PARIS, Feb. 19, 2003 -- Gerard Mestrallet, SUEZ Chairman and CEO, has made three new appointments to the management team named to carry out the Group's 2003-2004 action plan and new strategic direction announced January 9, 2003.
Gerard Lamarche has been named SUEZ Executive Vice President - Finance (CFO), with responsibility for financial operations, treasury, tax issues, management control, planning, consolidation, and accounting.
Gerard Lamarche (41), a graduate of the University of Louvain, joined Societe Generale de Belgique in 1988 in management control In 1991, Gerard Mestrallet, then CEO of Societe Generale de Belgique, appointed him to serve as Advisor for Business Strategy. In this capacity he participated in the strategic refocusing of SGB within Tractebel.
In 1995, upon Gerard Mestrallet's appointment as Chairman and CEO of SUEZ, Gerard Lamarche was named Special Projects Advisor in the Chairman's Executive Office. There he participated in the merger between Compagnie de Suez and Lyonnaise des Eaux and was later appointed the new Group's Senior Vice President responsible for Planning, Control and Accounts Management.
Effective March 2000, Gerard Lamarche was named Director and Senior Executive Vice President and CFO of Ondeo Nalco.
Alongside the Chairman and CEO of Ondeo Nalco, he successfully carried out the merger of Nalco, Calgon and Aquazur and implemented an ambitious cost cutting and debt reduction program which strengthened Ondeo Nalco's position as world leader in industrial water treatment
Henry Masson has been appointed Group Senior Vice President for Organization and Central Services (insurance, internal audit, purchasing, information systems, logistics) and Chief Risk Officer. He is responsible in particular for centralizing risks.
Henry Masson (51), a graduate of Ecole nationale d'administration (ENA), began his career with Caisse des Depots, then Caisse Nationale de Prevoyance (CNP).
He then took up financial posts with Pechiney and CNP before becoming Managing Director of Groupe Meeschaert, and later serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee of SBS-gestion (Swiss Bank Corporation).
In 1996, Henry Masson joined Compagnie Financiere de Suez as Chairman and CEO of Banque Monod, later becoming Senior Vice President for Corporate Internal Audit of Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.
Patrick Ouart appointed General Secretary of SUEZ and Group Ethics Officer
In this capacity, Patrick Ouart is responsible for the Group Legal Department and for managing the staff of the Group's deliberative bodies (including the Board of Directors, the Business Strategy and Compensation Committees, etc.), as well as for Group Ethics and Corporate Governance issues.
Patrick Ouart (43), a graduate of Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature, was a magistrate in the Civil Affairs Department of the Lille District Court and later Technical Advisor in the Office of the French Prime Minister (Edouard Balladur). He joined SUEZ in 1998.
These three functions, CFO, General Secretary and Chief Risk Officer, report directly to the Chairman and CEO.
Francois Jaclot resigns
In other news, Francois Jaclot, Director and Vice Chairman of the Management Committee of SUEZ, has resigned from the Board of Directors and is leaving the Group to pursue a new career path.
His responsibilities Finance, Information Systems, and the Communications division, will be divided among several senior executives of the group.
Francois Jaclot remains on the Board of Directors of Societe Generale de Belgique which is to merge with Tractebel; he will also carry out various advisory assignments for the Group.
This release is also available on Internet: http://www.suez.com .
