Regulatory News:
Air Liquide’s (Paris:AI) Board of Directors, chaired
by Benoît Potier, met on November 30, 2021. Following the
recommendations of the Appointments and Governance Committee, the
Board reviewed the Group’s leadership succession plan and
unanimously approved the principle of a new form of governance. In
this context, when the Board meets at the close of the 2022
Shareholders General Meeting, it will be asked to renew Benoît
Potier’s term of office as Chairman of the Board of Directors and
to appoint François Jackow to succeed him as Chief Executive
Officer with effect from June 1, 2022.
On the recommendation of the Appointments and Governance
Committee chaired by Jean-Paul Agon, the Lead Director, the Board
of Directors announced its intention to appoint François Jackow as
Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Benoît Potier whose term
of office as Board Director will be submitted for renewal at the
General Meeting of shareholders to be held in May 2022. The General
Meeting will also be asked to appoint François Jackow as Board
Director.
This succession plan includes a new form of governance
separating the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and of
Chief Executive Officer. In this context, the Board announces its
intention to renew Benoît Potier’s term of office as Chairman of
the Board of Directors.
Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman of the Appointments and
Governance Committee, stated: “Our committee has been working on
Benoît Potier’s succession plan and the future governance of Air
Liquide for over two years. Several high quality candidates were
considered. François Jackow’s level of experience, skills and
personal qualities were assessed by the Board as being particularly
in line with the Group's performance and development strategy. His
appointment was recommended to the Board of Directors with Benoît
Potier’s full agreement”.
François Jackow joined Air Liquide in 1993. After a
wide-ranging, international career, François Jackow has the benefit
of his extensive experience of the Group, combining strategic
vision and knowledge of its business lines. A member of the
Executive Committee as Executive Vice President, François Jackow
notably in charge of Europe Industries, Healthcare in Europe and
Africa Middle East & India. The Global Healthcare activity, the
Innovation, Technologies, Digital and IT functions are also under
his supervision as well as Customer orientation strategy.
The Board of Directors also expressed its conviction that a new
form of governance is appropriate, within the framework of this
succession, separating the offices of Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. It welcomed the fact that the Group will retain the
benefit of Benoît Potier’s successful experience in the two roles
and of his commitment to the values of the Air Liquide Group which
he has managed for 20 years and chaired for 15 years.
The Board of Directors would like to take this opportunity to
express its warmest thanks to Benoît Potier for the fundamental
transformation of the Group which has more than doubled in size,
under his leadership, whilst its capitalization has increased
fivefold. In addition to Air Liquide’s international expansion, the
Board wishes to highlight its position at the forefront of the
markets of the future - healthcare, digital and, more recently,
energy transition, with hydrogen in particular - placing the
company in a very favorable position to face the challenges of the
coming decades.
Benoît Potier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
the Air Liquide group, stated: “I am delighted by the future
appointment of François Jackow as Chief Executive Officer.
The selection process has been exemplary. François Jackow is
someone I know very well. His professional and human qualities are
appreciated by all. His experience in the field, his strategic
vision and leadership are paired with a firm commitment to the
Group's values. We have a long history of working well together. He
has my full trust, as well as that of the Board. With this change
of governance, which combines continuity and renewal, the Group is
starting a new chapter in its history which coincides with the
launch of our new strategic plan to be presented in March 2022. For
my part, I am looking forward to continuing to fully contribute to
the success of the Air Liquide group, as Chairman.”
Biography of François
Jackow
François Jackow 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 2 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.
A member of the Executive Committee, François Jackow is
currently 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, and as such, is particularly involved in the strong
mobilisation of the Group in the context of Covid since the
beginning of the pandemic. The Innovation, Technologies, Digital
and IT functions also report to him, as well as the Customer
Division, which he created in 2014.
François Jackow is 52 years old, and a french citizen with a
dual scientific and managerial education acquired in France and in
the United States. Graduated from the Ecole 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.
A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry
and Health, Air Liquide is present in 78 countries with
approximately 64,500 employees and serves more than 3.8 million
customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential
small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air
Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the
company’s activities since its creation in 1902.
Air Liquide’s ambition is to be a leader in its industry,
deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability -
with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at
the heart of its strategy. The company’s customer-centric
transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible
growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence,
selective investments, open innovation and a network organization
implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and
inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and
environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and
delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.
Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to more than 20 billion euros in
2020. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange
(compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and
FTSE4Good indexes.
www.airliquide.com Follow us on Twitter
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