CE+T Power Appoints Sebastien Michel as CEO and Sylvain Bertacco as Chief Sales Officer

CE+T Power is entering a new chapter in its development with the appointment of Sebastien Michel as Chief Executive Officer and Sylvain Bertacco as Chief Sales Officer. This evolution reflects both continuity and transformation: building up on expertise in power electronics while reinforcing the company’s ambition to lead in an increasingly dynamic and fast-evolving energy landscape. 

With complementary backgrounds combining technical expertise, international business development and strategic leadership, Sebastien and Sylvain form a strong leadership duo aligned around a shared vision. Find out more in our interview. 

Can you please introduce yourselves?

(Sylvain Bertacco) « I was born and raised in the Liège region, where I studied International Business at ESEJ. I am married and a father of two. Most of my career has been dedicated to business development, mainly within major mobile telecommunications groups. I worked across West and North Africa, including serving as Country Director, where I was responsible for both strategic and operational development in high-potential markets.

In 2012, I joined CE+T Power as Regional Sales Director for the Middle East, Africa and India, marking my transition into the power electronics sector. I quickly recognized strong similarities with the early days of mobile networks: a fast-structuring market driven by the energy transition, with significant opportunities ahead. My belief in this industry and in CE+T is reflected not only in my professional commitment, but also in my personal involvement as an investor. On a personal level, I am passionate about golf, classic cars, travel and gastronomy; interests that mirror my appreciation for precision, history and discovery. »

(Sebastien Michel) « My background began with a degree in industrial engineering, but early on I was drawn to international environments where technology meets the market. This dual (technical and commercial) perspective has shaped my entire career. Understanding a product is essential but understanding the value it creates for the customer is even more important. To broaden my strategic perspective, I later completed a master’s in Management and an MBA, strengthening my understanding of strategy, finance, leadership, and transformation. 

In 2016, I joined CE+T Group as Managing Director of Serel Industrie. This general management experience allowed me to develop a comprehensive vision of the business, both operationally and strategically. In 2024, I continued my journey within CE+T as Chief Sales Officer. On a personal level, I am deeply attached to family time. Travel and gastronomy are sources of inspiration and openness for me. Sport also plays an important role in my balance, particularly running and golf as they combine discipline, consistency and perseverance, qualities I also strive to apply in my professional life. »

Sebastien, what motivated you to take on the role of CEO, and how does your commercial experience shape your vision today?

This evolution was planned from the beginning. My move into the Commercial Director role had a clear objective: to deepen my understanding of the market, our customers and their expectations. Before stepping into the CEO position, it was essential for me to be fully immersed in the commercial reality: to listen to the field and objectively assess our strengths and areas for improvement.

My time leading the commercial team at CE+T enriched that experience with a much sharper understanding of our positioning and competitive landscape. My commercial background naturally influences my vision today. It has taught me that strategy is only relevant if it comes from the market. As CEO, I will ensure that our decisions, whether related to innovation, organization or investments, are guided by value creation for our customers. I firmly believe that sustainable performance is built on an organization aligned with its market. My role now is to structure this orientation, share it across the company, and turn it into a long-term growth driver.

Sylvain, after 13 years at CE+T Power leading sales in MEA, how does your field experience help you approach your new role?

This field experience allowed me to develop a proactive approach to business development, working in close partnership with our local partners. The Middle East is an extremely competitive market, where trust, proximity, and responsiveness truly make the difference. That is precisely how we built our success in the region, and it is the model I intend to extend globally in my role as CSO. Before joining CE+T Power, I spent 14 years within a large group specialized in turnkey solutions for mobile network deployment, where I served as Customer Team Head. This dual experience, managing large structured projects while maintaining a pragmatic, customer-focused commercial approach, forms the foundation of my vision today: combining operational excellence, customer proximity and strategic anticipation of market needs.

Can you share your main objectives as you step into these roles?

(Sylvain) My objectives are twofold:

• First, to strengthen our installed base in our historical critical loads applications sector, which remains the core of our business and a key strategic pillar.
• Second, to support the evolution toward new market dynamics, particularly those driven by the energy transition, while preserving our DNA: innovation, modularity and service continuity, our “no-break modularity”, which strongly differentiates us in the market.

(Sebastien) As for me, I have defined three key priorities:

• The first is strategic: strengthening our customer orientation. Customer centricity must become a core principle of our organization. From product design to after-sales service, every decision should be guided by value creation and customer satisfaction.
• The second priority is people. We have strong talent within CE+T, and my role is to reinforce team cohesion, encourage cross-functional collaboration, and foster a culture of accountability and initiative. Sustainable performance starts with engaged teams.
• The third is organizational alignment. I want to ensure strong coordination between commercial, technical, industrial and support teams to execute our roadmap effectively.

A high-performing company is one where everyone understands the strategy and works toward a common goal. In the short term, this means a clear and shared roadmap. In the medium term, structured and profitable growth. And in the long term, a stronger, more innovative and truly customer-driven company.

What is your vision for the coming years, and what priorities derive from it?

(Sylvain) For more than 40 years, CE+T Power has been recognized as a global leader in power electronics across data centers, telecommunications, transportation, industry and oil & gas. Our vision is to strengthen and expand this position by increasing our visibility in emerging markets related to microgrids, hybrid systems and smart energy architectures. To achieve this, our priorities will be clear:

• Strengthen our presence with major integrators and project developers
• Accelerate the adoption of our bidirectional solutions
• Position our innovations as technological standards within distributed energy architectures.

How will you strengthen CE+T Power’s position in its key markets?

(Sylvain) It all starts with listening and engaging with the entire ecosystem: end users, developers, integrators, installers and operators. Understanding both current and future needs is essential to continuously adapt and evolve our solutions. We must keep enhancing our bidirectional converters while also actively promoting our major innovations. I am thinking of Prisma in particular, which the market already describes as a “game changer.” Behind what may appear to be a simple topology lies a level of technological complexity that only a company like CE+T Power can truly master.

How do you plan to work together in this new dynamic?

(Sylvain) It all starts with a shared vision, clear ambitions and a structured roadmap. We will rely on innovative solutions, a strengthened loyalty program for our installed base, and a truly customer-solution-oriented approach. At the same time, we will modernize our end-to-end processes to ensure a seamless, consistent and performance-driven customer experience. The customer must remain at the center of every decision we make.

(Sebastien) I fully share Sylvain’s vision. For this dynamic to succeed, our collaboration will be built on clear roles, transparency and mutual trust. The complementarity between commercial strategy and operational excellence must be fluid. We will also embody this customer-centric mindset together across the organization. Transformation cannot be purely organizational; it must also be cultural. This means empowering our teams and encouraging customer value-driven decision-making at every level of the company. Finally, we will closely measure our progress. Customer satisfaction, operational performance and loyalty must not remain intentions: they must translate into tangible results.

What messages would you like to share with clients and partners?

(Sylvain) CE+T Power is part of a strong, diversified and decentralized group with an international presence. We have the stability, expertise and vision required to sustainably support the energy transition, which demands reliable, scalable, secure and long-lasting solutions. We will continue to invest in innovation while remaining an agile partner, close to our customers and focused on delivering results.

(Sebastien) Beyond the strength of the group, I would like to share a clear message: the energy transition represents a profound transformation of our infrastructures, and we intend to be an active and committed player in this evolution. Our ambition is to design reliable and scalable solutions that support the growing electrification of uses and the digitalization of energy systems. We do not only want to address today’s needs, we aim to anticipate tomorrow’s. To our customers and partners, I want to say that we will stand alongside you as a strategic partner, committed to co-building resilient and sustainable energy architectures.

In one word each, how would you describe this new chapter of CE+T Power?

(Sylvain) Transformation.

(Sebastien) Ambition.