Leadership

Patrice Lataillade (CEO)

Chief Executive Officer

Patrice is an ESSEC graduate with over 30 years of experience in finance, auditing, and M&A for the consumer goods industry, mostly fashion and luxury in New York and major European Capitals. His expertise and knowledge cover financial and operational areas, as well as international business development. After 5 years in finance, auditing, and M&A at the famous Chicago’s Arthur Andersen consulting firm, Patrice then worked for 15 years for LVMH brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, and Marc Jacobs, in CFO and COO capacities in Europe and the USA. Most lately, Patrice took on the role of COO at Proenza Schouler before joining an independent consulting firm in New York.

Frédéric Briand (COO)

Chief Operating Officer

Frédéric Briand is a senior industrial leader with over 30 years of experience in chemistry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals. Before joining Calyxia as COO, he held executive operational roles at Nutrition & Santé, EUROAPI, Sanofi, and Pierre Fabre, where he led multi-site industrial organizations in France and internationally. His expertise spans industrial strategy, operations, HSE, quality, and regulated manufacturing environments. At Calyxia, Frédéric brings deep industrial leadership to support scale-up, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

Damien Demoulin (VP Strategic Development)

Vice-President Corporate Development and Innovation

Damien is a recognized expert in emulsification technologies and is the author of more than 20 patents and publications. He holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the École Supérieure de Chimie Industrielles de Paris (ESPCI), where he went on to coordinate industrial partnerships in the Laboratoire Colloïdes et Matériaux Divisés. Damien is passionate about driving the transformation of scientific innovations to problem solving products.

Marc De Pater (Head of BU)

Head of Business Unit – Advanced Materials

Marc de Pater is a seasoned leader in the chemicals and advanced materials industries, with over 25 years of international experience. He has held senior positions at Henkel, Kraton, and Synthomer, where he led global businesses, delivering growth and innovation in specialty materials. Before joining Calyxia as Head of Advanced Materials, Marc served as Principal Consultant at Arthur D. Little, advising leading companies on strategy, innovation, and circular economy transitions. Marc holds an MSc in Polymer Chemistry.

Marie Line Deglaire (Head of BU)

Head of Business Unit – Home and Beauty

Marie-Line Deglaire is a results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, uniting strategic vision and industrial excellence. Before joining Calyxia as Head of Home & Beauty, she led Dr. Hauschka France, transforming operations and restoring growth. At L’Oréal, she directed national skincare categories, managed large commercial networks, and led marketing for Sanoflore, shaping product development and go-to-market strategies. She now brings this industrial discipline and market insight to build the future of sustainable beauty at Calyxia.

Karima Ouhenia (R&D Director)

Research & Development Director

Karima is an accomplished R&D Director with over 10 years of experience in formulation, microcapsules, colloid science, and polymeric particles. Karima shares a special interest in the synthesis methodology of fluorescent polyfunctional polymer nanoparticles. Graduating with a Ph.D. in organic, mineral, and industrial chemistry from UVSQ “Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines” in 2010, Karima has worked as a researcher for ENS Cachan, the Institute of Padua in Italy, for the Institute Lavoisier of Versailles France, and the Sorbonne University in Paris, before reaching Calyxia in 2016. Her secret to success is not only her natural leadership but her belief in transparency, precision, and creativity as key factors in the development of high-performing microcapsules.

Joy Solvan (CHRO)

Chief Human Resources Officer

Joy Solvan is an experienced HR leader and employment lawyer, with a strong background in human resources strategy, labor law, and organizational development. She is the founder of Wepulp and co-founder of Bleu Samouraï, through which she supports companies as an external HR leader. Previously, she held senior HR roles at Contentsquare, Splio, Swarovski, and Etam, after practicing labor law at EY and DLA Piper. Joy brings strategic HR expertise, legal insight, and people-focused leadership to support Calyxia’s growth and organizational development.

Frederik Dom (Chairman)

Chairman of the strategic board

Finance Advisor Diplomas: MSc, Erasmus University (Netherlands) Activities outside Calyxia: Co-Founder of HiFiBiO Therapeutics, RSP Technology BV, CFO for HiFiBiO, and Chairman of an Advisory Committee for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Jamie Walters

Co-Founder

Jamie has over 10 years of experience in the development and application of microcapsule technologies for disruptive formulated materials. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, where he went on to become a guest lecturer, in addition to inventing the core particle technology of the BiognostIX© rapid diagnostic sensor and co-founding the public engagement platform, CUSPE. Jamie is also the author of more than 20 patents and publications. Jamie believes that every formulation goal is achievable, if you build a unified team with the bravery to be creative, the patience to plan meticulously and the work-ethic and ambition to deliver the solution.

Prof. Jerome Bibette

Board member, co-founder

Scientific Advisor Diplomas: PhD, University of Bordeaux (France), CNRS Silver Medal Activities outside Calyxia: Professor at ESPCI-Paris PSL, Co-Director of Michelin Advanced Research Institute, Co-Founder of Ademtech, Capsum, Cyprio, HiFiBio Therapeutics, Isphere, Kapsera, MilliDrop Instruments & RainDance.

Gael de Barmon

Board Member

International Fund-Raising Advisor Diplomas: MBA, ESSEC Business School (France) Activities outside Calyxia: Managing Partner at Management Private Equity Asia (MPEA), Founder of Natixis Private Equity Asia, Senior Advisor at Rothschild & Co Private Equity.

Peter Eckes

Board member

Peter Eckes is an Operational Partner at Astanor, bringing over 30 years of global executive experience in agriculture, biotechnology, and specialty chemicals. He spent most of his career at BASF, where he held senior leadership roles including President R&D and Regulatory for BASF Agricultural Solutions, overseeing global crop protection, seeds and traits R&D, and regulatory activities. With deep expertise in innovation strategy, R&D leadership, and sustainable agriculture, Peter supports Astanor’s investment team and portfolio companies in scaling impactful technologies.

Hendrik Van Asbroeck

Board member

Hendrik Van Asbroeck is Managing Partner at Astanor Ventures, where he leads venture capital activities focused on transformative food and agriculture innovations. He brings over two decades of business, investment, and board management experience, mainly from the energy and cleantech sectors. Before joining Astanor, Hendrik founded Engie New Ventures, ENGIE’s corporate venture capital fund, and held several senior management roles within ENGIE and Electrabel. He brings strong expertise in innovation, climate transition, and scaling impact-driven companies.

Alexandre Ouimet-Storrs

Board Member

Alex Ouimet-Storrs is an Investment Director dedicated to the Plastic Circularity strategy and joined the team in February 2024. He has both an industrial and private equity background with 20 investments and 9 exits and an extensive knowledge of the plastic industry. Alex started his career at Air Liquide in Paris and in 2011 joined Truffle Capital as an investor in deeptech and sustainability. He became Partner in 2014 and was in charge of a portfolio of 15 companies, including Carbios. In 2018, Alex became the Managing Director (EMEA) of Solvay Ventures’ $100m corporate fund, where he scouted intensively in the scope of the Plastic Circularity strategy. He invested in 3 companies including Kumovis (thermoplastics for medical devices) that was sold to 3D Systems, signed 10 corporate partnerships with scale-ups. In 2020, he founded Oskare Capital, a life sciences fund and worked as venture partner at Elaia Partners in Paris and as a consultant for Sumitomo Corp. He’s a dual Canadian and French citizen, with a master’s in Chemical Engineering from McGill University.

Solène Marinie

Board member

Solène Marinie is Private Equity Senior Associate at Lombard Odier, where she focuses on the Plastic Circularity Fund, a strategy investing in scalable solutions to reduce plastic waste. She brings experience across Private Equity, M&A, Infrastructure, Private Debt, and Venture Capital. Prior to joining Lombard Odier, she worked at Rothschild & Co, Maya Global Markets, Macquarie, and Milano Investment Partners (formerly U-Start). Solène also serves as a board observer at Calyxia, where she supports the company’s growth by contributing financial, strategic, and sustainability expertise.

Cindy Ung Delouis

Board Member

Cindy is an investment director at Large Venture, Bpifrance’s growth fund. She has over 10 years of experience supporting startups and scale-ups across diverse industries, from SaaS B2B to industrial companies. Prior to joining Bpifrance in 2015, she spent three years as a consultant at EY. At Bpifrance, she also created and managed the Next40/FT120 program, which promotes high-potential French startups. Cindy holds degrees from Sciences Po Bordeaux and ESSEC.

Benjamin Hugonnet

Board member

Benjamin Hugonnet is a Tech Growth Equity Investor at Large Venture, Bpifrance’s growth fund dedicated to high-potential technology companies. He has extensive experience supporting startups and scale-ups, from innovation financing to growth equity investments. Since joining Bpifrance, he has worked across innovation funding, portfolio management, and ecosystem development, supporting hundreds of innovative companies. Benjamin also serves as board member or observer for several technology companies, bringing financial, strategic, and scaling expertise to Calyxia’s Board.

Francois Bleger

Board Member

Francois Bleger joined Brenntag in February 2023 as Regional President Brenntag Specialties, he was then appointed President of the Global Business Unit Beauty & Care and the Region APAC for Brenntag Specialties as of 1 January 2024. He is also member of the Executive Committee of Brenntag Specialties. Before joining Brenntag, Francois had over 28 years of experience as a Global Specialty Chemicals executive in various roles at Clariant, including President of the Region South-East Asia & Pacific, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Vice President and Head of Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties for the APAC region, and most recently Head of Global Business Unit Additives. He has been operating out of Asia for 14 years. Francois graduated with a Master of Chemical Engineering Degree from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Industries Chimiques, Nancy, France and then went on to pursue his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine, France and University of Delaware, USA. He followed various Executive degrees from London Business School, University of Michigan and St Gallen.