, the Group is entering a new phase focused on global expansion.

Its growth strategy will rely on a worldwide ecosystem of technology partners—including hardware manufacturers, software vendors, channel partners, systems integrators and consulting firms—to accelerate the adoption of its platforms across governments, enterprises and operators of critical infrastructure.

"When I met Benoît, I did not offer him a position. I invited him to join an ambitious global scaling journey. He first discovered Private Discuss. Then he discovered what makes PIMAN Group unique: a strong company, outstanding people, deep consulting expertise and technologies shaped by years of working alongside our customers on their most critical projects. Our strength has never been choosing between consulting and technology. It has always been combining both. Today, as the market moves in that direction, we believe we have a unique opportunity to lead. Together with Benoît, Nawfal and all our teams, we will accelerate our international expansion by building a world-class ecosystem of strategic partners. Our ambition is clear: to establish, from Europe, a global leader in mission-critical collaboration, enterprise AI and trusted sovereign technologies."

 — Jean-Pierre Lach, CEO - PIMAN Group & Private Discuss

Benoît Bonnafy's arrival represents far more than a leadership appointment.

It marks PIMAN Group's transition from building world-class technologies to scaling them globally.

The Group's ambition is to bring its platforms to the world's leading organizations through an international ecosystem of partners who share the same vision: delivering innovative, trusted and fully sovereign technologies without compromising performance, user experience or security.

 

Founded in 2009, PIMAN Group is an independent consulting and technology company specializing in mission-critical environments.

With nearly 500 engineers, consultants and industry experts, the Group supports leading organizations across energy, defense, healthcare, industry, infrastructure and financial services.

PIMAN Group develops Private Discuss, a sovereign mission-critical collaboration platform; PI Chat, a private enterprise AI platform; and GEDDAI, a contract and project execution platform dedicated to complex industrial environments.

Its mission is simple: enable organizations to achieve digital sovereignty without ever compromising innovation, security or operational excellence.