Laurent Michaux

During my international (3 years in Germany, 4 years in the US, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Switzerland…) career path in the automotive and composite industries, I have been able to develop core competences in Business Unit / Operations General Management (up to €500m Top Line), Business Development, Strategy and Innovation.
I have been several times with FAURECIA (Global automotive supplier) in charge of Business Units (450 people Operations in the US, a Division including Renault / PSA and Ford businesses). I have also been one of the first General Manager of a very successful 50/50 Joint Venture (SAS Automotive Systems) with Continental (I managed complex Just in Time plants in France, Spain and the UK – 700 people).

I later become in charge between 2007 and 2012 of Global Sales, Strategy and Business Development for the Interior Business Group with a worldwide scope. Then I became Group Strategy VP and have contributed designing FAURECIA’s new Clean Mobility strategy with the responsibility to manage the C-Level Customer Relationship with all Carmakers (in Europe, US, Japan, Korea, China).

At the end of 2014, I moved to Zurich and joined the ExCom of a MidSize Swiss Group (GURIT - €450m) to lead a Business Unit in the Advanced composites manufacturing (I have restructured a plant in the UK and opened a greenfield in Hungary). At spring 2017, I moved back to Paris and the automotive industry as Head of Strategy and Business Development of NOVARES (€1.2bn controlled by Equistone Private Equity) with a focus on profitable growth and R&D pivotal move to transition from combustion engines to electrical motors. I took as well the lead to coordinate the Board Strategy Committee and to prepare the Equity Story for Investors roadshows and a potential IPO.

At this stage of my career, I am interested to find - as complementary to my executive activity - one or two Non Executive Board Director mandates. I have already been during 7 years a Director representing Faurecia at different international Joint-Ventures boards. I was also attending to each Gurit Board as Executive Committee member. On the governance side, I have developed my knowledge following specialized executive education programs at IMD (High Performance Boards) and IFA / Sciences Po (including an ecoDa european module covering UK specific governance made by Roger Barker, from IoD). I am today an active NED at the Board of Prodeval, a fast growing SME in the field of biogas and green energy.

I am an optimistic leader, with solid business acumen and who likes working within a team. I speak fluently french and german. I am ready to allocate the right quality time to be a valuable member of a Board in the Nordic area.