Benoît Potier (; born 3 September 1957) is a French businessman who was

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the French multinational industrial gas company

Air Liquide Air Liquide S.A. ( , ; literally " liquid air") is a French multinational company which supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, after Linde it is ...

from 2006 to 2022, and is now chairman.

Education

Potier graduated with an

engineer's degree An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Asia and Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always require ...

from

École Centrale Paris École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

in 1979. Potier also attended the executive training program of the Wharton International Forum and the

INSEAD INSEAD ( ; French: ''Institut européen d'administration des affaires'') is a non-profit business school with locations in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and North America (San Francisco, USA ...

Advanced Management program.

Professional career

Potier joined Air Liquide in 1981 as a Research and Development engineer. After working as a Project Manager in the Engineering and Construction Division, he was made Vice-President of Energy Development in the Large Industries business line. In 1993, he became Director of Strategy & Organization and, in 1994, was put in charge of the Chemicals, Metal & Steel, Oil and Energy Markets. He was made an Executive Vice-President of Air Liquide in 1995 with additional responsibilities over the Engineering & Construction Division and the Large Industries operations in Europe. Benoît Potier was appointed Senior Executive Vice-President in 1997. He was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2000 and became Chairman of the Management Board in November 2001. Potier was chairman and chief executive officer of Air Liquide from 2006 to 2022. He has been holding the office of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air Liquide since June 1, 2022.

Other activities

Corporate boards

Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited ( ) is a Singaporean State ownership, state-owned multinational investment firm. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$288 billion (S$389 billion) as of 2024. Headquartered at Orchard ...

, Member of the European Advisory Panel (since 2022) *

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2018) *

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

, Member of the Board (since 1 January 2025)

Non-profit organizations

CentraleSupélec CentraleSupélec (, CS) is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France and is a member of the graduate engineering school of Paris-Saclay University in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. It was established on 1 January 2015, as a ...

, Member of the Board * Association Nationale des Societes par Actions (ANSA), Member of the Board * Association Française des Entreprises Privées (AFEP), Member of the Board * Cercle de l’Industrie, Member of the Board *

, Member of the French Board * La Fabrique de l’Industrie, Member of the Board * European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT), Vice-chairman

Recognition

Potier has been awarded with France's Knight of the French Legion of honour "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" and with the distinction of "Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite" in 2006.Air Liquide – Benoit Potier’s biography http://www.airliquide.com/en/benoit-potier-9.html

References

External links

* French businesspeople {{DEFAULTSORT:Potier, Benoit 1957 births Living people Air Liquide people Siemens people Groupe Danone people Michelin people Businesspeople from Mulhouse École Centrale Paris alumni INSEAD alumni French chief executives Officers of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite