RAPHAEL SMILA

About RAPHAEL SMILA

Raphaël Smila currently plays a key role in the governance of KLEA HOLDING, a listed company focused on acquiring, developing, and digitalizing businesses across multiple sectors. He first joined the board in January 2025 as a director and was later appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer following the governance overhaul approved at the Annual General Meeting on June 10, 2025. He is also described as the company’s largest shareholder, holding more than 20% of the share capital, which gives him a significant strategic position within the group. A chartered accountant by training, Smila is an entrepreneur and professional investor with close to 20 years of experience in corporate finance, complex financing structures, and restructuring advisory for distressed companies. Prior to his leadership role at KLEA HOLDING, he served for several years as Chairman of Financière du Rond Point and of the LORO Family Office, investment platforms with interests in real estate, industrial businesses, and technology companies. This background reflects a profile that combines financial structuring expertise, capital allocation discipline, and hands-on involvement in diversified assets. At KLEA HOLDING, his arrival came at a pivotal moment for the group. Upon taking a leadership role, he initiated a cost-optimization program aimed at strengthening financial discipline and improving profitability. The new governance model introduced in 2025, supported by a meaningful management shareholding, reflects a clear intent to align long-term strategy with shareholder interests. Smila’s profile is therefore consistent with an entrepreneurial leadership style that blends investor mindset, accounting rigor, and the ability to steer a company through transformation and growth.