News
March 30, 2026
Press release
Grenoble – March 30, 2026 – As Verkor reaches a decisive milestone in its industrial development, the company is simultaneously strengthening its governance with the appointment of Jacques Esculier as President of its supervisory Board.
Following the official inauguration of its Dunkirk Gigafactory in late 2025, Verkor announces that it has entered the final phase of its industrial ramp-up. Commissioning and product line balancing phases have been completed in record time. The Gigafactory is now entering the final validation phase: production lines are now fully optimized, stabilized, and running continuously.
Serial production is expected to begin within the next few months.
This milestone establishes Verkor as a fully-fledged European industrial player in a sector that is key to energy transition and industrial sovereignty. Since its inception, Verkor has relied on an ecosystem of committed partners, including Renault Group, to structure and accelerate its development. This collective momentum is contributing to the emergence and consolidation of a European battery supply chain, an essential lever for industrial and energy sovereignty.
Appointment of a new Chairman of Verkor’s supervisory Board
As the company enters this new phase of growth, Verkor also announced that Jacques Esculier is joining its team. His high-level industrial and governance experience is a major asset in supporting Verkor through this new phase, working alongside the management team and fellow Board members.
Jacques Esculier succeeds Bart de Beer as President of the supervisory Board. Verkor acknowledges the commitment and expertise of Bart de Beer, whose contributions have been crucial to Verkor’s initial structuring and development. The supervisory Board’s mission is to define the company’s strategic direction and oversee its general management, providing oversight and strategic guidance to the President-Chief Executive Officer and Verkor co-founder, Benoit Lemaignan.
With strengthened governance and industrial milestones now firmly established, Verkor intends to pursue a disciplined rollout of its industrial project and support the continued ramp-up of its Gigafactory, serving European industrial and energy sovereignty.
“I am honored to join Verkor at a key stage of its industrial development. The company’s project addresses two essential priorities: decarbonizing our economy and building European industrial sovereignty in the battery sector. In my non-executive role, I am committed to enriching the strategic thinking of the supervisory Board, contributing to management team decisions, and supporting the company through its scaling phase, drawing on my industrial experience,” states Jacques Esculier, President of Verkor’s supervisory Board.
“Jacques Esculier’s international experience and perspective from complex industrial transformations will clearly enrich our trajectory and strengthen us in this new phase,” states Benoit Lemaignan, President-Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Verkor.
Biography of Jacques Esculier
Jacques Esculier has an accomplished international career in industry. He held general management and board presidency positions at WABCO Holdings Inc., where he led the group’s transformation until its sale to ZF.
Prior to WABCO, Jacques Esculier held several management positions at major international industrial groups, notably at American Standard / Trane, where he directed multi-regional industrial operations, and at AlliedSignal / Honeywell, where he held general management responsibilities in aerospace and industrial systems. He has also led transformation and turnaround projects for industrial companies in complex and highly capital-intensive environments.
Composition of Verkor’s supervisory Board
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