OUR TEAM

AFAM Governance

AFAM is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization whose Tax ID # is 26-2274822 registered in the State of California
AFAM is governed by a volunteer board of directors elected annually by AFAM contributors in good standing and by the Arts et Métiers School Director
By policy, AFAM is committed to preserving the confidentiality of all personal information it keeps about its members

Notable Alumni and Board Members, AFAM team 2020

	Eric Benhamou President since 2007 Hi, I’m Eric! I am an Aix 72 alum. I arrived in the US in 1976. I graduated in 1977 from Stanford's School of Engineering and pursued a career in the IT industry in Silicon Valley. I was fortunate to create, grow and lead several successful IT companies such as Bridge Communications, 3Com and Palm. I now serve on several public company boards and allocate the rest of my time between my Venture Capital Fund Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC, the INSEAD global business school in Fontainebleau and the IDC in Herzeliya where I am a visiting professor, and of course AFAM.
	Marc Amblard Board Member since 2017 and CFO since June 2018 Hi, I am Marc! A Cluny ’84 alumn, I first came to work in the US in 1988 and received my MBA from U. of Michigan in 1992. I spent 20+ years in the auto and rail industries between France and the US, working at PSA, Valeo, Renault and Alstom before becoming CEO at EFQM. I moved to Silicon Valley in Feb 2017 where I manage Orsay Consulting, a firm focused on electric, autonomous, connected and shared mobility. I advise startups as well as corporates. More on my LinkedIn profile
	Thomas Ferré Secretary & Board Member since 2007 Hi, I’m Thomas! I am a Bo 200 alum, living in Washington DC, born in NYC and raised in France who came back to the USA to graduate from University of Michigan for a MSc in Civil engineering. I currently head the Private Equity portfolio at Microvest Fund, and invest in companies dedicated to social impact and financial inclusion for the poor around the world. I spent most of my career in Private equity investing across the globe. I also founded TOMI OTEE a 100% sustainable apparel company and winner of the 2011 NY FAE Award, and am an investor in and advisor to a diverse portfolio of startups from tech to farming.
	Xavier Wartelle Board Member since 2007 Hi, I’m Xavier! I came to Silicon Valley 16 years ago and I have participated to many high tech start-ups. Today I manage PRIME that represents the Paris Region in the US. I am also board member of Presto Engineering and Shogunmoto. Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
	Jean Luc Nauleau Board Member since 2007 Hi I’m Jean-Luc! I have lived in the U.S for over twenty years; I graduated from Santa Clara in 1987 and started my career as a software engineer for Plessey Semi-conductor. I founded Integration Associates in 1991, a semi-conductor startup, acquired by Silicon Labs in July 2008.
	Audrey Stewart Board Member & ENSAM Representative since 2010 Hi, I’m Audrey. I am Director for International and European Development at Arts et Métiers ParisTech. I graduated from the University of Strathclyde Business School in 1991 and joined Arts et Métiers ParisTech in 2007, first in the Lille campus, and then in 2010, in the head office. I am also a representative of the CDEFI (Conference of Directors of Engineering Schools) in Americas group in charge of defining the international strategy for research, innovation and higher education for the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research; and I am an elected member of the academic committee of INSA Val de Loire. You may connect with me via LinkedIn.
	Nicolas Horde Board Member since 2018 Hi, I'm Nicolas, an Ai 214 alumnus. I am AFAM representative in Atlanta. Do not hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn.
	Mattia Pelissou Board Member since 2020 Hi all, I’m Mattia, Lille 2016 alumnus. I moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2018 to study at UC Berkeley. Now working as a robotics engineer in San Francisco, I am a strong advocate of AFAM’s mission and West Coast Group president. Shoot me a message if you are ever in San Francisco. You can contact me via LinkedIn
	Jean Pommier Board Member since 2017 I am an An 183 alum and have lived in Silicon Valley since 1998. In addition to Paris Tech's Mechanical Engineering degree, I got a second MSc in Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence and worked in this field since 1987 when I joined ILOG upon its creation in France and until its acquisition by IBM 22 years later. I led ILOG's Services organization for many years and, at IBM, I'm a Distinguished Engineer and CTO for our Digital Business Automation services business. Beyond work I call running my second job, focusing mostly on ultra marathon trail running nowadays and actively blogging about it. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
	Philippe Claret Board Member, SOCE Representative since 2018 Hi I am Philippe, Ai 178! I just joined the AFAM board through my election as VP of international for SOCE. I just retired after having spent 33 years at EDF, the French energy company. There I was an engineer and traveled the work, especially Latin America, the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe. Board Member since 2013.
	Louis Renaux Board Member since 2018 Hi, I am Louis, Cluny 216. I just moved to California for the Master of Engineering at UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. I am currently building up a seminar to foster tighter links between French and US companies. I also am the president of the West Coast Alumni Group so please contact me if you want to create events in the Bay Area. Don't hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn.
	Eric Tran Board Member since 2015 Hi, I'm Eric, Chalons 94. I have been in the oil & gas business for almost 20 years. At first in the field of quality services, I spent some time in Scotland then quickly move to Houston, Texas for a couple of years. I then switched to UK to join an exciting subsea project for Total for 4 years. I am now back to Houston at Shell as Sr Quality Management Engineer, providing quality assurance expertise, especially on capping equipments for subsea-well emergency response in case of an event similar to the BP Macondo accident.
	Louis Castex Board Member since 2016 Hi, I'm Louis, an INSA Toulouse alum. I received my PhD in Physics in 1987 from the University of Bordeaux. I was nominated director of the Arts et Métiers Campus of Aix-en-Provence in 1991 for 5 years, then I took the direction of the campus of Paris for the following 5 years. Next I became the director of INSA Toulouse until 2009. Since 2012, I'm the scientifique advisor of the Arts et Métiers Foundation, the academic advisor of the president of the Société des Ingénieurs Arts et Métiers and task manager for the General Director of Arts et Métiers Paristech. You may contact me on LinkedIn!
	Aurore Prevot Board Member since 2018, former US Representative 2014-2017 I joined AFAM in 2014 as representative, after coming to the US, with my family. As an alumnus from Arts et Métiers ParisTech, I have always sought to play an integral role in the community, and was thrilled to contribute over the years in building the Arts et Métiers in the US. Seeing the students and alumni succeed and thrive in the US has been an incredible source of motivation and accomplishment.
	Jean-Baptiste Commans Board Member since 2017 Hi, I am Jean-Baptiste! A , Li 203 alumnus, I moved to New York in 2015 as a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, specializing in Investment Banking Strategy and Risk Management. I have spent my career working with financial institutions. I started as a financial mathematician, for Aon and Credit Foncier de France, where I headed the pricing department. I worked for 5 years in Paris, 3 years in London and now New-York. Do not hesitate to contact me via email or LinkedIn.
	Sacha Ghebali Board Member since 2020 Hi, I am Sacha! A Bo211 alumnus, I came to NYC in 2019. Today I am West Coast Group Zident, taking over after my predecessor JB Commans. Do not hesitate to contact me via email or LinkedIn.
	Albina Patou-Chebykina US Community Manager since 2018 Hello, I am Albina Patou-Chebykina. Born and raised in Russia, I fell in love with French culture and French language when I was a teenager. This led me to study in France, first at the Sorbonne Nouvelle and then at the business school ISEE where I graduated in International Affairs. I worked in Paris and in Moscow doing marketing and public relations prior to arriving to the United States in 2011. Today I am excited to join the AFAM team. You can contact me via email or Linkedin.

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