Michael J. Graff, Chairman, CEO and President of American Air Liquide and Executive Vice President of Air Liquide Group
Mike Graff joined Air Liquide in 2007 and currently serves as executive vice president and executive committee member of Air Liquide S.A., chairman and chief executive officer of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc., chairman of the board of Airgas, and board member of Air Liquide Sante Intl. As executive vice president of the Group’s Americas Hub, Graff leads business operations for North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean from its Houston, Texas headquarters. He is also the global chairman of the Group’s Electronics business line and has oversight for safety and industrial systems worldwide. Graff is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in the energy, chemicals and polymers industries across the Americas, Asia, and Europe. He began his career with Amoco and BP, plc. and went on to serve as president or chief executive officer of several global chemical and polymer businesses.
Graff serves on the board of directors of Westlake Chemical Corporation and is a former director of the Lubrizol Corporation. He also serves on a number of industry and civic boards including as an executive committee member of the American Chemistry Council and as a principal of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s American Energy Innovation Council. Graff was a 2016 recipient of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award and is a member of both the University's Board of Trustees and the Armour College of Engineering Board of Advisors. He has served on the New Directions Industrial Advisory Board of Purdue University’s department of Chemical Engineering, where he has also been recognized as a recipient of the University’s Outstanding Chemical Engineer and Distinguished Engineering Alumni awards. He also serves on the board and executive committee of Children at Risk, and is an active member of The Baker Institute of Rice University, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, and the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation.
Graff holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University. He studied business at the University of Chicago and completed executive management programs at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Cambridge, and the Stanford University Law School.
Along with his family, Graff participates in a variety of community service programs and activities. He is a strong advocate for STEM education, literacy and youth athletics.
