

The management team

Benjamin Gonzalez
Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerBenjamin Gonzalez founded METabolic EXplorer in 1999 based on work done for his doctoral thesis. A driving force in the company's development, he is in charge of devising and implementing its strategy, particularly with regard to financial matters and business development. Under his leadership, the company has entered a phase of industrial and commercial development. Benjamin Gonzalez has an engineering degree and a PhD in biotechnology.

David Demeestere
Industrial Managing DirectorDavid Demeestere has more than 30 years of experience in the management of industrial operations, holding production management, site management and general management positions in the sectors of fine custom chemicals, pharmaceutical industry, production of highly active ingredients in confined environments and biotechnology. He worked in the groups Synthelabo, Sanofi-synthelabo, Tessenderlo, Astrazeneca, Minakem and Ajinomoto, and spent 5 years of his career in Belgium. David Demeestere trained as an engineer in industrial chemistry.

Laurence Caron
Human Resources DirectorLaurence Caron has 35 years of experience in industrial groups in the metallurgy, chemicals, dairy products, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors. She held operational positions in marketing, sales, production and then quality before specializing in Human Resources. For more than 25 years, she has structured the HR function in France and abroad, both in functions with operational responsibilities, and in defining and deploying the HR strategy in contexts of necessary organizational and cultural transformation. Laurence is an EDHEC graduate and holds a BA honors in Business Studies as well as a master's degree in ICG strategy.

Laurent Bastian
Chief Financial OfficerLaurent BASTIAN has nearly 20 years of experience in operational financial management in activities such as engineering and construction, renewable energies and utilities, services etc. He worked for about ten years in management control positions within industrial companies such as NAVAL GROUP or ALBIOMA where he set up management and control systems. He was also Financial Director at ESI Group, an internationally listed software company. He began his career as a civil engineer at Vinci. He graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and from the Ecole Normale Supérieure Ulm.

Philippe Soucaille
Chairman of the scientific committeePhilippe Soucaille joined METabolic EXplorer in 2002. He is an internationally renowned professor at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) in Toulouse, an engineering school recognised for its biotechnology programme. Previously he was senior scientist and project manager at Genencor International Inc. (USA), where he was in charge of an industrial collaboration programme with DuPont. His research has led to disruptive innovations for the production of chemical products from clean and renewable raw materials.
Autonomous and responsible teams

Under the leadership of the chairman and the management team, the company's management is autonomous and responsible. Autonomy and collaboration are encouraged in METabolic EXplorer's operational approach to promote creativity and initiative and to enable employees to carry out their projects in a responsible manner.
Industrial & Bio Sciences
Sébastien RIFFLARD
Industrial Property
Maud JUGUET
Business Development
Manuela FALEMPIN
Sustainable Development and Regulatory Affairs
Nicolas MARTIN
Finance
Stéphanie VITRANT
Communication
Emilie PLANE
Human Resources
Emilande CHAMBARD
Administrative Support
Nelly FAUCHEUX
