Michel Fender has worked as a consultant since 1987, first as an independent and then as co-founder of Newton Vaureal Consulting. He received a Ph. D. from the Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) in 1996. He is currently President of the Manufacturing Management Department at the ENPC, co-Director of IML Paris, and Professor of Logistics at the ENPC.