Our Leadership

A graduate of the École des Hautes Études Commerciales in Jouy-en-Josas, France, Frédéric Van Heems began his career in 1986 at the French newspaper Le Figaro, before joining the Lagardère Group in 1994 where he was Chairman and CEO, first for Lapker in Hungary and then for Zendis in France.

In 2002, he joined Areva, as Director of the uranium enrichment program. Three years later, he was appointed President and CEO of Canberra as worldwide leader in radioactivity measurement systems and solutions, where he was based in New York.

In 2009, he was named CEO of Cegelec Group. In 2011, he created his consulting company, and in 2013, he became CEO of Alstom Power Automation and Control.

Frédéric Van Heems joined Veolia in 2014 as General Manager of its subsidiary Siram in Italy. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Veolia Water France in 2016, before becoming Chief Executive Officer of Veolia North America in 2021.

Rodolphe Bouichou is the Chief Financial Officer for Veolia North America. Prior to this, Rodolphe served as the Chief Executive Officer of VNA’s Municipal Water Utility division and previously he was CFO of the Utility division.

As Chief Executive Officer of the Utility Division of Veolia North America, Rodolphe oversaw operations and management of water utilities across the United States. This includes ensuring the provision of safe and affordable water services to over 2.2 million people as well as managing a $400 million capital investment program.

Originally an engineer by trade, Rodolphe Bouichou started his career in the telecom industry in France. In 2005, he moved to the U.S. and attended Columbia Business School’s MBA program. He soon began a new career in finance, as an investment banking M&A associate with Bank of America.

In 2009, he joined Veolia North America’s predecessor company in the corporate finance department, eventually rising to chief financial officer of the regulated water utility business. He has extensive experience in M&A, corporate finance, financial planning and analysis, accounting, regulatory business, tax and procurement. Rodolphe holds a M.S. degree in Engineering from Ensae Supaero in Toulouse, France and a MBA from Columbia University.

Veronique has worked for more than 16 years at Veolia, the global leader in water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of cities and industries. 

Over the years, she has held a wide variety of technical and business development positions. She first started her career at Veolia in Paris, including seven years in the Technical Department as Material and Corrosion Expert and as a Process Engineer.

In 2013, she moved to the United States where she joined Veolia Water Technologies in Chicago as Strategic Business Development Manager in charge of the development and expansion of key new markets.

In 2016, she became a part of the management team of Veolia Water Technologies Americas (North and South) as the Digital Business Development Director managing the launch and deployment of the company's digital services and three years later, in addition to this role, she also served as the Chemical Business Development Director.

In 2020, she was appointed Senior Director and then Vice President, Development, Strategy and Innovation, at Veolia North America where she led digital transformation, market intelligence and marketing, strategic growth and key account program, sustainability initiatives such as biodiversity plan.

Veronique is currently the Executive Vice President of Development, Strategy and Innovation and Chief Growth Officer, where she works closely with business leaders and a commercial community of over 200 to set, drive and execute VNA's growth strategy. 

She received her Masters and PhD in Process Engineering from the Ecole des Mines in France and is a Harvard alumni.

In 1991, Bob joined Veolia Environmental Services as the Director of Regulatory Affairs for the company's hazardous waste management operations and resided in Flanders, NJ. In 1996, he moved to New England to become the General Manager for the branch operations in that area, and in 2008, he became the Vice President of Service Operations for the Eastern region of the company. In 2012, Bob assumed responsibility for Veolia's operations in the Western Region. In 2014, he became the Senior Vice President for the Environmental Solutions and Services (ESS) business of Veolia's Industrial business line. In 2015, his scope of responsibility expanded to include Veolia's environmental business lines in Canada. In 2016, he was named Chief Operating Officer ESS business.

Bob started his environmental career in 1987 as an Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Engineer for the General Electric (GE) Company in Somerville, NJ. In 1989, he became the EHS Manager for GE’s semiconductor manufacturing operations in the United States and Europe. While in this role, he experienced first-hand the falling of the Berlin Wall and the massive San Francisco earthquake and the environmental issues that ensued.

Bob is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan and has completed extensive graduate studies in toxicology at Michigan and environmental health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Most importantly, Bob is the proud dad of a son, Dominick. Bob is also an avid marathon runner (120+).

Denis Chesseron was appointed Country Director and Chief Executive Office and Special Advisor Veolia North America Operations, Canada in May 2024.

As a strong believer in Veolia's purpose and resourcing the world, he views his role as a catalyst and changemaker for all of its business lines. He is responsible for all of VNA’s business in Canada, including energy and industrial activities. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of Finance and Procurement, and Chief Financial Officer of VNA. In this role, he leads VNA’s Finance organization, in addition to Procurement including transformation initiatives in both functions.

Denis joined Veolia group's Water division in 2005, became the Group's Financial Controller in 2012 and then served as Group Deputy Chief Financial Officer until 2020.

He was also a member of the Group’s management committee, relying on team spirit to break down barriers that may exist in a large organization.

Denis holds a Master of Finance from the University of Orléans in France.

He is married and is the proud father of a son and two daughters. He is also an opera lover and enjoys walking, playing tennis and visiting contemporary art exhibitions.

Brian Clarke is Chief Impact Officer at Veolia North America (VNA). He is responsible for Veolia's water and wastewater operations and maintenance services, both contracted and regulated, across the United States and Canada. 

From September 2019 to June 2021, he served as interim president and CEO leading the water, energy, waste and resource recovery activities of Veolia's North American zone.

Beginning in 2018, Brian led strategy and corporate development activities for Veolia North America, working to evaluate new business opportunities including acquisitions, joint ventures and complex bids and contracts. He was also responsible for developing VNA’s growth strategy working in close cooperation with our business line leaders.

Brian joined Veolia in 1999 in the legal department of Veolia Water North America, holding a number of positions with VWNA, including chief financial officer and general counsel. Brian has also been executive vice president of corporate development and strategy for Aegion Corporation, a partner at the Chicago law firm of Seyfarth Shaw and a member of the legal department of Waste Management, Inc, including general counsel of the company's hazardous waste subsidiary, Chemical Waste Management, Inc.

He received his Doctor of Law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and earned a Bachelor of Arts, also from the University of Illinois. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois.

Marc Demougeot is the Chief Digital Officer for Veolia North America. With more than 20 years of technology experience, Marc leads the transformation of Veolia North America’s Information Systems and Technologies (IS&T) function.

Marc joined Veolia North America from Veolia Water France where he served as the Chief Information Officer from 2019 to 2021, having previously held a number of roles across Veolia’s IS&T function since 2006. Prior to joining Veolia, he was a consultant with Aubay, a technology consulting firm based in France.

He graduated from the Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management.

Carrie Griffiths was appointed Executive Vice President of Communications and Chief Communications Officer of Veolia North America (VNA) in February 2022. She leads VNA's communications team to promote, enhance and protect VNA's brand.

Through media relations, digital and social media, crisis communications management, employee engagement and executive communications, she communicates the company's mission with various external and internal stakeholders.

Carrie joined VNA in 2018 as vice president of communications where she works with the leadership team to recognize internal and external communications opportunities and define appropriate strategies to capitalize on them. She was promoted to senior vice president of communications in October 2019 and to executive vice president and chief communications officer in 2022.

She brings more than 25 years' corporate communications experience in global Fortune 150 environmental services, waste, energy and manufacturing corporations.

Prior to joining VNA, she was director of global communications for InterGen, an independent power producer. She has held roles of increasing responsibility in corporate communications at Waste Management, Wheelabrator Technologies and Tyco International.

Graduating with honors from the University of New Hampshire, Carrie has a Bachelor of Arts in communications.

Chris Low was appointed Executive Vice President of Technical, Performance, and Environmental, Health and Safety, and Chief Technical Officer for Veolia North America in September 2023. In this role, Chris and his team provide technical expertise, delivery of capital investment projects, environmental compliance and ensure safe operations.

As a strong believer in Veolia's purpose to be a leader in ecological transformation, Chris and his team lead critical initiatives to optimize operations and to implement Veolia's multi-faceted performance indicators to add value for all of Veolia's stakeholders.  

Chris joined Veolia’s Water and Technologies Solutions division in 2004 and held various roles in project management and supply chain leadership, and he led the North America projects business from 2017 to 2023. He uses his wide network in Veolia to unlock value for customers and growth opportunities through collaboration across business units.

Prior to joining Veolia, Chris worked for several years as a project manager in a variety of industries in the Middle East and Canada. Chris holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo (Ontario).

Andrianne Payson serves as Executive Vice President Legal and General Counsel of Veolia North America. In this role, she serves as legal advisor to the executive management team and oversees the company’s legal, insurance and governance functions. Previously, Andrianne was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of SUEZ North America, and served as secretary of its board of directors and Chief Ethics Officer.
 
Prior to joining Suez, Andrianne was a partner and the United States Co-Chair for DLA Piper’s Energy-Power Sector. In this role, she represented energy industry clients, including utilities, project developers and equity investors, on a variety of infrastructure projects and M&A transactions in the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean.
 
In addition to her legal experience, Andrianne is a Certified Public Accountant and was previously an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she audited investor-owned utilities in New York and Connecticut.
 
In 2021, Andrianne was recognized by Public Utilities Fortnightly in its publication “Women Leading Utilities: The Pioneers and Path to Today and Tomorrow.”  She was also named an “Energy and Environmental Law Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal in 2017 and recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of finance: project finance in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
 
Andrianne serves on Cornell Law School’s Advisory Council and is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women.
 
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in public accounting from City University of New York and a Juris Doctor degree from Cornell Law School.

Dave Ross was appointed Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Sustainability in August 2024. In this role, Dave serves as a senior advisor to leadership on strategic initiatives, leads the government affairs and sustainability functions of the organization, and supports multifaceted performance, stakeholder engagement, and social impact initiatives.

Dave joined Veolia North America in February 2023 as its Chief Sustainability Officer. In that role, he coordinated all aspects of Veolia North America’s sustainability program, including decarbonization, biodiversity and water initiatives, sustainability reporting and data management, climate adaptation strategy, and related functional elements, while also ensuring alignment with Veolia Group strategy and European Union directives.

Prior to joining Veolia, Dave served as a partner and counsel in international law firms, as the Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the Environmental Protection Unit at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and the lead water quality attorney for the State of Wyoming. He has worked for local, state and federal government; served as an environmental prosecutor and defense attorney; advised corporate boards, governors and U.S. cabinet officials; argued in court; testified before Congress; and has managed multi-billion dollar budgets. Dave guided the development of the United States’ first National PFAS Action Plan and Water Reuse Action Plan, and co-chaired the Federal Water Subcabinet, Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, and National Drought Resilience Partnership.

Dave began his career as an environmental consultant focused on wastewater reclamation and reuse, and has developed legal and policy expertise on water quality, endangered species, emerging contaminants and contaminated sites, environmental permitting and auditing, renewable energy, sustainability, environmental assessments, administrative process, and environmental litigation.

Dave earned an undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a masters of environmental law and policy and juris doctorate from Vermont Law School, where he also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Vermont Law Review.

Karine Rougé serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Veolia North America’s Municipal Water services. Previously, she was a director for First Sentier Investors, a leading global infrastructure investor. 

For 11 years, Karine worked for Suez and has extensive experience in the water industry both in North America and Europe, where she led various strategic transformations in the digital, municipal and industrial water sectors to build cutting-edge teams, solutions and services aimed at solving global water treatment challenges. Karine joined Suez in 2010 as Chief of Staff, working for the Group Senior Vice President of Finance in Paris where she managed several organizational and acquisitions projects. In 2013, Karine moved into the role of Senior Vice President in charge of sales for the Smart Building division, achieving double digit growth in the smart monitoring of water and energy consumption in commercial and residential buildings. In 2015, Karine joined Suez in North America as President for Treatment Solutions which was integrated into Suez Water Technologies and Solutions (“Suez WTS”) after the acquisition of GE Water by Suez in 2017. She was then CEO of the Global Services business, where she led a profound strategic and cultural transformation, achieving double digit growth globally as well as a significant expansion of offerings and market positioning. In 2020, she was also appointed Chief Transformation Officer of Suez WTS.

Prior to joining Suez, Karine worked at Goldman Sachs in the investment banking division in London, Paris and Johannesburg, where she worked on various acquisition and financing projects.

Karine holds an M.S. in management from HEC Paris and an M.S. in economics from the Paris School of Economics.

Jenna Susanke was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer for Veolia North America in March 2024.

Jenna joined VNA with over 25 years of experience leading human resources functions and projects across multiple industries including in consumer products, pharmaceutical, retail and technology and across multiple regions, including North America, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Jenna's career has spanned industries and has been guided by her passion to enable companies and people to optimize their growth and potential. She began her career at Hewitt Associates (now Aon) as a human resources development associate and then as a consultant focused on business process optimization. Following Hewitt, she consulted with clients on the change and talent management aspects of large transformations with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Jenna then led the people and organizational strategies for PepsiCo, most recently for the Asia Middle East and North Africa sector. Her most recent role was Vice President People and Culture for Philip Morris International for the Americas region.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in History and a Masters of Science degree in Organizational Development, both from Northwestern University.