Managing Team

General Management

Pursuant to legal and statutory provisions, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer are vested with the most extensive powers to act on behalf of the Company under any circumstances. They exercise their powers within the limits of the corporate purpose and subject to the powers expressly vested in the Shareholders' General Meeting and the Board of Directors; they represent the Company with respect to third parties.

The General Management of the Company is composed of Gérard Buffière, Chief Executive Officer, assisted by Jérôme Pecresse, Chief Operating Officer, appointed to this function on the proposal of the Chief Executive Officer by the Board of Directors at its meeting of February 13, 2008. Prior to this date, no Chief Operating Officer was appointed.
The duration of the term of office of Gérard Buffière as Chief Executive Officer is the same as for his term of office as Director. Information on the Chief Executive Officer’s duties and his capital interest in the Company is given in chapter 6, paragraph 1.2 of the Annual Report.


Executive Committee

The Chief Executive Officer decided, with the support of the Board of Directors, to set up an Executive Committee comprised of the Group’s main line and support managers to assist him in the general management of the Group.


Mission

The Executive Committee, under the control and responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer, is primarily in charge of:

• Implementing strategy and all the measures determined by the Board of Directors;

• Monitoring the operating activities of each business group and ensuring, by defining any necessary corrective measures, that they comply with their budgets and carry out the action plans approved by the Chief Executive Officer;
• Defining and monitoring the Group’s performance improvement goals in terms of the protection and safety of individuals on their workplace and defining any corrective measures;

• Defining Group-wide policies and actions (sustainable development, including environment, health & safety, internal communications, internal control and risk management, innovation and research, purchasing) and overseeing their rollout;

• Fostering the sharing and dissemination of best practices in all areas between the four business groups;

• Giving opinions and recommendations on all projects, operations or measures that may be submitted to it by the Chief Executive Officer, particularly with a view to their subsequent presentation to the Board of Directors or its specialized Committees.

Chief Executive Officer
Director

Age 64 - French - Joined the Group in 1998 and member of the Managing Board from this date

Appointed Chairman of the Managing Board in 2003, he became CEO upon the return to a Board of Directors-based management structure in 2005.

Chief Operating Officer
in charge of Minerals for Ceramics, Refractories, Abrasives & Foundry business group

Age 43 - French.

Joined Imerys in 1998 after holding various positions with Crédit Suisse First Boston. Was successively Vice-President Strategy & Development then Chief Financial Officer and, since April 2006, has supervised the Minerals for Ceramics, Refractories, Abrasives & Foundry business group. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in February 2008.

Executive Vice-President,
Materials & Monolithics Business Group

Age 60 - French.

Joined Imetal in 1977 and has remained in the Group throughout his career. Initially Uranium and Manganese Mining Operations Manager, he joined the Group’s roof tiles & bricks activity in 1986. In 2002 he was appointed Vice-President for the Building Materials business group, which became Materials & Monolithics in 2005 with the consolidation of Calderys.

Vice-President,
in charge of Pigments for Paper business group

Age 46 - French.

Joined Imerys in 1995 after beginning his career in strategy consulting at Mars & Co. Was successively in charge of Strategy & Development for the Group, then in the United States (Atlanta) in the Pigments & Additives business group. Since 2000, he had held the position of Vice-President and General Manager in several Imerys profit centers in Europe and Asia. He was Vice-President and General Manager, Minerals for Ceramics until February 2008.

Vice-President,
in charge of Performance & Filtration Minerals business group

Age 47 - American

Joined Imerys in 2002 after holding various positions with Siemens, BASF and Schlumberger. Was Vice-President & General Manager Performance Minerals North America, then Vice-President & General Manager Minerals for Filtration until February 2008.

Chief Financial Officer

Age 49 - Belgian

Joined Imerys in 1999 after holding various international responsibilities in the Schlumberger group, he was successively Financial Controller of the Building Materials & Ceramics business group in France, then of the Pigments & Additives business group in the United States. Promoted Group Control & Tax Director in January 2003, he took the position of Pigments for Paper Europe General Manager in January 2007. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in October 2009.

Vice-President, General Counsel & Company Secretary

Age 47 - French

Joined Imerys in 1999 as General Counsel and Secretary of the Board. His career was previously with Pechiney, where he started in the group’s Legal Department before taking over its Corporate department.

Vice-President, Innovation, Research & Technology & Business Support

Age 56 - French.

Joined Imerys in 2000 after holding several positions in the French Ministry of Industry then at Thomson, Sanofi and SKW Trostberg. Managed the Building Materials & Ceramics, then Specialty Minerals business groups. Currently also supervises Sustainable Development, Geology, Environment, Health & Safety and coordinates Purchasing and Energy.

Vice-President Human Resources

Age 55 - French

Joined Imerys in 2004 as HR Manager Continental Europe & Asia and appointed Group Vice-President Human Resources in July 2005. Previously held several HR positions with the Schlumberger, DMC and LVMH groups.