Upon proposal by the Nominating, Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee, Arkema’s Board of Directors at its meeting held on 22 February 2023, decided to propose the following renewals and appointments at the Company’s next shareholders’ annual general meeting to be held on 11 May 2023:
This renewal will enable the Board of Directors to continue to benefit from her significant international business experience and her experience as a high-level executive in an industrial sector with high technological content, as well as from her knowledge of Arkema and of its priorities, developed over the last eight years within the Board and, successively, as a member of the Audit and Accounts Committee and the Nominating, Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee, as well as in her position as a senior independent director.
Details of her biography are set out in the 2021 Universal Registration Document.
This renewal will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from his long-standing experience as an executive in the specialty chemicals sector, his Anglo-Saxon culture, his international business experience, and his sensitivity to CSR issues, as well as from his knowledge of Arkema and its priorities, developed during his previous term of office on the Board and as a member of the Audit and Accounts Committee and the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee.
Details of his biography are set out in the 2021 Universal Registration Document.
The appointment of Mrs. Florence Lambert will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from her leading-edge skills and experience in research and innovation, particularly with regard to new technologies and the energy transition. Her knowledge of the institutional world, particularly in the fields of decarbonized energy, and of the world of start-ups in an international context, will be an asset for Arkema’s Board.
Born in 1972, Mrs. Florence Lambert is a graduate of the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble and holds a PhD in electrochemistry on renewable energy storage. She is an Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (French order of merit award). Since 2021, she has been Chief Executive Officer of Genvia, a company that aims to develop and deploy industrial technology for the production of decarbonized hydrogen.
Mrs. Florence Lambert began her career in 2000 at the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) where she held various positions. She was first in charge of a laboratory, particularly in the field of renewable energy storage, and then participated in the creation of the French National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) of the CEA, before joining it in 2006. In 2009, she became Head of the Electricity and Hydrogen for Transportation Department where she developed the integration of two key components: lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. From 2012 to 2020, she was head of the CEA-LITEN (Innovation Laboratory for New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials), bringing together more than a thousand researchers working on the energy transition, and filing more than 200 patents per year.
Mrs. Florence Lambert also has been Chairman of the Employment, Innovation and Training Commission of the Renewable Energy Union (since 2019), a member of the Academy of Technologies (since 2021) and Ambassador France 2030 - Decarbonization of the Industry (since 2022).
The appointment of Mr. Séverin Cabannes will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from his
long-standing experience and high-level skills developed as an executive in the banking sector, as well as from his very broad knowledge of finance and financial markets. The positions he has held in the chemical and new information technology sectors complement his profile and will strengthen his contribution to the Board of Directors.
Born in 1958, Mr. Séverin Cabannes is a graduate of France’s École Polytechnique and École Nationale des Mines de Paris. He is a senior independent director of Aéroports de Paris, a director of Moody's France SAS, Moody’s GmbH and Moody's Investors Service UK.
Mr. Séverin Cabannes started his career in 1983 at Crédit National as a financial analyst. From 1986 to 1997, he held various positions at Elf Atochem, including Manager of Polyethylene Manufacturing and Head of Economics and Strategic Planning. In 1997, Mr. Séverin Cabannes joined La Poste as international development and strategy Executive Vice-President, member of the Executive Committee, before becoming Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Strategy and Finance in 1998. In 2001, he joined Société Générale as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Management Committee, and between 2002 and 2006, he was Chief Executive Officer of Steria group. He rejoined Société Générale in 2007 as Head of Resources, and then as Deputy Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to the end of 2020. From January to September 2021, he was advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Société Générale.
- Renewal as a director, for a four-year term, of Mrs. Hélène Moreau-Leroy, senior independent director and member of the Nominating, Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee
This renewal will enable the Board of Directors to continue to benefit from her significant international business experience and her experience as a high-level executive in an industrial sector with high technological content, as well as from her knowledge of Arkema and of its priorities, developed over the last eight years within the Board and, successively, as a member of the Audit and Accounts Committee and the Nominating, Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee, as well as in her position as a senior independent director.Details of her biography are set out in the 2021 Universal Registration Document.
- Renewal as a director, for a four-year term, of Mr. Ian Hudson, member of the Audit and Accounts Committee and of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee
This renewal will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from his long-standing experience as an executive in the specialty chemicals sector, his Anglo-Saxon culture, his international business experience, and his sensitivity to CSR issues, as well as from his knowledge of Arkema and its priorities, developed during his previous term of office on the Board and as a member of the Audit and Accounts Committee and the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee.Details of his biography are set out in the 2021 Universal Registration Document.
- Appointment as an independent director, for a four-year term, of Mrs. Florence Lambert
The appointment of Mrs. Florence Lambert will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from her leading-edge skills and experience in research and innovation, particularly with regard to new technologies and the energy transition. Her knowledge of the institutional world, particularly in the fields of decarbonized energy, and of the world of start-ups in an international context, will be an asset for Arkema’s Board.Born in 1972, Mrs. Florence Lambert is a graduate of the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble and holds a PhD in electrochemistry on renewable energy storage. She is an Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (French order of merit award). Since 2021, she has been Chief Executive Officer of Genvia, a company that aims to develop and deploy industrial technology for the production of decarbonized hydrogen.
Mrs. Florence Lambert began her career in 2000 at the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) where she held various positions. She was first in charge of a laboratory, particularly in the field of renewable energy storage, and then participated in the creation of the French National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) of the CEA, before joining it in 2006. In 2009, she became Head of the Electricity and Hydrogen for Transportation Department where she developed the integration of two key components: lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. From 2012 to 2020, she was head of the CEA-LITEN (Innovation Laboratory for New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials), bringing together more than a thousand researchers working on the energy transition, and filing more than 200 patents per year.
Mrs. Florence Lambert also has been Chairman of the Employment, Innovation and Training Commission of the Renewable Energy Union (since 2019), a member of the Academy of Technologies (since 2021) and Ambassador France 2030 - Decarbonization of the Industry (since 2022).
- Appointment as an independent director, for a four-year term, of Mr. Séverin Cabannes
The appointment of Mr. Séverin Cabannes will enable the Board of Directors to benefit from hislong-standing experience and high-level skills developed as an executive in the banking sector, as well as from his very broad knowledge of finance and financial markets. The positions he has held in the chemical and new information technology sectors complement his profile and will strengthen his contribution to the Board of Directors.
Born in 1958, Mr. Séverin Cabannes is a graduate of France’s École Polytechnique and École Nationale des Mines de Paris. He is a senior independent director of Aéroports de Paris, a director of Moody's France SAS, Moody’s GmbH and Moody's Investors Service UK.
Mr. Séverin Cabannes started his career in 1983 at Crédit National as a financial analyst. From 1986 to 1997, he held various positions at Elf Atochem, including Manager of Polyethylene Manufacturing and Head of Economics and Strategic Planning. In 1997, Mr. Séverin Cabannes joined La Poste as international development and strategy Executive Vice-President, member of the Executive Committee, before becoming Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Strategy and Finance in 1998. In 2001, he joined Société Générale as Chief Financial Officer and member of the Management Committee, and between 2002 and 2006, he was Chief Executive Officer of Steria group. He rejoined Société Générale in 2007 as Head of Resources, and then as Deputy Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to the end of 2020. From January to September 2021, he was advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Société Générale.
The Board of Directors, through its Chairman, warmly thanked Mrs. Victoire de Margerie, whose term of office expires at the end of the next shareholders’ annual general meeting, for her active contribution to the work of the Board of Directors during her three terms of office, as well as for her participation in the work of the Nominating, Compensation and Governance Committee from 2012 to 2020, and in the work of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee, which she has chaired since it was set up in 2021. The Board also warmly thanked Mr. Laurent Mignon, a director of Arkema since its creation in 2006, whose term of office expires at the end of the next shareholders’ annual general meeting, for his commitment and contribution as a high-level executive, to the work of the Board of Directors and for his ongoing support during these years of major transformation and significant progress for the Group. Both Mrs. Victoire de Margerie and Mr. Laurent Mignon have enabled the Board, through their relevant comments during their years of office, to make progress in its functioning and to have their high-level insight on a number of strategic decisions to be taken.
In addition, subject to the renewal of his term of office as director by the shareholder’s annual general meeting, the Board of Directors has decided to appoint Mr. Ian Hudson as Chairman of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee, as a replacement for Mrs. Victoire de Margerie. After having carefully considered their experience and independence [1], and subject to their appointment by the shareholder’s annual general meeting, the Board of Directors has further decided to appoint Mrs. Florence Lambert as member of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee, and Mr. Séverin Cabannes as member of the Audit and Accounts Committee.
All governance changes decided by the Board of Directors will be detailed in the 2022 Universal Registration Document, which is scheduled to be released on 28 March 2023.
[1] In accordance with the criteria set out in the recommendations of the Afep-Medef Code.
In addition, subject to the renewal of his term of office as director by the shareholder’s annual general meeting, the Board of Directors has decided to appoint Mr. Ian Hudson as Chairman of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee, as a replacement for Mrs. Victoire de Margerie. After having carefully considered their experience and independence [1], and subject to their appointment by the shareholder’s annual general meeting, the Board of Directors has further decided to appoint Mrs. Florence Lambert as member of the Innovation and Sustainable Growth Committee, and Mr. Séverin Cabannes as member of the Audit and Accounts Committee.
All governance changes decided by the Board of Directors will be detailed in the 2022 Universal Registration Document, which is scheduled to be released on 28 March 2023.
[1] In accordance with the criteria set out in the recommendations of the Afep-Medef Code.