Director – Chief Executive Officer
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 Master’s 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. A member of the Executive Committee, François Jackow, was the Group’s Executive Vice President supervising notably Europe Industries, Europe Healthcare as well as the Africa, Middle East & India hubs. He is also in charge of the Healthcare World Business Line, the Innovation & Technologies, Digital & IT functions also reported to him, as well as the Customer Division, which he created in 2014. Appointed Member of the Board of Directors on May 4, 2022, François Jackow has been Chief Executive Officer of L’Air Liquide S.A. since June 1, 2022.
Lead Director – Chairman of the Remuneration Committee – Chairman of the Appointments and Governance Committee
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, a world leader in concessions, energy and construction, 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. He has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI since May 6, 2010. He was Chairman of the Institut de l’Entreprise from January 2011 to January 2017, of which Xavier Huillard is today Honorary Chairman.