Ascendance strengthens its leadership across Aircraft and Hybrid Propulsion
Toulouse, France – September 10, 2026 – Ascendance, a pioneer in hybrid-electric aviation, announces two key leadership appointments as the company enters its next phase of development: Denis Rittinghaus joins as Aircraft Director, while Clément Dinel, co-founder of Ascendance, is appointed Hybrid Propulsion Director.
These appointments strengthen Ascendance’s organisation around two core areas, Aircraft and Hybrid Propulsion, and reinforce the company’s ability to execute its product and technology roadmaps.
Denis Rittinghaus appointed Aircraft Director
Denis Rittinghaus brings more than 20 years of aerospace experience across aircraft development, engineering, manufacturing and operations. During 15 years at Airbus, he contributed to major programmes including the A350 and Beluga XL, before most recently serving as Vehicle Program Lead & Chief Engineer for the eVTOL CityAirbus at AUM GmbH. At Ascendance, Denis will lead the company’s Aircraft activities.
Clément Dinel appointed Hybrid Propulsion Director
Clément Dinel, co-founder of Ascendance, brings more than a decade of experience in hybrid-electric aviation. From Airbus’ E-FAN programme to leading hybrid-electric technology development at Ascendance since 2018, he has been at the heart of the company’s technology journey. An active contributor to nearly a dozen patents in electric and hybrid-electric propulsion architectures and technologies, Clément will now lead Ascendance’s Hybrid activities.
Two complementary responsibilities, one shared objective
These appointments clarify and reinforce leadership around Ascendance’s two core areas without changing the company’s overall Engineering structure. Denis Rittinghaus will focus on proving the
technology in the air; Clément Dinel will focus on turning it into a scalable industrial product. Together, their responsibilities support a single objective: delivering hybrid-electric aviation.
