Éric Carreel (born 28 June 1959 in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

), is a French

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and serial entrepreneur. He is the founding president of Withings, Sculpteo, Invoxia and Zoov. He is a graduate of ESPCI ParisTech, holds a PhD in engineering from the

Pierre and Marie Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University ( , UPMC), also known as Paris VI, was a public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussieu Campus in the Latin Quarter of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, ...

, and has authored over 50 patents.

Biography

Graduate engineer from ESPCI ParisTech ( École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris, class of '84), Carreel began his career in institutional research as a

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

scientist. In 1990, in collaboration with Prof.

Jacques Lewiner Jacques Lewiner (born in 1943) is a French physicist and inventor. He is Professor and Honorary Scientific Director of École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris (ESPCI Paris), and (since 2012) dean of innova ...

, he founded

Inventel Inventel was a French company developing consumer electronics and communication systems, noted for Gateway (telecommunications), domestic gateways and considered one of the primary architects of Triple play (telecommunications), Triple play in Eu ...

. He presided over the company from 2002 to 2005, becoming one of Europe's foremost businesspeople in the field of

triple play In baseball or softball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three out (baseball), outs during the same play. There have only been 739 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of ju ...

. Inventel created the Livebox for France Telecom. After the takeover of Inventel by

Thomson SA Vantiva SA (formerly Technicolor SA, Thomson SARL, Thomson SA, and Thomson Multimedia) is a French multinational corporation that provides technology products and services for the communication, media and entertainment industries. Headquarter ...

in 2005, he became technical director of Thomson's household products division, where he created and managed the Advanced Product Development group. In June 2008, with Frédéric Potter and Cédric Hutchings, he founded Withings, a manufacturer of communicating objects for health and wellness, such as the WIFI Body Scale, which was launched in 2009. In April 2016, the company is acquired by Finish company

Nokia Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...

and rebranded Nokia Digital Health. In May 2018, Nokia announces that it has closed the sale of its digital health division, along with 200 employees, to Eric Carreel. Eric Carreel announces he relaunch the business under the Withings brand by the end of 2018, with a focus on preventive health. In June 2009, joined by Clément Moreau, he founded Sculpteo, the online 3D printing platform which commercializes its service to both consumers and professionals, and which manufactures objects coming from 3D files. Then, in June 2012, he founded Invoxia with Serge Renouard. Invoxia is a manufacturer of IP telephones. The first Invoxia device was unveiled at IFA in Berlin in September 2011, branded shortly after as the Smart Office Phone. He also founded Zoov, a new ebike sharing service that wants to reinstate the bike station, in September 2017.

Commitment

In July 2012, Éric Carreel becomes vice-president of France Digitale. France Digitale is an association which aims to bring together entrepreneurs and venture capitalists and to promote the digital economy among public authorities. In September 2013, he is appointed head of the Connected Objects plan established by the French Ministry for Economic Regeneration (Ministère du Redressement Productif). In September 2014, he is appointed member of the board of INPI as the industry environment representative, for industry interested by industrial property protection. Éric Carreel is member of the International Scientific Council created in 2007 by

ESPCI Paris ESPCI Paris (officially the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris, , ''The City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution'') is a grande école founded in 1882 by the city of ...

. He is also member of the FCS (Scientific Research Foundation) Board of Directors at the PSL Research University. The FCS Board of Directors is the principal decision-making body of FCS. It determines overall policy at PSL and conducts oversight to ensure implementation of its decisions. Éric Carreel is member of the scientific council of EDF (Electricity of France) presided by Sébastien Candel. In 2017, he joins

French Academy of Technologies The National Academy of Technologies of France (''Académie des technologies'') is a learned society, founded in 2000, with an emphasis on technology, and the newest of French academies. In 2007 it acquired the status of ''établissement public'', ...

Awards

In December 2011, Carreel receives the 2011 Engineer of the Year Award For An Entrepreneur from the National Council of Engineers and Scientists of France and L'Usine Nouvelle magazine. In April 2012, he receives the 2012 Digital Technology Innovator Award from Télécom ParisTech. In Novembre 2013, Éric Carreel wins the Revelation of the Year Trophy at the BFM Awards. In December 2015, Éric Carreel is named chevalier (

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

) by the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, the highest French order of merit for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and civil merits.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carreel, Eric French engineers ESPCI Paris alumni Living people 1959 births People from Amiens