Sébastien's Visit to Middle East

Cotecna Middle East officially kicked off 2026 with strong momentum following a high impact regional visit from Group CEO Mr. Sébastien Dannaud, accompanied by Mr. Amit Chopra, CEO- South Asia and Middle East.  

Townhall at Cotecna Middle East Dubai Office:  

The start of the year was anchored by the formal launch of Cotecna Middle East’s 2026 theme, “Propel,” introduced by Mr. Kamlesh Parmar, Regional Director – Middle East in the presence of Sébastien Dannaud and Amit Chopra. The theme sets a clear direction for the year ahead—focusing on accelerating performance, scaling impact, and strengthening Cotecna’s regional leadership position. 

Throughout the visit, senior leadership emphasized key priorities for 2026, including operational excellence, innovation, and enhanced client value. Engagements with teams highlighted the Middle East’s strategic importance within Cotecna’s global growth agenda and its role in driving forward-looking solutions for clients across sectors. 

A central highlight was the Townhall meeting, where Mr. Kamlesh Parmar reflected on the region’s major achievements in 2025 and outlined the strategic roadmap under the “Propel” theme. He called on teams to build decisively on last year’s successes, seize emerging opportunities, and raise the bar on execution, collaboration, and accountability—underscoring that 2026 is a defining year for the region. 

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) also stood out as a major focus area for 2026. Leadership stressed that sustainability, governance excellence, and responsible operations will be pivotal in shaping Cotecna’s value proposition in the region. This renewed emphasis reflects global expectations and positions Cotecna as a responsible, forward-looking partner. 

Visit to Wimpey Lab: 

Sébastien visited Wimpey Laboratory, where he was warmly welcomed by Dr. Chandrajith, CEO of Wimpey Laboratories. He met with the operational and technical teams, engaging with analysts, quality leads, and managers to review ongoing initiatives and reinforce Cotecna’s commitment to quality. 

Visit to Cotecna CPS Lab: 

He then visited the Cotecna CPS Dubai Laboratory, where he was welcomed by Mr. Nalin Singla, Regional Director - SAME, Cotecna CPS. He appreciated the facility’s infrastructure and capabilities. Discussions centred around strengthening collaboration, enhancing service delivery, and aligning CPS capabilities with Cotecna’s longterm growth strategy for the Middle East. 

Inauguration of Wimpey Lab’s New Abu Dhabi Facility: 

As part of his visit, Sébastien led the inauguration of Abu Dhabi’s largest laboratory facility on 15 January, marking a major milestone in expanding Cotecna’s testing and compliance presence across the UAE. 

The event was attended by distinguished dignitaries, including H.E. Abdalla Al Muaini, Executive Director, Central Testing Laboratory, ADQCC,  Engineer Ali Ibraheem Aldhamesh, Head of Product Recall Section – Product Safety & Legal Metrology Department, ADQCC 

Sébastien was joined by Amit Chopra, CEO, South Asia & Middle East, along with valued clients and industry representatives. 

The new state-of-the-art facility strengthened Cotecna’s ability to deliver high capacity, reliable, and internationally compliant testing solutions to support the region’s growing regulatory and industry needs. 

About Cotecna

For over 50 years, we have been supporting agriculture, food and pharma, minerals and metals, and consumer products supply chains all over the world. We provide testing, inspection, and certification services to help our clients navigate evolving regulations, ensure product compliance, and support their sustainability journey.