Paris, July 16, 2007 - René Montaz-Rosset has been appointed Managing Director of GDF Britain, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gaz de France, replacing Mark Hughes.

In this role, René Montaz-Rosset will be responsible for GDF Britain's holdings in more than 50 British licences, including 15 in production fields.

René Montaz-Rosset (49), an engineer with degrees from Supélec (Ecole Supérieure d'Electricité) and the National Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN), has spent most of his career within the Gaz de France Group where he has held various positions, notably outside France.

He joined the Group's distribution division in 1985 where he was responsible for developing and modernising the French networks before being put in charge of overseas projects.

From 1992 to 1996, he served as General Manager of Cogeplus Ingénierie,
a Gaz de France subsidiary specialising in cogeneration (the production of electricity and heat from natural gas).

In 1996, he joined the Group's International Division where he oversaw investment projects in the fields of the transmission and distribution of natural gas, subsequently assuming responsibility for a Gaz de France project in the distribution sector in Argentina, a position he held until 2000.

Between 2000 and 2004, he contributed to Gaz de France's development in upstream oil and gas in various geographical regions. From 2004 to 2006, he managed natural gas supplies from Algeria, working in the Supply, Trading & Marketing Division.

Since 2006, and prior to his latest appointment, he was responsible for the Group's exploration & production activities in Western Africa, the Middle East and Guiana.

Didier Holleaux, Vice President Exploration & Production, said: "Rene brings an invaluable combination of upstream and managerial expertise to GdF Britain. We are very pleased to have appointed Rene to head this subsidiary as we continue to grow Gaz de France's exploration & production activities in the UK.”

Company profile:

The Gaz de France Group is a major player in the European energy market. Ranked first in the distribution of natural gas in Europe, Gaz de France employs almost 50,000 people and in 2006 generated sales of €27.6 billion. The Group boasts a portfolio of approximately 13.9 million customers, 11.1 million of whom are based in France. First listed on the Paris Bourse in July 2005, Gaz de France entered the CAC 40 and the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 indexes in September 2005.

GDF Britain is a wholly-owned Gaz de France subsidiary holding shares in 54 British licences (21 as an operator) including 15 production fields. The net aggregate production of Gaz de France in the United Kingdom in 2006 stood at 13 million barrels oil equivalent.

Press Contact :
Pénélope Linage
Tel: 33 - 1 47 54 30 17
E-mail: penelope.linage@gazdefrance.com


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