Present in 80 countries with approximately 65,000 employees, Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services and one of France’s largest conglomerates. Having been the company’s general counsel since 1992, Laurent Blamoutier is one of the country’s most distinguished and highly regarded in-house lawyers. Blamoutier’s lengthy tenure at Air Liquide demonstrates his ability to manage legal affairs at a multinational organisation whilst the business landscape has evolved dramatically.

Furthermore, his term as general counsel for over 25 years means he has a wholesale understanding of Air Liquide’s operations and has been involved in the company’s most significant and critical business projects. This decade has seen Blamoutier oversee the acceleration of Air Liquide’s presence in new territories, including Turkey, Ukraine and Mexico, and its strengthened presence in China. He also played a leading role on the acquisitions of LVL Médical in France and Gasmedi in Spain at the end of 2012.

More recently he was credited for handling legal requirements related to the company’s 2016 purchase of Airgas and its integration into the Air Liquide business the following year. Blamoutier joined Air Liquide in 1982, holding various legal positions at company headquarters and subsidiaries before assuming the position of general counsel ten years later.