Appointments at Arkema effective 1st July 2015

Christophe Villain is a graduate of Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie in Paris. He began his career at Elf Atochem in 1987 as Polypropylene Development Engineer within the Appryl subsidiary. In 1990, he joined General Electric Plastics to head marketing in the automotive sector. In 1996, he became Head of Elf Atochem’s Polystyrene Department, and in 2001 Head of Atofina’s global Bleaching Department. In 2003, he was appointed Managing Director of Arkema’s Urea Formaldehyde Resins business unit. From 2006 to 2011, he was Managing Director of CECA, and since 2011 had been Managing Director of the PMMA (Altuglas International) business unit.

Michelle Williams holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Utah, and completed the Graduate Management program at the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career in 1987 at Rohm and Haas Company as a Research Scientist. During her career with Rohm and Haas Company and Dow Chemical, Michelle also held manufacturing, sales, marketing, strategy, and general management positions. She was General Manager, CMP Technologies, and later General Manager, Adhesives and Sealants. Michelle joined Arkema in 2011 after a 23 year career at Rohm and Haas and Dow Chemical. In 2011 she was named Global Group President of Arkema’s Hydrogen Peroxide business unit.

Manny Katz graduated in Chemical Engineering at Rutgers College of Engineering in Piscataway (NJ). He began his career at M&T Chemicals, a subsidiary of the Elf group, as Process Development Engineer. In 1990 he joined Elf Atochem where he held a number of commercial functions. In 2000, he became Regional Group President for Thiochemicals and in 2006 for Fluorochemicals in North America. From 2009 to 2011, he was Vice President Goods & Services Procurement & Supply Chain at Arkema Inc. Since 2011, he had been Global Group President of the Organic Peroxides business unit.

Romuald de Haut de Sigy is a graduate of Ecole Centrale de Lille and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He joined Deutsche Atochem Werke in 1990 where he held a number of industrial and marketing positions. In 1994 he joined Elf Atochem’s Strategic Planning Division, and later became Director Strategic Planning US based in Philadelphia. In 1998 he became General Manager Functional Polymers Americas, before returning to France in 2001 to run the Organic Peroxides business for Europe and Asia. In 2007, he became Director Functional Additives EMEA and, in 2011, Logistics Vice President Arkema Group.

Erwoan Pezron graduated from Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielle in Paris (ESPCI) and has a PhD in Polymer Science from Université Pierre et Marie Curie. In 1989, he joined Total’s Resins Division as R&D Research Scientist at the Verneuil-en-Halatte R&D Center. In 1996, he became Vice President Technology at Cook Composites and Polymers (Total’s Resins Division) in the United States. In 2002, he became Business Development Director of Atofina’s Technical Polymers business, and in 2004 became R&D Director for Technical Polymers and Director of Cerdato (Arkema’s R&D center specializing in polymers). Since 2008, he had been Managing Director of the Fluoropolymers business unit.