François Jackow

"My aim is to make Air Liquide the champion of climate solutions. This is an urgent priority for the planet, and for us all."

— François Jackow

Overview

François Jackow
François Jackow in 2024
Born	(1969-06-12) June 12, 1969 Paris, France
Citizenship	France
Education	Lycée Louis-le-Grand; Lycée Henri-IV
Alma mater	École normale supérieure; Harvard University; Collège des Ingénieurs
Occupation	Chief Executive Officer
Employer	Air Liquide
Known for	Leadership of Air Liquide during the Energy transition
Title	Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide
Term	1 June 2022 – present
Predecessor	Benoît Potier
Board member of	Air Liquide Foundation; Musée du Louvre
Children	3

🌍 François Jackow (born 12 June 1969) is a French business executive who has served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Liquide, one of the world’s largest industrial gas groups, since 1 June 2022. Trained as a chemist and biologist at the École normale supérieure and Harvard University, and later as a manager at the Collège des Ingénieurs, he built his entire corporate career inside Air Liquide after short early stints at L'Oréal and Shell. Over three decades he held senior roles in innovation, large industries, healthcare and regional leadership before succeeding Benoît Potier, and as CEO he has focused on implementing the “ADVANCE” strategic plan, expanding clean hydrogen and electronics, and steering the group through energy and inflation shocks while maintaining robust profitability.

Early life and education

🎓 Elite scientific education. Jackow was born on 12 June 1969 in Paris in an academically oriented family environment and was educated in two of France’s most selective secondary schools, first at Lycée Louis-le-Grand and then in preparatory classes for the grandes écoles at Lycée Henri-IV. After entering the École normale supérieure in 1989, he completed a degree in chemistry and biology there in 1992, while in the same year obtaining a Master of Arts in chemistry from Harvard University through an academic exchange programme. Seeking to complement his scientific profile with management training, he earned an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs in 1993, a Franco-German business school focused on engineering graduates.

🧪 From laboratory to industry. Before committing to a corporate career, Jackow briefly explored industrial research and risk analysis: in 1990 he worked as an associate researcher at L'Oréal, and from 1991 to 1992 he was an industrial risk consultant for Shell in the Netherlands. These early positions exposed him to multinational operations and industrial safety issues and convinced him that he preferred working at the interface between science and business rather than in academic research.

Career

Early career and rise within Air Liquide

💼 Entry into Air Liquide. In 1993 Jackow joined Air Liquide as a young manager, beginning what would become a three-decade career with the group. He initially held roles in sales, marketing, business development and engineering, notably in the United States and the Netherlands, as part of a deliberate effort by the company to train globally minded managers who understood both technical and commercial aspects of industrial gases.

🧭 Mentored by Benoît Potier. During the late 1990s Jackow was brought into the orbit of Air Liquide’s then rising leader Benoît Potier, who later became CEO and chairman. For around two years he worked directly as assistant to Potier at headquarters, an experience that gave him early exposure to group-wide strategy, major investment decisions and governance, and that has often been described as a kind of apprenticeship in top-level corporate management.

Innovation, Japan and large industries

🚀 Innovation and “Blue Hydrogen”. In 2002, at about 33 years of age, Jackow was appointed Vice-President for Innovation, in charge of Air Liquide’s global research and development and advanced technologies portfolio. In this role he launched projects such as the early-2000s “Blue Hydrogen” initiative, which sought to produce lower-carbon hydrogen for industrial and energy applications through carbon-constrained processes, anticipating later interest in hydrogen’s role in decarbonisation. The post reinforced his reputation internally as a manager able to translate emerging technologies into new business opportunities for the group.

🌏 Leadership in Japan. In 2007 Air Liquide appointed Jackow as CEO of Air Liquide Japan, based in Tokyo, where he led the subsidiary until 2011. During this period he oversaw expansion in high-tech sectors such as electronics and healthcare and positioned the company as a local partner on environmental solutions, working closely with semiconductor manufacturers and hospitals in a mature and competitive market. The Japanese posting also added to his experience of managing cross-cultural teams and operating in a region where industrial gases are closely tied to advanced manufacturing.

📊 Large Industries and corporate strategy. Returning to Paris in 2011, Jackow became Group Vice-President for the Large Industries world business line, responsible for supplying oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to heavy industrial clients such as steelmakers, chemical producers and refineries. He oversaw several large-scale on-site gas contracts and managed exposure to volatile energy prices while maintaining reliable supply to key customers. In 2014 he joined Air Liquide’s Executive Committee as Group Vice-President for Strategy, where he architected the NEOS 2016–2020 strategic plan and contributed to one of the company’s largest acquisitions: the US$12.5 billion takeover of the American distributor Airgas in 2016, which significantly expanded Air Liquide’s footprint in North America and strengthened its position against the enlarged Linde–Praxair group.

Executive vice-president and succession to CEO

🏥 Executive responsibilities and healthcare. From 2016 Jackow served as Executive Vice-President, gradually accumulating a broad portfolio that included oversight of Air Liquide’s operations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India, as well as the global Healthcare business line providing medical gases and home healthcare services. He also supervised innovation and digital transformation, advocating the use of data analytics and remote operation tools to improve the efficiency of air separation units and hydrogen plants.

🧰 Crisis management and COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic he played a visible role in mobilising the group’s industrial capabilities for public health needs, helping coordinate the production of around 10,000 ventilators in an industry consortium for French hospitals and increasing supplies of medical oxygen to intensive care units under pressure. This period reinforced his internal standing as an operational manager able to respond quickly to exceptional circumstances while keeping core businesses running.

🧿 Appointment as chief executive. In December 2021 Air Liquide’s board announced that Jackow would succeed Benoît Potier as CEO with effect from 1 June 2022, while Potier would become non-executive chairman. The handover followed the group’s longstanding practice of long tenures and carefully prepared internal succession, making Jackow only the sixth chief executive in the company’s history. Financially, he inherited a group in robust condition: under Potier’s leadership Air Liquide had delivered steady growth and strong shareholder returns, with its share price having risen roughly fourfold between 2001 and 2021. Upon his appointment he emphasised both continuity and acceleration, indicating that he would maintain the group’s financial discipline while speeding up initiatives in clean energy and digitalisation.

CEO of Air Liquide

⚡ ADVANCE strategic plan and energy transition. As CEO, Jackow has centred his agenda on ADVANCE, Air Liquide’s 2022–2025 strategic plan, which targets growth in what he describes as “markets of the future” such as clean hydrogen, healthcare, electronics and high-tech manufacturing. In interviews he has argued that Air Liquide should be “at the heart of the energy transition”, helping heavy industry decarbonise and improving energy efficiency through gases, hydrogen and related technologies. Under his tenure the group has significantly increased planned investments in hydrogen infrastructure and low-carbon projects.

📈 Financial performance and margin targets. In 2023 Air Liquide reported an 11.4% rise in recurring operating income on a comparable basis and met or exceeded several of its profitability targets, allowing the company in early 2024 to double its 2025 operating margin improvement goal to +320 basis points versus 2021, from an initial +160 basis points. The results prompted a positive market reaction, with the share price reaching record levels around €182 and the stock continuing a multi-year pattern of outperforming the CAC 40 index. Over the five years to 2023, Air Liquide’s total shareholder return of around 52% compared with roughly 22% for the CAC 40, reflecting strong earnings growth and regular dividend increases.

🔋 Hydrogen hubs and project pipeline. A visible element of Jackow’s strategy has been to position Air Liquide as a major player in large-scale hydrogen projects. In 2023 the company was selected as a partner in six of the seven clean hydrogen “hub” projects backed by the United States government’s US$7 billion support programme, reinforcing its footprint in North America’s emerging hydrogen ecosystem. He has also overseen investments in electrolysers and low-carbon hydrogen facilities in Europe and other regions, often through joint ventures with energy majors, as part of a broader ambition to make Air Liquide “a champion of climate solutions”.

📡 Digitalisation and operating model. Internally, Jackow has continued to promote digital tools and data-driven decision-making. He has encouraged the use of advanced control systems, remote operations centres and predictive maintenance to optimise Air Liquide’s plants and logistics networks, and is known to convene cross-functional “task force” teams to accelerate deployment of new technologies such as carbon capture or telemonitoring systems for home healthcare patients. Colleagues describe his leadership style as collaborative and methodical, combining a long-term strategic view with detailed follow-up on key projects.

Financials and compensation

💶 CEO remuneration structure. As chief executive of a large industrial gases and chemicals group, Jackow’s remuneration is broadly aligned with peers in the European materials sector. For the 2024 financial year his total compensation was estimated at about €4.7 million, comprising a fixed salary of roughly €1.2 million and variable components in the form of annual bonuses and long-term incentive plans. According to company disclosures, only about one quarter of his pay is fixed, with the remainder tied to performance metrics including earnings, shareholder returns and environmental objectives, reflecting Air Liquide’s “pay-for-performance” philosophy.

🏦 Shareholding and alignment with investors. In addition to his salary and incentives, Jackow holds shares in Air Liquide, providing what analysts describe as “skin in the game”. As of 2025 he was reported to own around 60,000 shares, representing approximately 0.01% of the company and worth in the low tens of millions of euros at prevailing market prices. While modest in percentage terms, this stake is significant on a personal level and, together with variable pay plans, reinforces the alignment between his interests and those of long-term shareholders. Over the three years to 2024 the company’s earnings per share and total shareholder return have both grown strongly, helping to justify the overall level of his remuneration in the eyes of many investors.

🏛️ Other roles and philanthropy. Beyond his executive duties, Jackow serves on the board of the Air Liquide Foundation, which funds projects in areas such as environmental protection, healthcare and scientific research, and he represents the group on the board of the Louvre Museum in Paris, reflecting the company’s long-standing corporate patronage of cultural institutions. Unlike several other CAC 40 chief executives, he does not sit on additional corporate boards, a choice that observers interpret as a desire to focus on Air Liquide’s agenda and avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Personal life

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family and privacy. Despite leading a high-profile listed company, Jackow maintains a relatively low public profile in his private life and is often described in the French business press as “un homme discret”. He is married with three children, but few details about his family are public, reflecting his preference to shield them from media attention. He has nonetheless spoken occasionally about travelling with his family to off-the-beaten-track destinations and about the importance he places on discovering new cultures, an interest that echoes his own international studies and postings.

🎿 Hobbies and cultural interests. Outside work, Jackow is known to enjoy skiing and golf, activities that allow him to spend time outdoors and to compete in a more informal setting. He is also a classically trained pianist and an avid listener of classical music, reportedly using the piano as a way to relax after demanding workdays and attending concerts in Paris when time permits. This combination of sporting and artistic interests contributes to the image of a well-rounded manager, far removed from the stereotype of the purely financial or technocratic executive.

🤝 Values and leadership style. Accounts from colleagues and profiles in French business media portray Jackow as analytical yet attentive to the “human” dimension of corporate life. Drawing on his scientific training, he is said to examine data in detail but also to encourage open discussion in meetings, listening carefully before outlining his position. He has publicly emphasised diversity and inclusion as strengths of Air Liquide and is described as embodying the company’s stated values of entrepreneurial spirit, operational excellence, innovation and responsibility. Privately, he is reported to support philanthropic causes related to children’s health and environmental protection, consistent with the social and environmental themes of the foundation he helps oversee.

Controversies and challenges

🧼 Reputation and absence of scandal. Unlike some contemporary corporate leaders, Jackow has so far attracted little controversy on a personal level. As of the mid-2020s there have been no publicly reported scandals or legal proceedings involving him, and his communication style is generally characterised as measured and consensual. A 2025 survey of SBF 120 leaders by the communications agency JIN and the Press Club of France noted that no scandal had tarnished his image and that he ranked among the better-regarded CEOs in its reputation index.

🌪️ Energy crisis and geopolitical shocks. One of the earliest strategic tests of Jackow’s tenure as CEO came with the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which sharply increased natural gas prices and raised concerns about supply security for European industry. Air Liquide, a large user and producer of gas, had to adapt quickly by improving efficiency, adjusting contracts and securing alternative sources. In interviews, Jackow framed the crisis as an “accelerator” of the group’s strategy to reduce energy consumption and to invest in low-carbon solutions, rather than as a purely negative shock. The company managed to maintain stable operations in key markets while continuing its investment programme.

🧱 Competition and growth after major consolidation. Structurally, Jackow faces the challenge of maintaining Air Liquide’s growth momentum in an industry that has undergone significant consolidation, notably with the 2018 merger of Linde and Praxair, which created a larger rival and relegated Air Liquide to second place in terms of global industrial gas revenues. In response, his strategy has emphasised organic growth and partnerships, focusing on high-growth segments such as electronics, healthcare and energy transition-related projects, while leveraging the group’s engineering expertise to win complex, capital-intensive contracts. Some analysts, however, periodically debate whether another large acquisition might eventually be needed to keep pace with the sector’s scale dynamics.

🌱 Climate commitments and ESG scrutiny. On environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, Jackow has committed Air Liquide to a trajectory of carbon-neutrality by 2050 with interim milestones for 2025 and 2035 and has argued that sustainability is “at the core” of the company’s performance indicators, including for executive bonuses. At the same time, the group remains under close scrutiny from climate-focused investors and NGOs, in part because a significant portion of its business still involves supplying gases to carbon-intensive industries such as oil refining and basic chemicals. Climate Action 100+ has included Air Liquide on its list of priority companies and, while acknowledging progress, has called for clearer disclosure and more ambitious targets for indirect (Scope 3) emissions. During the 2022 annual general meeting some investors supported resolutions urging stronger net-zero alignment and more detailed climate reporting, illustrating the pressure on management to balance decarbonisation ambitions with the realities of customer demand and existing assets.

🧩 Governance and succession from Benoît Potier. The governance structure created at the time of Jackow’s appointment, with Potier continuing as non-executive chairman while his former deputy assumed the CEO role, has been presented by the company as a way to ensure continuity and benefit from Potier’s experience. Some commentators have noted that such arrangements require careful delineation of responsibilities to avoid perceptions that the former CEO still exerts day-to-day influence. To date there has been little overt shareholder dissent: annual general meetings have approved both the strategic direction and executive pay packages by comfortable margins, helped by Air Liquide’s strong financial performance and a shareholder base that includes many long-term individual investors.

🔭 Long-term strategic challenge. Looking ahead, observers identify Jackow’s central challenge as steering Air Liquide through the twin transformations of decarbonisation and digitalisation while preserving its historical reputation for reliability and steady growth. The company must respond simultaneously to rising expectations from regulators and climate-conscious stakeholders, fierce competition from larger or more specialised rivals, and the cyclical dynamics of industries such as steel, chemicals and electronics. Given his combination of scientific training, long internal experience and international exposure, many analysts consider Jackow well-placed to manage this generational transition, though his performance will ultimately be judged over a longer horizon than the first few years of his tenure.

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Air Liquide CEO François Jackow outlines the group’s long-term strategy and vision in an interview on the company’s role in the energy transition.

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François Jackow presents Air Liquide’s 2023 annual results, commenting on performance, margins and investment plans.

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• Air Liquide
• Industrial gas
• Benoît Potier