Board of directors and Committees

In accordance with French law, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain refers to and complies with the principles of corporate governance set out in the AFEP-MEDEF corporate governance code for French listed companies.

The Board of Directors of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain is comprised of 14 members including 42% of women and 73% of independant board members. Its decisions are made in light of the recommendations of three Board committees:

  • the Audit and Risk Committee, 
  • the Nomination and Remuneration Committee,
  • the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee.

Directors are elected for a four-year term (article 9 of the bylaws), in accordance with the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF corporate governance code for French listed companies.

At its meeting on November 24, 2016, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain’s Board of Directors decided to create the position of Lead Independent Director (Administrateur Référent), which is taken on by Jean-Dominique Senard, independent Director since 2012, since the Annual General Meeting held on June 8, 2017.

Download the bylaws

  • Pierre-André de Chalendar

    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain
    Member of the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee

    Pierre-André de Chalendar

    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain

    Pierre-André de Chalendar is a graduate of ESSEC Business School and École Nationale d'Administration.  A former civil servant (Inspecteur des Finances), he served as deputy to the Director General for Energy and Raw Materials within the French Ministry of Industry. 

    Mr. Chalendar joined Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 1989 as Vice-President, Corporate Planning. He was subsequently Vice-President of the Abrasives business in Europe (1992-1996), President of the Abrasives business worldwide (1996-2000) and General Delegate for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (2000-2002) before being appointed Senior Vice-President of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in charge of the Building Distribution Sector in 2003. 

    Appointed Chief Operating Officer of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 2005 and elected to the Board in 2006, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2007 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2010.

    Pierre-André de Chalendar is also a director of BNP Paribas, and has chaired Entreprises pour l’Environnement from 2012 to 2015.
    He directly supervise the Innovative Materials Sector from Saint-Gobain since October 29, 2015.

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  • Alain Destrain

    Employee Director

    Alain Destrain

    Safety Auditor, Saint-Gobain Interservices

    Alain Destrain was in particular union representative and then titular member of the Saint-Gobain Emballage (former Packaging Sector) Works Council, Central Union Delegate of Verallia (former Packaging Sector), Saint-Gobain Group Committee Secretary, member of the Convention for European Social Dialogue and a Member of the Select Committee. 

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  • Iêda Gomes Yell

    Independent Director

    Iêda Gomes Yell

    Founding President of Energix Strategic Ltd

    Brazilian and British national, Iêda Gomes Yell is a Director and a member of the Strategic Committee and of the Audit and Risk Committee of Bureau Veritas (a French listed company). She is also a Director of Exterran Corporation (United States) and a Director of InterEnergy Holdings.

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  • Anne-Marie Idrac

    Independent Director
    Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee

    Anne-Marie Idrac

    Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aéroport Toulouse-Blagnac 

    Anne-Marie Idrac is also a Director of Total and Bouygues, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the School of Public Affairs of Sciences Po Paris and Vice-Chairman of the Robert Schuman Foundation.  

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  • Pamela Knapp

    Independent Director
    Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

    Pamela Knapp

    Director of companies

    German national, Pamela Knapp is also a member of the Supervisory Board, Nomination, Compensation and Governance Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee of Peugeot S.A., a Director of the consulting firm HKP Group AG (Switzerland), a Director and member of the Audit committee of Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd (Switzerland) and a Director and member of the Audit Committee of NV Bekaert (Belgium). 

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  • Pascal Laï

    Employee Director
    Member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee

    Pascal Laï

    Environment, Health and Safety promoter of Saint-Gobain Sekurit France

    Pascal Laï was in particular titular member of the Saint-Gobain Sekurit France Works Council, titular member of the Saint-Gobain Group Committee, Group coordinator and titular member of the Convention for European Social Dialogue. 

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  • Agnès Lemarchand

    Independent Director
    Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

    Agnès Lemarchand

    Director of Compagnies

    Agnès Lemarchand is also a Director of CGG and BioMérieux and Chairman of Orchad SAS.

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  • Frédéric Lemoine

    Director
    Member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
    Member of the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee

    Frédéric Lemoine

    Chairman of the Management Board of Wendel

    Frédéric Lemoine is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bureau Veritas and holds various positions and functions within companies registered outside France in which Wendel holds an equity interest.

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  • Jacques Pestre

    Director representing employee shareholders

    Jacques Pestre

    Senior Vice-President of SGDB France in charge of Point.P

    Jacques Pestre is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Employee Savings Fund “Saint-Gobain PEG France” and holds various positions and functions within several companies of Saint-Gobain’s Building Distribution Sector.

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  • Olivia Qiu

    Independent Director
    Member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee

    Olivia Qiu

    Director of Innovation of Philips Lighting, Executive Vice Chairman of Philips

    Olivia Qiu is a Chinese and French citizen. She is Director of Renault. 

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  • Denis Ranque

    Director

    Denis Ranque

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airbus Group

    Denis Ranque is also a Director of CMA-CMG and Scilab Enterprises.

    He is Chairman of the "Haut Comité du Gouvernement d’Entreprise" (the High Committee in charge of monitoring implementation of the Corporate Governance Code of Listed Corporations), co-Chairman of La Fabrique de l’industrie and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ecole Polytechnique Foundation.

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  • Gilles Schnepp

    Independant Director
    Member of the Audit and Risk Committee

    Gilles Schnepp

    Chairman an Chief Executive Officer of Legrand

    Gilles Schnepp holds various positions and functions within subsidiaries of the Legrand Group.

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  • Jean-Dominique Senard

    Lead Independent Director
    Independent Director
    Chairman of the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee

    Jean-Dominique Senard

    Chief Executive Officer of Michelin

    Jean-Dominique Senard does not hold any other directorships.

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  • Philippe Varin

    Independent Director
    Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee

    Philippe Varin

    Chairman of the Board of Directors of Areva

    Philippe Varin is also special representative of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development for the ASEAN countries and Chairman of the “Cercle de l’Industrie”. 

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Board secretary:

  • Antoine VIGNIAL, Corporate Secretary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility

The following information was last updated on June 9, 2017.

COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD

The Board of Directors is assisted by three committees, which it consults prior to making certain decisions. The committees submit their recommendations to the Board for deliberation.

AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE 

Members

  • Philippe VARIN, Chairman
  • Agnès LEMARCHAND
  • Frédéric LEMOINE
  • Gilles SCHNEPP

Duties of the Audit and Risk Committee

The Committee is exclusively composed of independent directors. No executive directors sit on the Committee. By virtue of their current or past positions, the Committee members each have considerable experience and high-level expertise in financial and accounting matters.

Without encroaching on the role specifically vested in the Board of Directors, the Committee mainly oversees the following matters:

  • The processes used to prepare financial information.
  • The effectiveness of internal control and risk management systems.
  • The work performed by the Statutory Auditors on the financial statements of the Company and the Group.
  • The Statutory Auditors’ independence.

Find out more in the Annual Report

NOMINATION AND REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

Members

  • Anne-Marie IDRAC, Chairman
  • Frédéric LEMOINE
  • Pascal LAI, employee Director
  • Olivia QIU

Duties of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee  

As of June 9, 2017, two Committee members, including its Chairman, were independent Directors.
The employee Director is not taken into account to compute the independence ratio of this Committee in compliance with the AFEP-MEDEF code.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee fulfills the duties of both a nomination committee and a remuneration committee provided for in the AFEP-MEDEF code.

Find out more in the Annual Report

STRATEGY AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COMMITTEE

Members

  • Jean-Dominique SENARD, Chairman
  • Pierre-André de CHALENDAR
  • Frédéric LEMOINE

Duties of the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee

In accordance with the Board of Directors’ internal rules in force at June 9, 2017, the Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee is responsible for examining and identifying improvements to the Group’s business plan, reviewing any strategic issues proposed by its members and ensuring that CSR issues are taken into account in defining the Group’s strategy.

Find out more in the Annual Report

Bylaws

Download the bylaws

DECISIONS OF THE BOARD

Board of Directors as of June 9, 2017.