BIO
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rhodia since March 17, 2008. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Executive Officer since October 2003. He is also a director on the board of directors of Faurecia since May 29, 2007 and of SNCF since February 21, 2008. Mr. Clamadieu was the president of the Pharmacy and Agrochemicals Division from April to October 2003, president of the Fine Organics Division from January 2002 to April 2003, senior vice president of Corporate Purchases in 2001 and president of Rhodia Eco Services between 1999 and 2000.
From 1996 to 1999, he served as the president of the chemical sector responsible for chemical activities of the Rhône-Poulenc Group for the Latin America zone of Rhodia. Mr. Clamadieu came to Rhône-Poulenc in 1993 to develop new activities in the field of automobile pollution control. Before joining Rhône-Poulenc, Mr. Clamadieu was a technical advisor to the Minister of Labor from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Clamadieu started his professional career in 1984, occupying various positions in French governmental agencies such as the Regional Industry and Research Office (DRIR) and the French Delegation for Territorial Development and Regional Action (DATAR). Mr. Clamadieu is a graduate of the Mines ParisTech.
The Rhodia Group made its first inroads into China 30 years ago at the precise moment the country initiated the political and economic reforms necessary to embark on its transformation to a modern market economy. Occupying a privileged perch from which to observe the transition from its early stages, the specialty chemical firm has set down solid roots in the Middle Kingdom, leading CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu to observe: the opportunities China represents are enormous. Nevertheless, they must be constantly balanced with an increasingly rigid regulatory environment and the near daily struggle to secure adequate supplies of the resources necessary for continued growth.
Le groupe Rhodia a fait ses premiers pas en Chine il y a trente ans, au moment où ce pays entamait son stupéfiant virage vers l'économie de marché. Le chimiste de spécialité est devenu au fil du temps un observateur acéré des mutations de l'empire du Milieu. Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, le PDG de Rhodia, nous livre son diagnostic: aujourd'hui, les opportunités restent gigantesques mais les règles d'investissement se durcissent et l'accès aux ressources est un défi de chaque jour.