Executive Committee

Marc Grynberg, 46
Chief Executive Officer

Marc Grynberg was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Umicore in November 2008. He was head of the Group's Automotive Catalysts business unit from 2006 to 2008 and served as Umicore's CFO from 2000 until 2006. He joined Umicore in 1996 as Group Controller. Marc holds a Commercial Engineering degree from the University of Brussels (Ecole de Commerce Solvay) and, prior to joining Umicore, worked for DuPont de Nemours in Brussels and Geneva.

Ludo Vandervelden, 56
Chief Financial Officer

Ludo Vandervelden joined Umicore in October 2011 as Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Umicore, he was Senior Vice-President Accounting, Finance, Information Systems & Legal at Toyota Motor Europe. He previously held senior management positions at Daimler / Mercedes Benz in Belgium and Germany. Ludo holds a Commercial Engineering degree from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel as well as a management degree from Boston University School of Management. He has expertise in areas such as marketing, strategy and supply chain management. He is also responsible for Information Systems.

Denis Goffaux, 44
Chief Technology Officer

Denis Goffaux holds a degree in mining engineering from the University of Liège. He joined Umicore Research in 1995 and has lived and worked in Belgium, Chile, China and Korea. Prior to moving to Japan in 2006, Denis was head of the Rechargeable Battery Materials business line and successfully developed the business into a world leader in cathode materials for lithium ion rechargeable batteries. In his capacity as Country Manager Japan, Denis Goffaux laid strong foundations for Umicore to grow its industrial presence and commercial activities in Japan. He was appointed to his present post in July 2010. Besides his position as Chief Technology Officer, he also is responsible for Environment, Health & Safety.

Hugo Morel, 61
Executive Vice-President Recycling

Hugo Morel holds a Masters degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Leuven. He joined Umicore in 1974 and held several positions in production, commercial, strategy and general management. He headed the Zinc Chemicals business unit from 1996 to 1997 and was appointed to his present position in 1998. He joined the Executive Committee in 2002. Besides heading the Recycling business group, he also is responsible for Procurement & Transport.

Pascal Reymondet, 52
Executive Vice-President Performance Materials

Pascal Reymondet holds an MSc from Stanford University and an Engineering degree from the Ecole Centrale in Paris. He held different management positions within the Degussa group including management of the Port Elizabeth and Burlington automotive catalyst plants. He joined the Umicore Executive Committee in 2003 to be in charge of the Precious Metals Products group. In September 2007, he was appointed to head the Zinc Specialties business group. In June 2010 he assumed responsibility for the Performance Materials business group.

William Staron, 63
Executive Vice-President Catalysis

William Staron holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio University and has a long experience in the catalyst industry. During his time at Engelhard (now BASF), he headed the Environmental Catalyst, Specialty Minerals & Colors, and the Chemical Catalyst Groups. William joined Umicore in 2003 as Senior Vice-President for Automotive Catalysts in North America. In 2007, he was appointed Head of Global Research & Technology for the Automotive Catalysts division.  In October 2008 he became head of that business unit and member of the Executive Committee.

Marc Van Sande, 59
Executive Vice-President Energy Materials 

Marc Van Sande holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Antwerp as well as an MBA. He joined Umicore in 1980, and held several positions in research, marketing and production. In 1993 he was appointed Vice-President of the Electro-Optic Materials business unit and he joined the Executive Committee as Executive Vice-President of Advanced Materials in 1999. He assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer between 2005 and 2010 after which he took the helm of the Energy Materials business group.