Specialty chemicals giant Arkema has announced a major leadership transition, appointing Laurent Tellier as Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective July 1, 2026, as longtime executive Marc Schuller prepares to retire after helping steer the company’s transformation over the past two decades.
Tellier will report directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thierry Le Hénaff and will assume responsibility for all of Arkema’s business segments, including Adhesive Solutions (Bostik), Advanced Materials, Coating Solutions and Primary Materials.
The appointment marks a significant shift in Arkema’s leadership team as the company enters its next phase of growth.
Thierry Le Hénaff paid tribute to Schuller’s contributions, stating: “Having worked at my side since our spin-off in 2006, Marc has been a key player in Arkema’s transformation into a global leader in specialty chemicals, and I sincerely thank him for this.
"During all these years, beyond his outstanding professional expertise, I have greatly appreciated his knowledge of the chemical industry and its players, his great human qualities, the relevance of his advice and his loyalty. I also wish Laurent Tellier every success in his new role, and I am convinced that he will contribute fully to this new phase of Arkema’s development”.
Schuller will remain on Arkema’s Executive Committee until September 30 as a special advisor to the CEO, helping ensure a seamless transition with customers, employees and leadership teams.
Tellier, who joined Arkema’s Executive Committee in February 2023 as Senior Vice-President of Performance Additives, currently leads the High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases businesses. He will continue overseeing those operations during a short interim period until a successor—whose external recruitment has already been finalized—assumes the role.
With more than 25 years of international industrial experience across Asia, the Americas and Europe, Tellier brings deep operational expertise to the COO position. Before joining Arkema, he spent two decades at Saint-Gobain and is a graduate of École Polytechnique and École des Ponts ParisTech.
The leadership change comes as Arkema continues to strengthen its position as a global leader in specialty materials and advanced chemical solutions.
