Our Board of Directors

Thierry Pilenko is a recognized leader in the energy sector with more than 40 years of experience in technology and management. From 2017 to 2019, he was the Executive Chairman of TechnipFMC plc, a project management and equipment company formed by the merger of Technip and FMC Technologies. Prior to this, he was Chairman and CEO of Technip SA.

Before joining Technip in 2007, Thierry was Chairman and CEO of Veritas DGC, a seismic services company based in Houston, where he managed its merger with Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG). He also held various management and executive positions with Schlumberger, starting as a Geologist in 1984, and holding several international positions in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the US. Throughout his career, he has served on the boards of Veritas DGC, CGGVeritas, Technip SA, Peugeot SA, Hercules Offshore, TechnipFMC, Valaris plc, Trident Energy, Ensign Natural Resources, P6 Technologies and Arkema SA.

Thierry is partner at the VC firm Tupper Lake partners and the founder of Pil & Co LLC, a consulting firm in strategy and leadership. He holds Engineering degrees from France’s Nancy School of Geology (1981) and the French Petroleum Institute (IFP) School (1982).

Mette Munkholm is an international business leader with over 25 years of experience in the energy sector across oil and gas, energy transition, and technology. She currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Green Therma, a company that develops technology for geothermal energy and emissions reduction, and is based in Denmark.

Prior to joining Green Therma, she has 10 years of global executive management roles at Baker Hughes spanning global business units and commercial leadership, all with a transformation agenda to deliver business growth and innovation. She is committed to advancing sustainable energy solutions and industry collaboration.

Mette holds a PhD in Geophysics from Aarhus University, Denmark with visiting scholarships at Colorado School of Mines, US and Macquarie University, Australia. 

Marco Villa is Chief Business Officer of Technip Energies. He has previously served as TechnipFMC’s President Onshore/Offshore (now Technip Energies) for Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa. From 2003 until 2017, Marco served in several leadership positions at Technip, in finance, business development, operations and management.

Prior to joining Technip, he worked as a finance specialist for Finmeccanica, an Italian multinational company specializing in aerospace, defense, and security, and as the Head of the Finance and Risk Management Division of Telespazio (Telecom Italia Group), a European spaceflight services company. Marco graduated with honors with a degree in economics from Rome University.

Jean-Pol Poncelet (born in 1950), a former member of the Belgian Government, is a Fellow of the Belgian Royal Society (Académie Royale de Belgique). He earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering (ingénieur civil) from the Polytechnic School of the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) in 1973.

His professional career started in the nuclear industry. He later served as Chairman of the Board of directors of the Belgian nuclear waste agency, senior Vice President with AREVA in Paris, and Director General of Foratom, the trade organization of the European nuclear industry.

Jean-Pol Poncelet was an elected Member of the Belgian Parliament from 1991 to 2001. From 1995 to 1999, he was Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Energy in the Belgian government.

Jean-Pol Poncelet is a member of the Board of Directors of John Cockerill S.A. in Liège (Belgium); he chairs the audit committee.

Loïc Chapuis is Chief Operating Officer of Technip Energies. 

After one year as Consultant for McKinsey & Company, Loïc joined Technip Energies in 2006 serving corporate activities in strategic development for two years for its Industries Business unit.

From 2007 until 2012, Loïc held various business and development positions for major onshore and offshore projects both in Paris and Asia, including the Shell Prelude FLNG project.

Between 2012 and 2021, firstly in Kuala Lumpur, then in Paris, Loïc was involved in several operational roles on large Onshore and Offshore Projects from Project Control to Project Director. He was part of major LNG project developments like Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG ventures.

In February 2021, Loïc was appointed to the roles of Senior Vice President of the Paris Business Unit and Technip France entity CEO, responsible for Project execution from Paris, Lyon, Barcelona and Russian Centers. Prior taking his role as COO of Technip Energies, he was Group Senior Vice President Gas, LNG & Low Carbon Energies of Technip Energies responsible for development, commercial activities, strategy and Project execution globally for that perimeter with responsibility of corresponding P&L.

Loic holds a master’s degree in engineering from École Polytechnique Paris and a master’s degree in Business and Strategy from HEC Paris.

Mathilde Descôtes is an accomplished lawyer with extensive experience in M&A and strategic transactions. She currently holds the position of VP Legal – Strategic Transactions, at Technip Energies, where she has been working since April 2023. Prior to joining Technip Energies, Mathilde worked at Sanofi for over five years as Senior Corporate Counsel for M&A. Before that, she gained valuable experience as a lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Mathilde graduated from Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) and holds a Magistère-DJCE and a Master's degree in Business Law from the University of Paris II - Panthéon Assas, which she earned in 2008.

Michel Vanhaesbroucke joined John Cockerill on January 17, 2022 as Director of Strategy & Business Development and member of the Management Board. After a career spent mainly with Engie and EDF, he has 30 years' experience in energy transition, investment funds, new business development and innovation ecosystems.

French borned in Belgium, Michel Vanhaesbroucke is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École des Ponts Paris Tech.

Christophe Malaurie is Group COO and Deputy CEO of John Cockerill, where he oversees global operations and supports the Group’s strategic execution and transformation. He also serves as President Americas, leading the company’s growth and industrial expansion across the region.

With over 25 years of international experience in energy, engineering, and industrial projects, Christophe brings deep expertise in operational leadership, large-scale project delivery, and business transformation. His career has been marked by senior executive roles within Technip Energies and TechnipFMC, where he led global business units and drove strategic growth initiatives across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. As Senior Vice President at Technip Energies, he led the decarbonization business line, supporting clients in energy transition and sustainable solutions. He also headed the Genesis consulting business unit, providing advisory services for complex energy projects worldwide.

Earlier in his career, Christophe held key leadership positions in Asia-Pacific, including President of Onshore/Offshore & Subsea activities, and built strong technical foundations through roles in subsea engineering, project management, and R&D. 

Christophe is recognized for his strategic vision, operational rigor, and ability to lead complex international organizations through transformation and growth in rapidly evolving energy markets.