The chemicals activities of Totalfina Elf constitute one of the four business segments of the Group. The three other segments are Exploration/Production, Trading/Gas-Electricity and Refining/Marketing.
The chemicals activities will continue to be managed at the worldwide level by lines of products and specialized subsidiaries. They will be supervised by a Chemicals Management Committee which, under the authority of the Executive Vice President and President of the Chemicals Division, will provide collegial administration.
François Rocquet, who will supervise Human Resources and Communication.
On 31st March 2000, François Cornélis will be appointed Chairman of Elf Atochem which will take the name of Atofina. François Périer will become Director General and President of the Central Works Committee.
This organization is still only a proposal. It will not be final until European authorities have approved the merger and the applicable procedures required by labour legislation have been implemented.
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BIOGRAPHIES
Born in 1949, François Cornélis obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Louvain, Belgium and joined PetroFina in 1973. After serving as a systems engineer in the data processing center from 1974 to 1978, he became Supply and Shipping Manager of PetroFina UK and, in 1983, Vice-President of American PetroFina in Dallas. He was appointed Executive Director and Assistant to the President of PetroFina in 1986, CEO and Managing Director in 1990 and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1991. Following the merger with Total in 1999, François Cornelis became Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of Totalfina and Senior Vice-President, Petrochemicals, Paints and US Operations.
Francois Périer was born in 1952 and is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines, Paris. He joined Elf Aquitaine in 1983 and after a number of operational positions in the industrial sites of Elf Atochem, he was appointed Vice President Economics, Planning and Strategy at Elf Atochem, and subsequently Vice President Synthetic Organic Intermediates Division. In 1995, he became Senior Vice President Elf Atochem, in charge of Petrochemicals, Chlorochemicals, Fertilizers, and the Northern and Central European Zones and Southeast Asia. Since 30th September 1999, he has been appointed a member of the Board of Directors as well as Chief Operating Executive Officer of Elf Atochem.
Jean-Pierre Seeuws was born in 1945. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and in 1967 began his career with Rh¿ne-Poulenc, where he remained until 1989. After holding several managerial positions in production and chemical engineering, beginning in 1981 he held a series of executive positions in charge of basic inorganic chemicals, films then inorganic specialty chemicals. In 1989, he joined Orkem as President of the Specialty Chemicals division and moved over to Total in July 1990 as Executive Vice President, Chemicals division. In 1995, he became President of the Chemicals division and a member of the Group Executive Committee. In 1996, he was appointed Chairman of Hutchinson as well. Following the merger with PetroFina in June 1999, Jean-Pierre Seeuws became President of Totalfina Specialty Chemicals (except Paints) and a member of the new Group's Executive Committee.
Born in 1944, Axel de Broqueville obtained a degree in electronic engineering from the University of Louvain, Belgium and a degree in aeronautics from the Imperial College of London. He joined PetroFina in 1970 and held various positions over a period of three years. In 1973, he became Refinery Coordinator in the Supply Department and, in 1977, was appointed Special Assistant and Superintendent for Refining and Petrochemicals at the Fina plant in Big Spring, Texas. In 1980, he was appointed Vice-President, Supply, Transportation and Refinery Sales of American PetroFina in Dallas, Texas. He returned to Brussels in 1984 as Vice-President, Petrochemical Sales and, in 1985, became Senior Vice-President, Chemicals, Research and Development. In 1989, he was appointed Executive Director of PetroFina and elected a Director of Fina Inc. in 1990. Following the merger with Total in March 1999, Mr. de Broqueville joined the Management Committee of Totalfina and became Senior Vice-President, Petrochemicals.
Born in 1945, Jean-Bernard Lartigue is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and joined Elf Aquitaine in 1968. After several operational roles in Lacq and Calgary (Canada), he took up responsibility for Acquisitions in the Chemicals Division, and held a number of management positions in M&T Chemicals. He was Vice President International Division when he was invited to assist in setting up Elf Atochem. Since 1993 he has been Senior Vice President of Elf Atochem, in charge of Fine and Industrial Chemicals, Engineering Polymers, also in charge of Northern Asia.
Michel Perratzi, born in 1939, is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and holds a Masters Degree in Industrial Management from the University of Stanford. He joined Elf Aquitaine in 1964 as Economics engineer and was then a Production engineer at Lacq before doing Development Projects and International Negotiations from 1970 until 1975. Appointed President and CEO of Elf Isolation in 1975, he became also Managing Director of Siplast in 1981, and President and CEO of La Seigneurie in 1983. From 1985 to 1990, he was Managing Director of CECA, and in 1991, became International Director of Atochem. Since January 1992, he has been appointed Executive Vice President of Elf Atochem in charge of Performance Products, and oversees the Americas.
Born in 1953, Philippe Goebel is a graduate of the ESPCI, Paris and of the IEP, Paris. He began his career at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and then joined Elf Atochem in 1980. In 1985, he became Manager of Polyethylene low density and EVA Department and then, in 1989, Manager of the whole Polyethylene range of Elf Atochem. In 1991, he became Vice President for Corporate Planning and Economic Studies for Elf Atochem and in 1994, he was appointed Synthetic Organic Intermediates Vice President.
Born in 1946, Hugues Woestelandt earned his business degree from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lille then studied law at the Centre Universitaire d'Etudes des Communautés Européennes. He joined CdF Chimie in 1969, where he held various sales and marketing positions before becoming Vice President in charge of the Synthetic Organic Intermediates department. He joined Total in 1990 as Senior Vice President, Resins division. In 1996, he was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, Chemicals, and became a member of the Group Management Committee in 1998.
Jaques Denis was born in 1949 and after graduating from ESCP, began his career in 1974 in the finance division of Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine. From 1978 to 1980, he was Chief Financial Officer of Elf Aquitaine Inc. in the US. He then rejoined the Finance division of Elf Atochem and became Chief Financial Officer in 1988. At the beginning of 1993 he was appointed President of Atotech, before becoming, from May 1997, Secretary General of Elf Atochem and Member of the General Management Committee.
Francois Rocquet, born in 1944, is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris and holds a Doctorat es Sciences. After a lectureship at the Faculty of Sciences in Paris, he became a research engineer in the Pechiney Group in 1974 before joining in 1977 PCUK, first as a Production engineer and then as Site Manager. Following the purchase of PCUK by Elf Atochem in 1985, he managed a number of industrial sites. He rejoined the management of Elf Atochem as Director of Industrial Polymers and Special Products. Since 1992, he has been in charge of Human Resources at Elf Atochem, and since 1996, he has also been President of the Board of ENSCP.
