Our Governance

Our governance structures the Group’s development and safeguards its long-term trajectory. It guides decision-making, supports the growth of our Houses, and ensures alignment between performance, commitments, and our long-term vision.

Sylvain Charlois

Founder

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Sylvain Charlois comes from a long line of foresters and stave makers whose expertise has been passed down from generation to generation since the 17th century. Founder of the eponymous Group, now operating internationally, he has led its development and strategy since its creation, while promoting a demanding and contemporary vision of oak valorisation, from forest management to its most prestigious applications. With recognised expertise in the high-value transformation of oak, he brings a comprehensive perspective to the entire value chain, shaped by a long-term vision, the transmission of expertise and an intimate knowledge of the material.

——————

Education: Left school at the age of 15 to join the family forestry and stave-making business, before founding the Group in 2005 at the age of 27.

Charles de Lorgeril

Executive Director

Group & Development

Coming from a family of winegrowers and shaped by a career spanning international experience, forestry, development and organisational transformation, Charles de Lorgeril brings a cross-functional perspective to the projects led by Charlois. His experience enables him to support the Group’s development, particularly in the areas of legal affairs, external growth, corporate social and environmental responsibility, and information systems. Attentive to people, living heritage skills and the material itself, he contributes to responsible and ambitious growth, in keeping with Charlois’ values of transmission and excellence.

——————

Education: Master’s Degree in Management & Public Affairs (HEC Paris) - Master’s Degree in Corporate and Public Management (Sciences Po) - Bachelor’s Degree (Sciences Po).

Théo Vlad

Executive Director

Operations & OAKING

Théo Vlad is an expert in forestry and oak, shaped by extensive hands-on experience. His collaboration with Charlois developed naturally in 2020 around his forestry, stave-making and cooperage activities in Romania. He supports the Group’s operations and more specifically leads the development of OAKING and the Romanian activities. His in-depth knowledge of territories, supply chains and the material itself informs strategic developments guided by operational excellence, respect for living ecosystems and the transmission of expertise.

——————

Education: Master’s Degree in International Business Law (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) - HEAD (Hautes Études Appliquées du Droit).

David Le Gac

Director

Industry & Production

David Le Gac is a hands-on professional, deeply committed to craftsmanship and precision. He ensures operational excellence and process control in support of quality and sustainability. Attentive to both teams and oak as a material, he bridges tradition, industrial excellence and continuous improvement.

——————

Education: Operations Manager in the Wood Industries (Institut Supérieur de Management des Industries du Bois, Tulle).

Anthony Morel

Director

Finance & Management Control

Anthony Morel oversees the Group’s finance and management control functions. With close attention to both data reliability and operational realities, he supports decision-making and contributes to controlled development in the service of forests, oak, living heritage professions and the Group’s high standards. He is also involved in information systems, ensuring that management tools are closely aligned with the needs of the Group’s businesses and teams.

——————

Education: Master’s Degree, School of Management (University of London, UK) - Postgraduate Degree in Finance and Management Control (Kedge Business School) - Engineering Degree in Production and Information Systems (Polytech Marseille).

Sonia Charlois

Director

Human Resources & Corporate Culture

Sonia Charlois supports the women and men of Charlois with care and places people at the heart of performance, promoting career paths, expertise and a collective spirit. As the heir to a family history rooted in oak and forestry, she ensures that the Group’s culture reflects the passion behind its living heritage professions, while helping to create an environment in which everyone can thrive.

——————

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Foreign Languages (Université Bourgogne Europe).

Nicolas Mähler-Besse

Director

Cooperage Brands

Nicolas Mähler-Besse has a deep passion for wine, spirits and the professions that surround them. Drawing on extensive international experience in the wine industry and a rich career in the world of cooperage, he leads the Charlois brands with rigour and creativity. Deeply connected to forests and oak as a living material, he promotes the authenticity, elegance and history of the Group’s expertise, building strong and inspiring brands for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

——————

Education: Master’s Degree in International Sales (KEDGE Business School) - Bachelor’s Degree in Biology (Université de Bordeaux).

Claude Jouot

Director

Image & Communications

Claude Jouot has built her career around image, graphic design and communication. After founding her own design studio in the early 1990s, she spent more than twenty years working with organisations particularly in the fields of culture, museums and festivals. She began working with Charlois as an external partner in 2000 and joined the Group in 2007. Since then, she has supported its development and ensured the consistency of its image and messaging, translating its identity, values and ambitions for all of its audiences.

——————

Education: ESP - École Supérieure de Publicité, Communication et Marketing, Paris.