About Axens

Quentin Debuisschert was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Axens in February 2024.

Previously, Quentin Debuisschert held a leadership position at Eurecat SA as Chairman and CEO of the company as well as several managing positions in Axens as Catalysts Sales and Marketing Director, Olefins and Hydroprocessing Product Line Manager.

He also held positions at IFPEN as Project Manager and Pechiney as R&D Engineer. Quentin Debuisschert graduated from ENSIACET (Chemical Engineering degree) and University of Surrey (MSc).

Fabrice Bertoncini was appointed as CEO of Hydrocarbon Technology and Innovation (HTI, LLC), Lawrenceville USA, in charge of developing the company business in 2020.

Previously, Fabrice Bertoncini held several managing positions at IFPEN since 2001. He served as R&I Program Manager at the Process Business Unit in charge of R&I programs in the field of refining, conversion or waste plastic chemical recycling since 2014, He was appointed as Catalysis by Sulfide Head of Department in 2009, and he served as Hydrocracking Project Manager and Team Manager in R&I divisions.

Fabrice Bertoncini is an engineer who is graduated from the ESPCI Paris. He holds a PhD from Sorbonne University (formerly University Pierre et Marie Curie).

Olivier Blatter joined the Group as CFO in August 2003. He heads the Finance, the IT and the purchase departments. As Business Partners, his teams contribute to ensure a strong support to the operations as well as business continuity 

Prior to Axens, Olivier Blatter worked, notably, 5 years in the pharmaceutical industry (Squibb Laboratories), 7 years in the music industry (Warner & Bertelsmann groups) and 4 years in the IT Services sector (GFI Informatique).

Olivier Blatter is graduated from ESC Clermont-Ferrand (Business school).

Eric Caprani was the Adorbants&Claus Department Director since 2020. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Hydrocarbon Technology and Innovation (HTI), Lawrenceville USA, in charge of developing the company business.

Eric Caprani also served as Technology Development Director in charge of coordinating the company R&D needs and as Process Group Leader in charge of supervising the Basic Design Packages in the field of gasoline desulfurization, olefins processing and light ends purification.

Eric Caprani holds a Bachelor from the Ecole Nationale de Chimie de Lille, France, and a Master of Science in chemical engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Thomas Grimaud was appointed as Executive Vice President of the Engineering & Solutions Business Unit of Axens in 2018. His focus since then has been to deploy a transformation plan of the BU to accelerate synergies and competitiveness, in order to contribute to the enlargement of our integrated offer to our clients.

Before this, Thomas Grimaud was Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing for the Furnace activities of Heurtey Petrochem. He started his career in the development of high performance plastics in the Total Group and held various management positions in Total, Arkema, and Manoir Industries. 

Thomas Grimaud is a chemical engineer who graduated from ENSCP (Chimie Paris) and holds an executive MBA from Insead.

Helena Kazamaki joined the Group as General Counsel in June 2021. She heads the Legal Division. As Business Partners, her teams contribute to ensure legal and compliance support to the Business.

Prior to Axens, Helena Kazamaki worked, notably, 17 years in the Energy and Automation industry (ABB Group), 7 years in the Technology industry (Thomson/Technicolor). She also served at the European Commission in Brussels as well as in law firms in Stockholm (Sweden) and Paris.

Helena Kazamaki graduated with a Master of Law from the University of Stockholm, and she holds a postgraduate degree in EU law from the University of Paris I (Sorbonne).

Jean-Luc Nocca was appointed Executive Vice-President, Catalysts & Adsorbents Business Unit in 2017. Prior to his current position, Mr Nocca was Axens Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice-President in charge of the Technology Development and Innovation division.

During his carrier, Jean-Luc Nocca carried out several technical, commercial and management assignments in North America for Axens (Houston and Princeton) as well as in IFPEN’s headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison, France. He has spent over twenty three years in the United States holding the positions of Chief Executive Officer of Axens North America and previously Vice President Technology Sales & Marketing. 

Jean-Luc Nocca holds a Bachelor of Science degree from “Ecole Supérieure des Industries Chimiques” (ENSIC), Nancy, France and from the “Ecole Supérieure des Pétroles et Moteurs” (ENSPM), Rueil-Malmaison, France.

Executive Vice President Human Resources & In-House Communication 

Christian Vaute was appointed CEO of Axens North America in 2014. He heads the ROC Americas (Regional Operations Center). Prior to his current position, Mr Vaute was Executive Vice-President of Axens, in France, in charge of Catalysts & Adsorbents Business Unit Axens from 2002 to 2013. 

During his carrier, Christian Vaute carried out several technical, commercial and management assignments in France for Procatalyse from 1997 to 2002 and as well as for Rhône Poulenc. 

Christian Vaute holds a Bachelor of Science degree from “INP-ENSIACET (Chemical Engineering)” Toulouse, France and from “ISAE-SUPAERO (Advanced automatic and Systems)” Toulouse, France.

Jacques Rault joined IFP Industrial Division in 1991, as a Process Design Engineer and contributed to several Licensing projects design in the field of Distillates hydrotreatment and Steam Cracking effluents hydrogenations. He later joined the Marketing and Technology division as a Proposal Engineer in the field of Aromatics, before becoming Product Line Manager for Aromatics in 1999. At the creation of Axens in 2001, Jacques Rault joined the Marketing Technology and Technical Services in charge of the Gasoline and Aromatics Product Line prior to taking the lead of the Conversion Product Line. In 2013, Jacques Rault was appointed as Business Line Director in the Process Licensing Business Unit, supervising Middle Distillates and Conversion segment. From January 2022, he was Vice President for Sustainable Conversion & Hydroprocessing, Chemicals Integration in the Technology & Technical Support Business Division.

Jacques Rault graduated from Ecole Centrale de Lille and holds a Masters in Automation from Lille 2 University. He post-graduated from IFP-School in Refining and Petrochemicals in 1990.