The Supervisory Board is responsible for Umicore’s general policy and strategy. It appoints and dismisses the members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and supervises its performance. It is also vested with specific powers, such as establishing the annual accounts, drafting the annual report and declaring an interim dividend. The Supervisory Board is assisted in its role by four committees.
The Supervisory Board approves the strategic plans and budgets submitted by the Executive Leadership Team, determines the risk appetite of Umicore in order to achieve its strategic objectives, and also ensures Umicore operates in accordance with good governance/ESG principles.
Board members
Thomas Leysen
Date appointed to BoardÂ
10 May 2000 (date appointment Chair: 19 November 2008)
EducationÂ
Law – KU Leuven, Belgium
ExperienceÂ
Thomas Leysen became Chair of Umicore in November 2008 after serving as Chief Executive Officer of Umicore since 2000. During this mandate, he transformed the former Union Minière from a non-ferrous company into an international materials technology group called Umicore. He joined the group in 1993 as member of the Executive Committee, and successively managed several industrial divisions.
External AppointmentsÂ
-
Chair, Mediahuis, a European newspaper publishing group
-
Chair, DSM-Firmenich
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2027
Chair since
19 November 2008
Chair of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee since
19 November 2008
Chair of the Investment Committee since
15 February 2023
Koenraad Debackere
Date appointed to BoardÂ
26 April 2018
EducationÂ
- Engineering – Ghent University, Belgium
- Management – Ghent University, Belgium
- Management – MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
ExperienceÂ
Prof. Dr. Ir. Koenraad Debackere has been with KU Leuven since 1995, where he teaches Technology & Innovation Management and Policy. He has won numerous awards for his research, and in 2010 was awarded a Francqui Lecture Chair in economics and business. From 2005 through September 2020 he was the general manager of KU Leuven and also a member of the Board of KU Leuven.
External appointmentsÂ
- Chair and independent director, chair of Nomination Committee, chair of Remuneration Committee, KBC Group NV, Belgium
- Member Board of Governors, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2027
Member of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee since
9 December 2020
Member of the Audit Committee since
26 April 2018
Frédéric Oudéa
Date appointed to BoardÂ
25 April 2024
EducationÂ
- École Polytechnique, Paris, France
- École Nationale d'administration, France
ExperienceÂ
Frédéric Oudéa, a French citizen, is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale d'administration. He spent most of his career in the banking sector, at Société Générale, where he was appointed CEO from 2008 till 2023. He is currently chair of Sanofi and senior independent director of Capgemini. He is also senior executive advisor to GBL Group.
External appointments
- Chair of Sanofi, France
- Senior Independent Director of Capgemini, France
- Senior Executive Advisor of GBL, Belgium
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2027
Member of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee since
25 April 2024
Member of the Sustainability Committee since
25 April 2024
Birgit Behrendt
Date appointed to BoardÂ
29 April 2021
EducationÂ
Business Administration - Academy of Administration and Economics (Verwaltungs-und Wirtschaftsakademie – VWA), Germany
ExperienceÂ
Birgit Behrendt held throughout her career various global leadership positions at Ford Motor Company and was elected a company officer and vice president Global Purchasing in 2013. From 2018 through 2019, she assumed the position vice president Joint Ventures, Alliances & Commercial Affairs. She is currently a Senior Advisor and Venture Partner at AP Ventures LLP, London.
External appointments
- Member Supervisory Boards: Thyssenkrupp AG, KION Group AG and Rolls-Royce Holdings plcÂ
- Member of the Board of Directors, Â Infinium Holdings, Inc.
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2027
Chair and member of the Sustainability Committee since
27 April 2023
Member of the Investment Committee since
15 February 2023
Marc Grynberg
Date appointed to BoardÂ
27 April 2023
EducationÂ
Master of Science in Business Engineering - Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management, Belgium
ExperienceÂ
Marc Grynberg was Umicore's Chief Executive Officer from November 2008 to November 2021. During his CEO mandate, he positioned Umicore as a global leader in clean mobility materials and recycling. Marc joined Umicore in 1996, served as CFO of the company between 2000 and 2006 and headed the Automotive Catalysts business from 2006 to 2008. Prior to joining Umicore, Marc held several management positions at DuPont de Nemours in Brussels and Geneva.
External appointments
- Independent, non-executive director of Nexans, member of its Strategy & Sustainability Committee, Audit & Risk Committee and Climate Director.
- Independent, non-executive director of Wienerberger, member of its Innovation & Sustainability Committee, as well as of its Audit & Risk Committee.
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2026
Member of the Investment Committee since
27 April 2023
Member of the Audit Committee since
25 April 2024
Alison Henwood
Date appointed to BoardÂ
28 April 2022 (effective 1 September 2022)
EducationÂ
- Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
- Ph.D, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
- Alison Henwood holds qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Experience
Alison Henwood is a highly experienced finance professional with a nearly 30-year career with Shell in various financial leadership positions in Europe and the US, including the position of Executive Vice President Finance, Shell Trading and Supply. She finished her executive career at Shell end of June 2022. From September 2021 to December 2025 when it was taken over, she was a Non Executive Director at Spectris plc, a global supplier of precision instrumentation, test equipment and software and a constituent of the FTSE 250.
External appointments
- Independent, non-executive director of Endeavour Mining plc
- Director of Sizewell C Limited
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2028
Member of the Audit Committee since
01 September 2022
Chairwoman of the Audit Committee since
27 April 2023
Member of the Sustainability Committee since
27 April 2023
Philip Eykerman
Date appointed to BoardÂ
25 April 2024 (effective 1 November 2024)Â
EducationÂ
- Chemical engineering, KU Leuven, BelgiumÂ
- Refinery engineering, French Petroleum Institute, France
ExperienceÂ
Philip Eykerman, a Belgian citizen, is Chief Strategy, M&A and Transformation Officer at dsm-firmenich and member of its Executive Committee. Mr. Eykerman joined DSM in 2011 as executive vice-president corporate strategy & acquisitions. He later took on additional responsibilities, including President of the Health, Nutrition & Care business. Before joining DSM, Mr. Eykerman was a partner at McKinsey & Company, and the leader of McKinsey’s chemicals practice in the Benelux and France.
External appointments
Member of the Board of Directors (dsm-firmenich representative) of AnQore
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2027
Member of the Audit Committee since
24 April 2025
Martina Merz
Date appointed to Board
24 April 2025
Education
Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cooperative Education in Stuttgart
Experience
Martina Merz, a German citizen, is a distinguished business leader. She was CEO at Thyssenkrupp AG from 2019 till 2023 after having held various executive roles at Robert Bosch GmbH, Brose Group and Chassis Brakes International. She is member of the Supervisory Board at Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (RBIK). She has served as Non-Executive Director on the boards of several listed companies in Europe and is currently non-executive director at AB Volvo. Mrs. Merz holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cooperative Education in Stuttgart.
External appointments
- Supervisory Board Member at Robert Bosch GmbH
- Non-executive director at AB Volvo
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2028
Member of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee since
24 April 2025
Anna Bertona
Date appointed to Board
30 April 2026
Education
- MSc in Industrial Design Engineering from Delft University of Technology
- MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management
Experience
Anna Bertona is the Chief Executive Officer and executive director of Azelis since January 2024 after serving as CEO for the EMEA region and as member of the Executive Committee. She joined Azelis in 2013 and held senior leadership roles in strategy and business development before becoming CEO. With more than 30 years of international experience, Anna has held senior positions across consumer goods, automotive and consultancy. Before Azelis, she was a partner at global management consultancy A.T. Kearney, advising clients in the chemicals sector on strategy, commercial excellence, growth and post-merger integration.
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2029
Benjamin Loh
Date appointed to Board
30 April 2026
Education
Bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Tohoku University, Japan
Experience
Benjamin Loh brings over 30 years of international leadership experience in the electronics and semiconductor industries. Most recently, he served as Chair of the Management Board and CEO of ASM International, and has held senior executive roles at Oerlikon, Veeco Instruments, FEI Company, and VAT Vacuum Valves. In addition to his operational expertise, Mr. Loh is a non-executive director of SEMI Inc, Chair of Comet Holdings AG, Director in the Supervisory Board of ASML, and has contributed to several boards across the industry. He has lived and worked across Asia, Europe, and the US.
External appointments
-
Chair of Comet Holdings AG
-
Non-executive director of SEMI Inc
- Director in the Supervisory Board of ASML
Expiration of mandate
Annual General Meeting of 2029
