EDF Energy has appointed a new group general counsel with the hire of Eric Thomas from electronic systems company Thales Group.

The appointment, which Thomas took up last month (15 February), sees him replace Alain Tchernonog as GC at the Paris-headquartered energy company after the latter was promoted to general secretary earlier this year.

Thomas has simultaneously been appointed as a member of EDF Energy's executive committee, and will report into Tchernonog in his role as global legal chief.

Thomas, who has been GC at Thales since 2006, has spent a large part of his career in-house at companies including Total, French conglomerate Lagardere and its subsidiary Matra, as well as distribution services group Rexel.

In 2000, he became the first general counsel for military systems provider European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

The news comes over a year after EDF's UK arm appointed Guido Santi as its new general counsel following the departure of longstanding legal chief Jean McDonald.

McDonald had spent two years at the helm, having taken up the GC role at EDF when the French company purchased British Energy in 2008. EDF finalised a restructuring of its UK legal function in September 2009 in the wake of the £12.5bn takeover.

Thales has yet to appoint a replacement for Thomas in his role as general counsel.