GDF Suez, major changes in the Board of Directors

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GDF Suez: the new boss rejuvenates the board of Directors

ANNE FEITZ JOURNALIST – ON MARCH 24/03

Isabelle Kocher, GDF Suez’ new CEO, announces the group restructuring during a seminar attended by the 130 highest managers. – Gilles ROLLE/REA

Three newcomers will enter the company’s highest decision-making centre.

This change was one of the most important steps according to Isabelle Kocher. She was appointed in October 2015. Thus, GDF Suez’ new CEO, who will replace Gérard Mestrallet in May 2016, launched her project of organisation during a seminar attended by the 130 highest managers of the group, on Tuesday March, 24. It was high time. Waiting her decision since several months started to poison the working atmosphere in the company.

According to our information, Mrs Kocher, former financial manager of the group, intends to rejuvenate the board of directors. The appointments of Mrs Judith Hartmann, 45 years, coming from Germany’s Bertelsmann as financial manager, and of Mr Pierre Mongin, former CEO of the RATP (Parisian metropolitan company), 60 years, as General Secretary, were already made public.

GDF Suez Tower in Paris La Défense

Other new personalities will enter this board. Mrs Sandra Lagumina, 46 years, general manager of GrDF, will be appointed to the infrastructure division, to replace Mr Jean-Claude Depail, 65 years, who shall retire. Mr Pierre Chareyre, the deputy financial manager, will be in charge of Global Gas & GNL division, in place of Mr Jean-Marie Dauger, 63 years, which shall retire too. Finally, the head of exploration-Production division, Mr Didier Holleaux, 54 years, will be appointed at the head of a new one, in charge of  “skill competencies”.

The "Jules Vernes", the first methan tanker marinemarchande.com

GDF Suez: a possible new company name

Mr Jérôme Tolot, 63 years, (from the Services division) and Mr Willem Van Twembeke, 50 years, (from the Energy International division), will keep their position in the board of directors, with new missions. In brief, all activities linked with power production and energy services will be grouped following a geographic scheme. In this view, the European region will be assigned to Mr Jérôme Tolot and the International one to Mr Willem Van Twembeke. Thus Mr Tolot will manage the Energy Europe division, which will disappear as it will be broken down in other divisions. Then Mr Van Twembecke will manage all activities linked to energy services outside Europe.

In the same time, some twenty new entities will be set up, following a geographical or a skill scheme, with a wide autonomy, under the supervision of the five heads of division. Thus Isabelle Kocher intends to make the group closer to its customers and improve the company’s reactivity, in order to answer to possible tenders the quicker the better.

Gérard Mestrallet, Lemonde.fr

The group intends to include this new organization in the framework of a wider company project, which may include the change of the company name, GDF Suez, or to overhaul its brands.

The whole project will be officially unveiled next week, after being presented to the staff representatives, during a European company’s representatives committee. Then the project shall be submitted to the regulatory information-consultation procedure, to be implemented in early 2016 effectively. 

Anne Feitz, from "les Échos"