2024-01-10 18:49:00
C’was a figure in French industry. Thierry Desmarest, who chaired the oil company from 1995 to 2010, then interim in 2014, upon the death of Christophe de Margerie, died at the age of 78, indicated the TotalEnergies group, confirming information from the Monde.
During his presidency, the group, which was still called Total, became one of the world’s leading oil companies, notably thanks to its tactical qualities. Named Strategist of the Year by The Tribune in 1998, then manager of the year by The New Economist in 1999, Thierry Desmarest succeeded, under his mandate, in the merger with the Belgian Petrofina, then the – hostile – takeover bid for the French leader, Elf Aquitaine.
But, despite these resounding successes, he saw his image tarnished by disastrous crisis management during the sinking of theErika, in 1999. He was then seen as reacting coldly as a technocrat to the emotion linked to the pollution of the Breton and Vendée coasts, minimizing TotalFina’s responsibility and not deigning to go to the site. Same scenario two years later, when he underestimated the scale of the explosion in the AZF chemical factory in Toulouse, owned by a subsidiary of Total.
Total boss in 1989
Thierry Desmarest began his career in 1971 at the mines directorate of New Caledonia, before joining, in 1975, the offices of Michel d’Ornano and then René Monory at the ministries of Industry and the Economy.
IHe joined Total in 1981, as deputy director of Total Algeria, then rose through the ranks of the very powerful and profitable exploration-production division: from director Latin America and West Africa in 1983, to director Americas, France, Far East in 1988, then CEO in 1989. Since 2010, he has been honorary president of Total, which became TotalEnergies in 2021.
“By bringing together Total, Fina and Elf, he is the man who built and made our company a world-class group in the top 5 majors,” the current boss of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, paid tribute to him on . “We would not be what we are without his vision and his strategic spirit,” he added, before concluding: “Thank you, dear president, thank you Thierry. »
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