Following a decision approved by the Board of Directors on January 30, Frédéric LESCURE has chosen to entrust the management of SOCOMORE Group to José COELHO as Chief Executive Officer.


Founded in 1972 in Vannes, SOCOMORE was taken over in 1998 by Frédéric LESCURE, who gave the company an international boost by opening subsidiaries abroad, as well as pursuing a policy of active external growth, in order to get closer to its customers and expand the product range. At 64 and after 26 years heading the Group, he is now handing over to José COELHO, previously Director of the EMEA Surface Preparation and Coatings Business Unit. 


José COELHO joined the SOCOMORE Group in 2019, after more than 25 years in specialty chemicals within major industrial groups such as Arkema and Henkel. His experience in Europe and internationally has helped to develop the SOCOMORE Group into a strategic supplier to major aerospace OEMs, supporting an environmentally-friendly growth approach. 


José COELHO, new CEO of the SOCOMORE Group: “I am very proud to take over from Frédéric LESCURE, who has entrusted me with the management of the Group, and very happy to continue the adventure with the Executive Committee. Every day, the SOCOMORE teams demonstrate their strong commitment to innovation, quality and customer satisfaction. Together, we will continue to build the SOCOMORE Group, with all the agility and enthusiasm that characterize us”.


This major step was thoroughly prepared with all the members of the Executive Committee, in order to lay the foundations for the future 2030 strategy and meet future challenges with boldness, innovation and responsibility. The entire Comex has been reorganized around José COELHO, and welcomes a new CFO as of September 5.

From left to right: 

Gérald Monbeig Andrieu, 

Aurore Paul, 

Philippe Tingaut, 

José Coelho, 

Hervé Heinrich, 

Sébastien L’Arvor, 

Andrew Leech, 

Nathalie Vigouroux, 

Frédéric Lescure,   

Bernard Le Turdu, 

André Guérin, 

Solenn Madec

 

Key changes within the management team:

Nathalie VIGOUROUX is appointed Director of the Surface Preparation, Surface Treatment & Coatings Business Unit, replacing José COELHO. She will continue to manage OLNICA's Tracing business.
Gérald MONBEIG-ANDRIEU, formerly CFO, takes over from Nathalie VIGOUROUX as Director of the Non Destructive Testing Business Unit.

Sébastien L’ARVOR, who arrived on September 5th 2024, takes over from Gérald MONBEIG-ANDRIEU to lead the SOCOMORE Group's financial strategy, at a time when the Group's ambitions are to pursue its international growth.

André GUERIN, Chief Operating Officer, will also take on cross-functional management of the Group's transformation, including digital, R&D and sustainable development.

Solenn MADEC is appointed Director of sustainability for the Group, joining the Executive Committee

Frédéric LESCURE, remains Chairman of the Board, focusing on strategy, investor relations and representation within the SOCOMORE ecosystem.

Frédéric LESCURE: “Despite the many crises we've experienced over the past 2 decades, we've always been able to anticipate change and transform ourselves to meet the challenges of our different markets. I've had some exciting adventures, alongside the people who helped me build the company. I have every confidence that they will continue to lead it following the SOCOMORE values. For my part, I'm going to take a step back, while remaining very involved in the major challenges that lie ahead, such as external growth and adaptation to climate change”.

The SOCOMORE Group has multiplied its sales by 40 and will exceed 120 M€ in 2024 with almost 500 employees, thanks to an ambitious strategy of organic growth reinforced by significant external growth. In order to build on this success, the entire management and teams around the world have Frédéric LESCURE's trust to write new pages in the company's history.