François Desné Joins Arkema Executive Committee as SVP

François Desné joins Arkema as Senior Vice President High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases and a member of the Group’s Executive Committee. He succeeds Laurent Tellier, who was appointed Arkema’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) last July.

With nearly 30 years of international experience in the industry, François Desné has recognized expertise in transforming global industrial businesses, accelerating growth and strategic repositioning of companies toward more sustainable business models. His career has been built within leading companies in materials and chemicals.

François Desné had been Chief Executive Officer of the Steel Wire Solutions (SWS) and Bekaert Bridon Ropes Group (BBRG) divisions and member of the Executive Committee of the Bekaert Group since 2022.

Photo: Arkema

François Desné holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the Université of Paris-Cité (ex-Paris VII Denis Diderot), France, an MBA from the Wharton School, and a Master’s degree in International Business from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career within Rhodia in China and then in France, holding positions in quality management and application development (silicones).

He subsequently joined BASF’s Coatings and Performance Chemicals divisions. Based in Germany and across the Asia-Pacific region (Japan, China, and Singapore), he held various positions in controlling, general management, and Senior Vice President roles across several businesses, including Coatings, Leather & Textile Chemicals, and Water, Oil Field & Mining Solutions.

Before joining the Bekaert Group, François Desné served as Chief Executive Officer of the Engineered Foams business and was a member of the Executive Committee at Recticel.