Arkema has appointed François Desné as Senior Vice President High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases and a member of the Group's Executive Committee, effective 12 October 2026. He succeeds Laurent Tellier, who was appointed Arkema's Chief Operating Officer last July. Desné brings nearly 30 years of international experience in materials and chemicals, having served since 2022 as Chief Executive Officer of the Steel Wire Solutions and Bekaert Bridon Ropes Group divisions and as a member of the Bekaert Group Executive Committee. He previously held senior roles at Recticel, BASF and Rhodia, and holds a Master's degree in Physics from the Université of Paris-Cité, an MBA from the Wharton School and a Master's degree in International Business from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Arkema, which reported sales of around €9.1 billion in 2025 and operates in some 55 countries with 20,700 employees worldwide, is structured into three Specialty Materials segments — Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials and Coating Solutions — accounting for some 85% of Group sales in 2025, plus a Primary Materials segment.
Arkema SAArkema appoints François Desné to its Executive Committee as SVP High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases; a leadership change with no clear financial driver.
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