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Philippe Varin CBE

Major Career Roles:

  • Chair, Suez
  • Chair, France Industrie
  • Vice Chair, Le Conseil national de l’industrie
  • First Vice President, International Chamber of Commerce
  • Chair, Peugeot SA

 

Other Career Highlights:

  • Independent Director, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA
  • CEO, Corus Group plc
  • Chair, Orano SA
  • Chair, Areva SA
  • Director, Faurecia SA

 

 

 

 

Philippe Varin is an experienced Chair of CAC 40, SBF 120 and private-sector companies. His experience comes from 21 years of international senior leadership which has given him multi-industry knowledge in automotive, finance, metals, raw materials and the circular economy.

 

Professional experience from positions in the metal and raw-materials industry at, among others, Pechiney SA and Corus. At Pechiney SA Philippe held various positions within the group including Financial Control, Strategy and Head of the Aluminium Dunkerque project. He was appointed Director of the Rhenalu Division in 1995, then Managing Director of the Aluminium Sector and member of the group’s Executive Committee in 1999.

 

In 2003 Philippe joined the Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus as Chief Executive Officer, and in 2007 he was also appointed to the Board of Tata Steel Ltd.

 

Philippe was appointed Chair of the Management Board at Peugeot in June 2009 and left the group in 2014. He then joined the Areva Group as Chair in 2015 and the spin-off Orano in 2017.

 

During his career Philippe has also been President of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Independent Non-Executive Director at BG Group Ltd and President of the European Confederation of Iron & Steel Industries.

 

Philippe is First Vice President of the Board of the International Chamber of Commerce and a Board member of Saint Joseph Paris Hospital. Previously he was Chair of Suez, the world’s leading environmental company dedicated to water and waste management, Chair of France Industrie, Vice Chair of the Conseil National de l’Industrie, CEO at Corus and Chair at Peugeot SA. He has chaired, each year since 2015, the World Materials Forum in Nancy, France.