Every year on the occasion of the lecture preceding graduation, EPFL Alumni gives an Alumni Award to EPFL graduates who have distinguished themselves over the course of their careers.
What is the relationship between a bobsleigh world champion and an EPFL student? Answer: the study of materials. It was in reading an interview with Silvio Giobellina, a bobsledder seeking to im-prove the performance of his equipment, that Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux decided to contact him. The result was a 10-year collaboration, resulting in a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games for the athlete and a doctorate in 1988 for the student.
An experience that was testament to Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux’s expertise
and passion. For 27 years, he put these two qualities to good use at the DuPont chemistry group, specialised in polymer materials. It was a career that, in addition to Geneva, took him to the United States, Canada and Denmark, filling positions ranging from R&D to acquisitions and Europe Regional Business Director for Advanced Fibers and Nonwovens. His career took on a new dimension in 2015 when he was appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Solvay, a world leader in specialty chemicals. His mission is to align the structure of Solvay’s R&D with the group’s priorities and, for example, to develop innovative and sustainable solutions in areas such as high-performance batteries and composite materials.
Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux is in charge of more than 2,000 people worldwide and manages a budget of €350 million. He received an Alumni Award in 2019 and is a member of the Board of Directors of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), an associate member of the Royal Academy of Belgium, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Argonne Laboratory, one of the larg-est research laboratories dedicated to energy in the US.
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