Governance

Amoéba relies on a prestigious and balanced Board of Directors, composed of financiers and industry experts.

The speed of Amoeba’s development has always been one of its strengths. Our Board of Directors reflects this need and relies on experts.

Benoit Villers, Nice & Green SA Executive Board Member, was appointed as a director of Amoéba and Chairman of its Board of Directors in December 2023. Benoit brings vast experience in commercial strategies and market development, drawing on expertise built up with major groups, such as Barry Callebaut and ADM, as well as younger companies like Nice & Green SA and the various startups that he supports.

Valérie Lorentz-Poinsot joined Laboratoires Boiron in 2000, after starting her career with Publicis and then working in the pharmaceutical industry for Fournier and Urgo. Initially Director of Medical Development, then Deputy Managing Director, she will become the company’s Managing Director in 2019. In this role, she will reorganize the company following the delisting of homeopathy in France, while developing new business segments.

Today, under her leadership, Laboratoires Boiron has demonstrated its resilience and innovation, with an offering that remains focused on homeopathy, food supplements, tests sold in pharmacies and cosmetics. Valérie Lorentz-Poinsot also founded the IWF (International Women’s Forum) – Rhône Alpes chapter and was its President for 5 years. She is currently Co-Chairwoman of the ETI AURA club (Entreprises de Taille Intermédiaire d’Auvergne Rhône-Alpes), a director of Jean-Moulin Lyon 3 University, a director of OL Fondation and a director of Mare Nostrum. She is the author of “Wonder Women, dites oui à vos pouvoirs”, published by Editions du Cherche Midi and “Homéopathie, Liberté, Egalité, Santé”, published by Editions Flammarion.

Valérie Lorentz-Poinsot holds a master’s degree in economics and marketing.

Valérie Filiatre has over 30 years’ experience in the administrative and financial management of listed European and American companies. Formerly Deputy Managing Director of Amoéba, she is now a member of the company’s Board of Directors. She has over 25 years’ experience in multinational companies, including 10 years in listed companies. Prior to joining Amoéba, Valérie Filiatre was CFO Europe of the ABnote group, a major supplier of secure documents to financial, government and educational institutions. In charge of consolidated financial information for the French, Czech, Slovakian and UK subsidiaries, Valérie Filiatre also played an active role in restructuring these entities.

Valérie Filiatre is a graduate of EM-Lyon, where she specialised in finance and accounting.

Jean-Luc SOUCHE has 36 years’ experience in the life sciences and is a specialist in plant protection. He has held various technical and marketing positions, in France and abroad, with Rhône-Poulenc Agrochimie. After gaining experience in biotechnology at Metabolic Explorer, in 2013 he became CEO of Agrauxine, a French start-up specialising in biocontrol, and then took charge of business development following its acquisition by the Lesaffre group. In particular, he contributed to the international development of Agrauxine’s range of biofungicides for vineyards, market garden crops and post-harvest treatment of fruit. In March 2023, Jean-Luc SOUCHE was elected to the Board of Directors of IBMA France, the French association of biocontrol companies, for a 3-year term.

Jean-Luc is a graduate agronomist from the Institut National Agronomique Paris Grignon (now AgroparisTech) and holds an executive MBA from HEC.

Patrice Sellès has more than 25 years’ experience in concluding strategic agreements and successful commercial developments with numerous innovators in the global agricultural and food technology industry. From 2019 to 2023, he was CEO of Biotalys, a Belgian company listed on Euronext that develops protein-based biocontrol solutions. There he led strategic development initiatives and global commercial partnerships that are still bearing fruit today.

Prior to this, he held several management positions at Syngenta, including developing the scientific strategy and acquisition of new technologies as Global Head of Digital R&D for the Group. He also worked as an investment manager at Life Science Partners Bioventures in Cambridge (MA).

Patrice Sellès is a chemical engineer and obtained his doctorate in organic chemistry from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris.

Jean-Marc Petat has over 30 years’ experience in BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division in technical, European marketing, sustainable agriculture and public relations functions. As a member of the Executive Committee in France and Western Europe until 2024, he launched and coordinated BASF’s agroecology strategy in France, in particular by structuring the contribution of new growth drivers such as biocontrol. He developed a 2030 roadmap for biocontrol by developing an open innovation strategy with public and private research, alliances with the agricultural world and communication with public authorities and environmental associations.

Jean-Marc Petat is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires based in Nancy.

Rules of Procedure of the Board of Directors

At its meeting of June 22, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors, using the option provided for in Article R.225-29 of the French Commercial Code, decided to create an Audit Committee from among its members.

Composition of the Audit Committee

Recent changes within the Board of Directors and in the company’s governance will lead to a change in the composition of the Audit Committee in the coming weeks.

Duties of the Audit Committee

Without prejudice to the powers of the Board of Directors, the Audit Committee is responsible for the tasks referred to in Article L.823-19 of the French Commercial Code.

Operating procedures of the Audit Committee

The rules governing the composition and operation of the Audit Committee have been laid down by the Board of Directors in specific internal regulations, the main terms of which are reproduced below.

The Audit Committee appoints its Chairman from among its members. In the absence of the Chairman, the Audit Committee appoints a Chairman for the meeting. In the event of a tie, the oldest candidate is appointed chairman.

At least half of the members of the Audit Committee must be present at the meeting, or two members if there are only two members.
The members of the Audit Committee may not be represented.

The Audit Committee meets as often as deemed necessary. The Audit Committee is convened by its Chairman, who sets the agenda and sends it to the members of the Audit Committee at least three days before the date of the meeting. Nevertheless, the Audit Committee may meet without delay if circumstances so require.

It may also meet at the request of two of its members or the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Meetings may be convened by any means, including verbally. Meetings are held at the Company’s registered office or at any other place indicated by the person giving the notice.

The Chairman or the Chairman of the meeting organizes and directs the work of the Audit Committee. He or she ensures that the Audit Committee functions properly and, in particular, that the members of the Audit Committee are able to perform their duties.

The Chairman of the Audit Committee ensures that the Audit Committee’s reports to the Board of Directors enable the Board to be fully informed, thereby facilitating the deliberations of the members of the Board of Directors and their decision-making.