Our Leadership Team
Air Liquide Engineering & Construction ensures a high level of performance through effective and streamlined governance which is assured through its Leadership Team. The Mission of the Leadership Team is to ensure the support of the whole organization by being a visible body that debates, decides and aligns objectives within the Air Liquide Engineering & Construction organization.
Bruno Ponson
Vice President, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction
Bruno Ponson is the Vice President of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. He joined Air Liquide in 1997. He was appointed to his current position in September, 2023. Bruno has more than twenty five years of experience in the chemical, industrial and medicinal gases sectors. During his long career, he has held technical and managerial roles of increasing responsibility and has contributed to the development of important international projects in Italy, France, Turkey and Qatar. Between 2015 and 2020 he was General Manager in Poland, Ukraine and then Russia, gaining an all-round experience in managing complex organizations and challenges in different markets and industrial sectors. From 2020 to 2023, he was Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide Italia leading the business growth and positioning the company among the main players in the energy transition, technological innovation and digitalization. Bruno graduated from École des Ponts ParisTech with a Degree in Industrial Engineering.
Meritxell Rodriguez de Lera
Vice President, Global Execution & India
Meritxell Rodriguez de Lera is the Vice President, Global Execution & India of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. She joined Air Liquide in January, 2021 as Vice President of E&C Global Operations. She was appointed to her current position in September 2024. Meritxell has more than 25 years of experience in Project Management and Operational roles for the energy, oil & gas industries, including upstream, downstream and refinery projects. Before joining Air Liquide, Meritxell worked for Tecnicas Reunidas, gaining a wealth of experience in all project phases from conceptual phase, FEED to start-up and leading very large and complex projects (EPC and LSTK) worldwide.
Pascale Bayle
Vice President, Legal
Pascal Bayle is the Vice President, Legal of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. She joined Air Liquide in 2015 as Chief Legal Officer Engineering & Construction and Senior Counsel of sanctions laws. She was appointed to her current position in September, 2020. A former lawyer at the Paris bar, Pascale has more than 15 years of legal experience both as outside legal counsel in law firms, and as in-house legal counsel, in renewable energies, chemicals and oil and gas industries, mainly specializing in corporate, M&A, compliance, EPC contracts and commercial law in international environments.
Dominique Bernal
Vice President, Europe, Middle East & Africa
Dominique Bernal is the Vice President, Europe, Middle East & Africa, at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, bringing more than 35 years of expertise within the Air Liquide Group. With a deep understanding of engineering, technologies, industrial operations, and business strategy, he has held key leadership roles with Engineering & Construction across commissioning, project execution and sales.
Throughout his career, Dominique has successfully led the Group’s Advanced Technologies division, the Electronics global portfolio of products, and Air Liquide’s Engineering & Construction operations in Houston. He later took on strategic roles in Industrial Merchant in the Americas and as Vice President of Large Industries - World Industrial Management in Frankfurt, before overseeing the Group’s major project investments as Vice President of Capital Implementation Europe.
Benoit Hilbert
Vice President, Sales & Technology
Benoit Hilbert is the Vice President of Sales & Technology at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, with over 25 years of experience at Air Liquide. He has held key leadership roles, including CEO of Engineering & Construction in France and CEO of the Advanced Technologies international division, where he led sales, engineering, and manufacturing across sectors such as aeronautics, space, helium, hydrogen cryogenics, and new energy solutions. Benoit has a strong track record in driving global organizational strategies and expanding market reach. He holds a Master’s Degree in Science from Ecole Centrale Paris and Stanford University.
Agnès Renard
Director, Communications, Engineering & Construction and Large Industries
Agnès Renard is the Director of Communications for Engineering & Construction and Large Industries at Air Liquide. She joined Air Liquide in 1996 in a sales position in Air Liquide Santé France. She was appointed to her current position in September 2024. With over 25 years of international experience in the business and communications field, Agnès has consistently demonstrated her expertise in enhancing corporate visibility, brand reputation, and fostering stakeholder engagement. Agnes has held several senior Communications positions within the Air Liquide Group, where she has been responsible for both internal and external communications including operational marketing, public relations, crisis communication and media relations. Agnes’s leadership in managing complex communication strategies and change management approaches in international environments has been integral to supporting Air Liquide’s global initiatives and strategic goals.
Sameer GUNJIKAR
Vice President, Americas Region
Sameer Gunjikar is the Vice President of the Americas Region at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. Sameer joined Air Liquide in 2004 as a Project Manager, and has accumulated over 30 years of international experience in the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) industry. He is currently based in Houston, Texas, managing the activities of E&C in the Americas, focusing on energy transition projects related to low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia, electronics, hydrogen liquefaction, and carbon capture. Previously, he has held managerial positions in the E&C offices in Germany, China, Poland and France. Sameer graduated with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Financial Management.
ZHANG Xi
Vice President, Asia Region
ZHANG Xi is the Vice President of the Asia Region at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. He joined Air Liquide in 2009 as an Advanced Process Control Engineer in Houston, Texas, and has since accumulated 16 years of international and management experience within the group. Between 2018 and 2020, he was Managing Director of Thailand. In his previous role from 2022, Zhang Xi oversaw the Group’s business in the Southeast Asia Cluster covering 7 ASEAN countries, focusing on the growth of the electronics sectors in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. He holds a bachelor degree in automation from the University of Science and Technology of China, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University. He has completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program at London Business School.
Perrine Deleneuville
Vice President, Quality, Health, Safety, Environment, Security, and Process Risk Management
Perrine Deleneuville is the Vice President of Quality, Health, Safety, Environment, Security, and Process Risk Management at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. She joined Air Liquide in 2023 as Global HSES Director and was appointed to her current role in September 2024. Perrine brings over 20 years of international operational experience in HSES and loss prevention engineering. Before joining Air Liquide, she served as Head of HSE for the Paris Operating Center of Technip Energies, where she led Health, Safety, and Environmental initiatives, focusing on energy transition and circular solutions. Throughout her two decades with Technip, Perrine held increasingly responsible roles across Europe and Asia, solidifying her expertise in the different fields of HSE: technical, field and management.
Thierry Roche
Vice President, Finance & Governance
Thierry Roche is the Vice President, Finance & Governance of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. He joined Air Liquide in 2009 as Senior Project Manager of Finance. He was appointed to his current position in November, 2020. Thierry has more than 30 years of international experience in Finance and has held various senior level positions within Air Liquide as Chief Finance Officer for Air Liquide Japan Air Gases, advanced Business & Technology (aB&T), and most recently for Global Markets & Technologies (GM&T) and Innovation & Development Division (IDD). Prior to joining Air Liquide, Thierry worked for companies such as Crédit Lyonnais, Générale de Santé and Veolia in France.
Jean-Philippe Soulard
Vice President, Human Resources, Engineering & Construction and Capital Implementation
Jean-Philippe Soulard is the Vice President, Human Resources of Air Liquide Engineering & Construction and Capital Implementation. Jean-Philippe has more than 30 years of international experience in Human Resources, starting his career with companies such as Spie Batignolles and Veolia, before joining Air Liquide Group in 2003 as Human Resources Director for the Welding Business Unit.
From 2009 to 2013, Jean-Philippe was in charge of leading the Human Resources function in the Asia-Pacific region overseeing talent development, intra-zone and international mobility and intercultural training. He then moved to Paris as VP, HR for the Group’s Engineering, R&D and Technologies activities, before moving to Airgas (18000 employees) in 2016 as Senior VP HR, leading the HR function in its integration phase. In his last position, from mid 2021,he was responsible for the Group’s Industrial Merchant Business Line and Hydrogen Force network and contributed to the creation of Air Liquide’s Joint Venture with Totalenergies to develop a network of Hydrogen fueling stations for heavy duty vehicles in Europe.
Bruno Aidan
Vice President, Digital, Data & IT
Bruno Aidan is the Vice President of Digital, Data & IT at Air Liquide Engineering & Construction. He joined Air Liquide in 2017 as Chief Data Officer & Head of La Factory. He was appointed to his current position in September, 2023. Bruno has more than twenty five years of experience in management of innovation and the value creation of product lines, business units and commercialization of high-tech products and services. Over the past years, he has been responsible for making data a core asset for the Group’s industrial assets, customers and patients. Prior to joining Air Liquide, Bruno worked for Axa and Alcatel-Lucent in various management roles in product, strategy, R&D and Innovation.