Philippe Knoche is a graduate of École Polytechnique with a Master’s degree in Materials Science; he also holds a degree from the École des Mines.

He began his career as a case handler for the European Commission’s anti-dumping department. He later joined the Consortium de Réalisation (French asset management consortium) as Assistant to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Philippe Knoche joined the AREVA group in 2000. After having been Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, he was appointed Director of the Business Unit in charge of used fuel treatment. He became OL3 Project Director in 2006.

In 2009, Philippe Knoche was named Chief Operating Officer of AREVA NP.

In January 2010, he took the helm of the Reactors & Services Business Group and became a member of the Group's Executive Committee.

On July 1, 2011, Philippe Knoche was named Chief Operating Officer and member of the Executive Board.