Francois Grimbert

News

Francois Grimbert Appointed as Regional Chief Executive for the Sub-Saharan Africa Region

May. 27 2020

We are pleased to announce that Francois Grimbert has joined Bureau Veritas as Regional Marine & Offshore Chief Executive for the Sub-Saharan Africa Region. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Francois reports toKerem Kiper, Zone Vice President for India, Middle East and Africa.

Francois is highly experienced in managing teams and is very experienced in Africa. He has more than 25 years of experience in the Oil & Gas, Power & Utilities and Manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining Bureau Veritas in May, Francois was Sales Director for Aggreko in South Africa and before that Country Manager for Franks International, Angola.  

Francois is also a BV veteran. He worked for Bureau Veritas from 2003 to 2014 in management roles within the former I&F Operating Group: as Country Manager in Vietnam, Malaysia, the Maghreb Region and in Angola. He has also held management roles for AMEC in Angola and Schlumberger from 1992 to 2001.

Francois takes over this important position from Justin Tchitembo who, after a career spanning 36 years at Bureau Veritas, will retire on 30 June 2020. Justin will stay with the business for the interim period taking the role of Special Advisor to Francois and Kerem Kiper to help ensure a smooth transition.

Sub-Sharan Africa is a complex region but one where Bureau Veritas has always been strong with an excellent Marine & Offshore service delivery network supporting local clients, offshore activities and the many ships calling in African ports.  

Kerem Kiper commenting, said: ‘We are delighted to have someone of Francois’ experience and ability back on board with us. Of course will miss Justin. He has been a tremendous asset for us in a challenging region. I wish him all the very best for his retirement and in the meantime we are grateful he is able to stay on and help manage the transition with Francois.’

Francois Grimbert (pictured) is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Electronique (ENSEEIHT) and holds a post-graduate degree in Business Administration from Institut d’Administration des Entreprises (IAE) in Toulouse.