Plans for a new organizational structure and appointments at Gaz de France

Transcription

1 Plans for a new organizational structure and appointments at Gaz de France Paris, May 3, 2007 Gaz de France is going to create a new organizational structure for its activities, shortly to be the subject of consultations with the employees representative bodies. This new organization aims to achieve the following: - To boost the Group s commercial dynamism to take advantage of market deregulation, - To give a priority focus on growth in France and abroad, - To enhance the strategic and financial management of the Group, - To enhance the Group s efficiency, responsiveness and overall performance by guaranteeing a better cohesion between the different levels within the company. This draft organization is based on the creation of a 3-tier management structure Group head, operating branches, Business Units -- capable of providing both greater autonomy and a tighter reporting structure: The Group head, or central institution, chiefly focused on corporate strategy, economic and financial management, development and acquisitions, and the cross-functional departments, 5 operating branches responsible for implementing the Group s strategy and managing the business units, and enjoying greater responsibilities and autonomy: - The Global gas branch (exploration-production, LNG, supply, sales, trading) will be managed by Jean-Marie Dauger, - The Infrastructures branch (transmission, LNG terminals, storage, distribution) will be managed by Yves Colliou, - The Energy France branch (sales department, production of electricity, Savelys) will be managed by Henri Ducré - The International branch will be managed by Pierre Clavel - The Services branch will be managed by Bernard Leblanc The Business Units will be responsible for the operating performance of the Group s business activities as part of the operating branches. Management structures will be set up, notably for the human resources, information system, audit, legal affairs and corporate strategy function. These horizontal departments will maintain a constant and effective dialogue between the Group, the operating branches and the Business Units.

2 Page 2/2 Gaz de France has also announced a series of appointments, effective April 30, Stéphane Brimont, previously Vice President, Strategy of Gaz de France, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Group, replacing Philippe Jeunet in this function. Henri Ducré has been appointed Vice President, Market Development & Sales, replacing Jean-Pierre Piollat in this position. Prior to this new appointment, Henri Ducré was Director of EDF Gaz de France Distribution Operations. He has been given responsibility for the creation of the Energy France operating branch. Jean-Michel Figoli, previously responsible for the prices and rates policy within the Strategy Department, has been appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Chairman and the Group s Senior Management team, replacing Michel Le Boedec in this capacity. Emmanuel Hedde, previously Vice President, Equity Acquisitions, has been appointed Company Secretary of the Gaz de France Group and Secretary to the Board of Directors Philippe Jeunet has been appointed Advisor to the Chairman & CEO. He will be responsible, in particular, for development operations of the Group. Michel Le Boedec has been appointed Deputy Director of the Commission for the Senior Executives of the Gaz de France Group. He will replace the current Director, Michel Montaigne, when he retires from the Group on July 1 st, Jean-Pierre Piollat has been appointed Advisor to the Chairman & CEO. He will be responsible, in particular, for the identification of strategic approaches making it possible to promote the expansion of the Group s commercial offerings and the study of new marketing methods and partnerships. Didier Sire has been appointed Vice President, Strategy of Gaz de France, replacing Stéphane Brimont in this position. He previously served as Deputy Director of the Strategy Division. As of May 1 st, 2007, the Executive Committee, chaired by Jean-François Cirelli, consists of Yves Colliou, Jean-Marie Dauger, Stéphane Brimont, Pierre Clavel, Henri Ducré, Emmanuel Hedde, Raphaële Rabatel and Philippe Saimpert.

3 Page 3/3 Biographies: Stéphane BRIMONT Stéphane Brimont held the position of Vice President, Strategy of Gaz de France and Advisor to the Chairman from December 2004 to April Stéphane Brimont (38) graduated from the Ecole polytechnique and the Ecole nationale des Ponts et Chaussées schools of engineering. After gaining initial professional experience with the Crédit Lyonnais bank in New York, he joined the Departmental Facilities Directorate of the Vaucluse département as Manager of the Town Planning & Construction Department. In 1997, Stéphane Brimont moved to the Budget Directorate of the French Ministry of Economy, Finance & Industry where he held a variety of positions, notably in charge of questions related to Research, the Post Office and Telecommunications and, subsequently, Transport. In May 2002, he joined the private staff of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the French Prime Minister, where he served as an advisor for budgetary affairs. Henri DUCRE Henri Ducré served as Director of EDF Gaz de France Distribution from July 2004 to April Henri Ducré (50) is a graduate of the Ecole nationale supérieure des Arts et Métiers school of engineering. In 1979, he joined the joint EDF Gaz de France distribution division where he completed the greater part of his career. He held various positions of responsibility, notably as Director of the Pyrénées Gascogne Centre and as Director of the Group of Mediterranean Centres. In 2001, he was appointed General Manager of Edenor (an EDF subsidiary in Argentina) and subsequently, in 2002, Director of the Distribution & Sales Division of the Americas Division of EDF. Emmanuel HEDDE Emmanuel Hedde held the position of Vice President, Equity Acquisitions, of Gaz de France from December 2004 to April Emmanuel Hedde (59) graduated from the Institut supérieur d électronique de Paris and the Institut de Contrôle de Gestion. After beginning his career as a Production Manager in different engineering and, subsequently, mechanical engineering companies, he moved to the banking industry to assume a series of positions of operating responsibility, notably as Assistant Manager of the Central Branch of the CEPME (Crédit d Equipement des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises).

4 Page 4/4 In 1993, he joined Gaz de France as Assistant Manager, and subsequently Manager, of the Subsidiaries & Equity Interests Office in the Financial and Legal Affairs Division. He was appointed Deputy Director of the Corporate Finance Division in 2000 and then Director of the Major Projects Division. Appointed Director of the Equity Acquisitions Department at the end of 2004, Emmanuel Hedde organized the Group s initial public offering. Philippe JEUNET Philippe Jeunet served as Chief Financial Officer of Gaz de France from May 2000 to April Philippe Jeunet (53) graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Science and holds a Master s degree in law. Before joining Gaz de France, Philippe Jeunet pursued the greater part of his career in the CEPME Group where he held different positions of authority in the area of corporate finance for companies specializing in the manufacturing and tourist industries. He managed two venture capital companies: Avenir Tourisme and Promotour Investissement. From 1984 to 1986, he was rapporteur on the French government s Interdepartmental Committee for Industrial Restructuring and in the French Treasury Department s Industrial Financing Office. Philippe Jeunet joined Gaz de France in 1991 as Assistant Manager of the Financial & Legal Affairs Division responsible for Subsidiaries & Equity Interests. He then held different positions of responsibility in the Group as Manager of Supplies and Gas Projects ( ) and as Director of International Development until Jean-Pierre PIOLLAT Jean-Pierre Piollat served as Vice President, Market Development & Sales of Gaz de France from July 2002 to April Jean-Pierre Piollat (57) graduated from the Institut national polytechnique of Grenoble. He has pursued his entire career within Gaz de France and EDF, chiefly in general management and in the area of sales development and marketing. In 1975, he joined the Senior Management team of EDF before moving to the Market Development & Sales Department of Gaz de France, where he assumed responsibility for development and marketing. As of 1983, he held several positions as both a line and staff manager within EDF GDF Services. In 1995, he was appointed Executive Director responsible for the Group of Mediterranean and Western Centres within EDF GDF Services. He was appointed Director of the Strategy Marketing Department in 1997 before becoming Vice President, Market Development & Sales in Didier SIRE Didier Sire held the position of Deputy Director, Strategy of Gaz de France from July 2003 to April 2007.

5 Page 5/5 Didier Sire (49) graduated from Ecole polytechnique and ENSAE, the French national school of statistics and economic administration. Didier Sire began his career in 1981 in the Distribution Department of EDF GDF before moving to the Sales Department of Gaz de France in 1990 prior to being appointed Principal Private Secretary of the Chairman s office in Didier Sire then held various positions of responsibility in international affairs between 1997 and 2003 as Manager of the Russia/CIS zone and LNG Manager in the Gas Supplies Department, as Strategy & Major Projects Manager in the Trading Division and, subsequently, as Assistant Manager in the International Division, responsible for the Europe zone. Michel LE BOEDEC Michel Le Boedec joined the private staff of the Chairman & CEO of Gaz de France in 2003, of which he assumed overall responsibility in February Michel Le Boedec (43) a graduate engineer from Ecole supérieure d électricité (Supélec), has pursued his entire career in the energy industry, notably in the distribution sector. In 1988, Michel Le Boedec began at EDF GDF SERVICES, an entity jointly run by Gaz de France and EDF, and held various positions of operational responsibility in distribution centres in the French provinces. Between 1999 and 2002, he worked for EDF in a department specializing in electrical networks maintenance engineering and safety prevention. Jean-Michel FIGOLI Jean-Michel Figoli was responsible for the prices and rates policy within the Strategy Department between May 2002 and April Jean-Michel Figoli (53) graduated from the Ecole supérieure d électricité et de mécanique in Nancy, a school of engineering specializing in electricity and mechanical engineering. He has pursued the greater part of his career in the Production and Transmission Department of Gaz de France, which he joined in He held various positions of responsibility in this Department in both a technical and operating capacity, and as Head of the Transmission Department. In 1998, he was appointed Director responsible for general studies and economics in the Research Division. Press Contact: Jérôme Chambin Tel.: jerome.chambin@gazdefrance.com Company profile: The Gaz de France group is a major player in the European energy market. Ranked first in the distribution of natural gas in Europe, Gaz de France employs more than 50,000 people and, in 2006, generated sales of 27.6 billion and net income of 2.3 billion. The Group boasts a portfolio of 13.9 million customers, 11.1 million of whom are based in France. Listed on the Paris Bourse in July 2005, Gaz de France entered the CAC40 and the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 indexes in September 2005.