Board of Directors
The composition of the Board offers a complementarity of experiences, nationalities and cultures. It reflects the diversity policy defined by the Board of Directors.
Benoît Potier
Chairman of the Board
Born in 1957 – French nationality
Date of first appointment: 2000
Start of current term: 2022
End of current term: 2026
A graduate of CentraleSupélec (École Centrale Paris), Benoît Potier joined Air Liquide in 1981 as a Research and Development engineer. After serving as a Project Manager in the Engineering and Construction Division, he was made Vice-President of Energy Development in the Large Industries business line. In 1993, he became Director of Strategy & Organization and, in 1994, was put in charge of the Chemicals, Metal & Steel, Oil and Energy Markets. He was made an Executive Vice-President of Air Liquide in 1995 with additional responsibilities over the Engineering & Construction Division and the Large Industries operations in Europe. Benoît Potier was appointed Senior Executive Vice-President in 1997. He was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2000 and became Chairman of the Management Board in November 2001. Benoît Potier served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide from 2006 to 2022. He has been holding the office of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air Liquide since June 1st, 2022.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Chairman of the Board: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Member of the Supervisory Board: Siemens AG* (member of the Nominating Committee)
- Co-chair: Conseil National de l'Hydrogène
- Member: Hydrogen Council, European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), Paris-Saclay university Strategic Orientation Committee, Asia Business Council, Singapore International Advisory Panel on Energy, Temasek European Advisory Panel, Ecole du Louvre
Philippe Dubrulle
Director representing the employees
Born in 1972 - French nationality
Date of first appointment by the Group Committee in France: 2014
Start of current term: 2022
End of current term: 2026
An enginneering graduate from École Supérieure de l’Énergie et des Matériaux, Philippe Dubrulle has held various positions as an engineer, Product Manager and International Sales Manager at several aeronautical groups both in France and abroad. He joined Air Liquide Group in 2008. Based in Sassenage, he is an employee of the subsidiary Air Liquide Advanced Technologies. He is Programmes & Services Manager, Aerospace & Defense. Philippe Dubrulle was appointed as the Director representing the employees by the Group Committee in France on June 18, 2014, his office was renewed by that same Committee, at its plenary session on December 6, 2017. A Member of the French Institute of Directors, he has been a Certified Company Director – ASC France since November 2016.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Environment and Society Committee
- Programmes & Services Manager, Aerospace & Defense: Air Liquide Advanced Technologies
Bertrand Dumazy
Independent Director
Born in 1971 - Nationality French
Date of first appointment: 2021
Start of current term: 2021
End of current term: 2025
Bertrand Dumazy is a graduate of ESCP Europe and holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. He started his career in 1994 as a consultant with Bain & Company, first in Paris and later in Los Angeles. He then worked as an Investment Director of BC Partners in 1999. In 2002, he joined the Neopost group. Initially Head of Marketing and Strategy, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Neopost France in 2005 and then Executive Vice President, Finance for the Neopost Group in 2008. In 2011, he became President and CEO of Deutsch, a world leader in high performance connectors, a position he held until the group was acquired by TE Connectivity. In 2012, he joined Materis as Executive Vice President then CEO and eventually President and CEO of the group, renamed Cromology. In October 2015, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of the Edenred group.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Appointments and Governance Committee
- Member of the Audit and the Accounts Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Edenred SA*
- Director: Neoen SA*
Aiman Ezzat
Independent Director
Born in 1961 - French nationality
Date of first appointment: 2021
Start of current term: 2021
End of current term: 2025
Holder of a MSc (Master of Sciences) in chemical engineering from École Supérieure de Chimie, Physique et Électronique de Lyon (France) and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management (UCLA), Aiman Ezzat joined the Capgemini Group in 1991, at Capgemini Consulting (now Capgemini Invent) where, in particular, he held the position of Global Head of Oil & Gas and Chemicals practice. Between 2000 and 2004, he managed the international operations of Genpact Headstrong Capital Markets, a consulting firm specializing in the technology used in the financial services sector, with clients based in Asia, North America and Europe. He then joined Capgemini, where he was appointed Deputy Director of Strategy in 2005, and then held several management positions: Chief Operating Officer (2007-2008) and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Services Global Business Unit (2008-2012), Chief Financial Officer (2012-2018) and then Group Chief Operating Officer in 2018. He has been Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini since May 2020. In September 2021, he was named the "Best European CEO" for the technology and software category in the "2021 All Europe Executive Team" Institutional Investor annual ranking.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Audit and Accounts Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Chief Executive Officer and Director: Capgemini SE * (since May 2020)
- Chairman: Capgemini Service SAS (since May 2020), Capgemini Latin America SAS (USA) (since May 2020), SOGETI France 2005 SAS (since May 2018)
- Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer: Capgemini North America, Inc. (USA) (since May 2020)
- Chairman of the Board of Directors: Capgemini America, Inc. (USA) (since May 2020)
- Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Capgemini NV (Netherlands) (since November 2020)
- Director: Purpose Global PNC (USA) (since April 2020), Capgemini International BV (Netherlands) (since May 2020), Capgemini Technology Services India Limited (since January 2021)
Catherine Guillouard
Independent Director
Born in 1965 - French Nationality
Date of first appointment : 2023
Start of current terme : 2023
End of current term : 2027
Catherine Guillouard is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies of Paris and the École Nationale d’Administration (1991/93), and holds a PhD of European laws (Panthéon-Sorbonne). She began her career in 1993 at the Ministry of Economy in the French Treasury, working for the department in charge of the Africa – CFA zone and later in the Banking Affairs Department. She joined Air France in 1997 as IPO Senior Project Manager. She was subsequently appointed Deputy Vice-President Finance Controlling in 1999, Senior Vice-President of Flight Operations in 2001, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources in 2003 and Chief Financial Officer in December 2005. In September 2007, she joined Eutelsat as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee. Catherine Guillouard joined Rexel in April 2013 as Chief Financial Officer and between May 2014 and February 2017 she was Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Rexel. Between August 2017 and September 2022, she was Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of RATP Group, one of the leading urban transportation operators in the world, where she launched a major investment and transformation plan and implemented the public transportation decarbonation plan. She was appointed as Chairwoman of Ingenico, a leading electronic payment services company, in October 2022.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Chairwoman of the Audit and Accounts Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Director: Airbus SE* (Chair of the Audit Committee; member of the Ethics, Compliance & Sustainability Committee)
- Chairwoman: Ingenico
- Director: Lottomatica
Xavier Huillard
Independent Director - Lead Director
Born in 1954 - French nationality
Date of first appointment: 2017
Start of current term: 2021
End of current term: 2025
Career
Xavier Huillard is a graduate of the École polytechnique and the École nationale des ponts et chaussées. He has spent most of his working life in the construction industry in France and abroad. He joined Sogea in December 1996 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of international activities and specific projects, and then became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He was appointed Deputy General Manager of VINCI in March 1998 and was Chairman of VINCI Construction from 2000 to 2002. He was appointed Senior Executive Vice President of VINCI and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Energies from 2002 to 2004, then Chairman of VINCI Energies from 2004 to 2005. Xavier Huillard became Director and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI in 2006 and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI on May 6, 2010. He was Chairman of the Institut de l’Entreprise from January 2011 to January 2017. Xavier Huillard is Chairman of VINCI Concessions since June 20, 2016.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L'Air Liquide S.A.* (Lead Director since May 2022)
- Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
- Chairman of the Appointments and Governance Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: VINCI*
- Chairman: VINCI Concessions SAS
- Chairman of the Supervisory Board: VINCI Deutschland GmbH
- Permanent representative of VINCI on the Board of Directors of VINCI Energies, and of Fabrique de la Cité
- Permanent representative of Snel on the Board of Directors of ASF
- Permanent representative of VINCI Autoroutes on the Board of Directors of Cofiroute
- Chairman: Fondation d’entreprise VINCI de la Cité
- Director: Kansai Airports, Association Aurore
- Honorary Chairman: Institut de l'entreprise
(*) Listed companies are indicated by an asterisk.
François Jackow
Chief Executive Officer & Director
Born in 1969 - French nationality
Date of first appointment: 2022
Start of current term: 2022
End of current term: 2026
François Jackow has a dual scientific and managerial education acquired in France and in the United States. A graduate from the École normale supérieure of Paris, he also holds a Masters degree in Chemistry from Harvard University in the United States and an MBA from the Collège des ingénieurs. He joined the Air Liquide group in 1993. After a very international career started in the United States and in the Netherlands which led him to successively hold responsibilities in sales, marketing, and engineering & construction, François Jackow worked for two years alongside Benoît Potier, Chief Executive of the Group at that time. In 2002, he was appointed Vice President of Innovation, supervising Research & Development activities as well as Advanced Technologies for the Group. Starting 2007, he undertakes the responsibility of Chief Executive Officer for Air Liquide Japan, based in Tokyo, before being appointed Group Vice President of the Large Industries Business Line in 2011. In 2014, François Jackow joined the Executive Committee and was designated as the Group’s Strategy Vice President. In this role, he oversees the development of the NEOS strategic plan and contributes to the Airgas acquisition. In 2016, François Jackow became Executive Vice President supervising notably Europe Industries, Europe Healthcare as well as Africa, Middle-East & India hubs. He is also in charge of the Healthcare World Business Line, the Innovation, Technologies, Digital and IT functions also report to him, as well as the Customer Division. On June 1, 2022, François Jackow became Chief Executive Office of Air Liquide.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Chief Executive Office and Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director: Air Liquide Santé International
- Director: Air Liquide Foundation
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Member of the Management Committee: Atelier de Constructions Mécaniques de la Marne (A.C.M.M.)
Christina Law
Independent Director
Born in 1967 - Chinese Nationality (Hong Kong)
Date of first appointment : 2023
Start of current terme : 2023
End of current term : 2027
Christina Law is a graduate of University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor in Social Science, Major in Economics and Political Sciences, and holds a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. She started her career in 1988 at Shell Hong Kong as an Oil Analyst before being promoted as Manager in the Chemical Division. After completing her Master degree in France, she joined Procter & Gamble where she held various marketing leadership positions first in Switzerland then in Singapore as Marketing Director responsible for the Asia Pacific region. In 2005, she joined Johnson and Johnson, the world’s largest and most broadly based healthcare company, based in Singapore. She held a number of senior executive positions, including Regional Director of Baby Care, Country Manager of Singapore, Vice President Beauty Care Asia Pacific and later as Vice President Neutrogena Worldwide. From 2012 to 2019, she worked in General Mills Inc, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods, first as Region President for Asia, Middle East, Africa and subsequently as Group President leading all of Asia and Latin America region. Since 2019, she has been CEO of Raintree Group of Companies. Christina Law is a Board Director of Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company leading in developing medicines against diabetes and other serious chronic diseases, since March 2022. She is also a Board Director of INSEAD since 2016.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Director: Novo Nordisk* (Member of the Audit Committee)
- Director: Greenfields Dairy
- Chief Executive Officer and Director: Raintree Group limited and Raintree Investment Pte Ltd.
- Director: INSEAD Business School (Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee)
Kim Ann Mink
Independent Director
Born in 1959 - American nationality
Date of first appointment: 2020
Start of current term: 2020
End of current term: 2024
An American citizen, Kim Ann Mink holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hamilton College and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Duke University, and is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mink spent most of her career in leading international groups in the chemical sector, where she held increasing managerial positions. She joined Innophos in 2015 as President and CEO and was named Chairman in 2017. Prior to joining Innophos, she served in senior executive positions at the Dow Chemical Company since 2009, most recently as business president of Elastomers, Electrical and Telecommunications. She had previously served for more than 20 years at the Rohm and Haas Company (which was acquired by Dow Chemical) where she held roles of increasing responsibility, including corporate vice president and general manager for the Ion Exchange Resins business.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Director: Eastman Chemical Company* (member of the Audit Committee; member of the Finance Committee; chair of the Environmental, Safety and Sustainability Committee)
- Director: Avient Corp.* (formerly PolyOne Corp.*) (member of the Audit Committee; member of the Environmental, Health and Safety Committee)
- Director: Group 14 Technologies
Alexis Perakis-Valat
Independent Director
Born in 1971 - French and Greek Nationality
Date of first appointment: 2023
Start of current terme: 2023
End of current term: 2027
A graduate of HEC, Alexis Perakis-Valat joined L’Oréal, the world’s leading cosmetics group, in 1994 as Product Manager. He became Marketing Director of L’Oréal Paris and then held various strategic positions within the group in Europe and the United States: General Manager Garnier/Maybelline Belgium from 1999 to 2001, General Manager of L’Oréal Paris Spain from 2001 to 2003, General Manager of SoftSheen-Carson in the United States from 2003 to 2005, General Manager of L’Oréal Germany from 2005 to 2009. He took over as General Manager Europe for the Consumer Products Division in 2009, and, in September 2010, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of L’Oréal in China, based in Shanghai. In 2013, his responsibilities were extended to include the whole of Asia Pacific and he became a member of the group’s Executive Committee. Since September 1, 2016, Alexis Perakis-Valat has been President of the Consumer Products Division, a major division of L’Oreal. He is involved in the major transformations that reinforce L'Oréal's leadership, notably in three key areas; digital, environmental & social responsibility, and development of the distribution channels.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- President of the Consumer Products Division and Member of the Executive Committee: L’Oréal*
Michael H. Thaman
Independent Director
Born in 1964 - American Nationality
Date of first appointment: 2023
Start of current terme: 2023
End of current term: 2027
Michael H. Thaman is a graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He began his career in 1986 with Mercer Management Consulting, where he became Vice President in the New York office. In 1992, Michael Thaman began his nearly 30 year career with Owens Corning, a global building and industrial materials leader, where he held a variety of senior leadership positions including VP and President, Engineered Pipe Systems from 1997 to 1998 and Exterior Systems Business from 1999 to 2000, and Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2019, Michael H. Thaman served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Owens Corning, and was Executive Chairman from 2002-2020, a period during which Owens Corning became one of the top-rated US companies on ESG criteria. Michael H. Thaman has been a Director of NextEra Energy, a major US based utility company, from 2003 to 2014, a decade during which the company developed a clean energy growth strategy.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Director: Sherwin-Williams* (Member of the Compensation and Management Development Committee)
- Director: Kohler Co.
- Director: UL Solutions Inc.
Fatima Tighlaline
Director representing the employees
Born in 1979 - French nationality
Date of the first appointment by the European Work Council: October 1st, 2020
Date of current term: October 2020
End of current term: 2024
With a technology degree in Business and Administrative Management from Evreux Technology University (IUT) and a degree in Modern Languages from Paris New Sorbonne University, Fatima Tighlaline joined the Group in 2002 as a treasury accountant. She continued her career in the Rare Gases and Helium Department, and then at Air Liquide Santé France in the Procurement Department. In March 2020, she joined Vitalaire (a subsidiary specializing in Home Healthcare) as manager of the Île-de-France planning team. Pursuant to Article L. 225-27-1-II of the French Commercial Code and Article 11 of the Company’s articles of association, Fatima Tighlaline was appointed Director representing the employees and member of L’Air Liquide S.A.’s Board of Directors by the European Works’ Council on October 1, 2020. She has been a Certified Company Director – IFA Sciences Po since December 2021.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Head of the Île-de-France respiratory and O2 planning: VitalAire France
Monica de Virgiliis
Independent Director
Born in 1967 - Italian and French nationality
Date of first appointment: 2023 (co-option by the Board of Directors of February 15, 2023)
Start of current term: 2023
End of current term: 2024
Monica de Virgiliis graduated from the Polytechnic of Turin with a degree in electronic engineering. She started her career in 1993 at Magneti Marelli (Fiat Group) as a production engineer. In 1996, she joined the CEA in Italy, where she was in charge of developing partnerships with Italian companies. In 2001, she began a 15-year career at STMicroelectronics, a leading international semiconductor group based in Geneva, where she held various managerial positions, including General Manager of the wireless multimedia division, and ultimately Corporate Director of Strategy and Development. In 2015-2016, Monica de Virgiliis was Managing Director of the Industrial Microcontroller Division of Infineon, a German semiconductor group based in Munich. Throughout her career in the field of new technologies, Monica de Virgiliis has alternated between operational and strategic positions on a global scale and has played a key role in the transformation of business models in markets highly impacted by digitalization. In 2017, Monica de Virgiliis decided to apply her technological skills to energy transition. She was Director of Strategy at CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) in Paris from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, she founded Chapter Zero France, a non-profit association aiming to raise awareness of climate issues among non-executive directors, of which she is Chair.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Member of the Environment and Society Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Chairwoman: SNAM* (since April, 2022) (Member of the Board since 2016; Chair of the Remuneration Committee from 2016 to 2019)
- Member of the Supervisory Board: ASM International* (since 2020) (Member of the Audit Committee)
Annette Winkler
Independent Director
Born in 1959 - German nationality
Date of first appointment: 2014
Start of current term: 2022
End of current term: 2026
Doctor in Economics from the University of Frankfurt (Germany), Annette Winkler became the Managing Shareholder of a medium-sized construction company. In 1995, she joined the Mercedes-Benz group, where she held a variety of positions and in particular that of Senior Director / Head Public Relations and Communications. After spending two years as Head of the Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlet in Braunschweig, she became Chief Executive Officer of DaimlerChrysler Belgium and Luxembourg (1999-2005), then Vice President of Global Business Management & Wholesale Europe (2006-2010). Vice President of Daimler AG, since 2010 she was Chief Executive Officer of smart (with overall responsibility for the brand, also in charge of the smart factory in Lorraine), until 2018.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
- Director: L’Air Liquide S.A.*
- Chairwoman of the Environment and Society Committee
- Member of the Nomination and Governance Committee
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
- Director: Renault S.A.* (Chairman of the Strategy Committee), Renault S.A.S.